Never Die Young

Lori McKenna

When the angels came down
Did they give you a choice?
Would they have let you stay where you were?
Not to live here in pain
Should not bring you shame
And the light is so hard to deter

Well did the gates of heaven
Look just as you thought?
Did Sister Mary describe them quite well?
Years of Catholic school were all good to you
Because you were the angel who fell

And I am the one who will never die young
I am a martyr and I cannot hide
But I'm not a winner
I am just brilliantly bitter
I'm sealed by my skin
But broken inside

Angels are fragile
And devils are hot
And life is a masquerade
Colors will blend
And hearts will all mend
Just tell me you were never afraid

'Cause I am the one who will never die young
I am a martyr and I cannot hide
But I'm not a winner
I am just brilliantly bitter
I'm sealed by my skin
But broken inside

And there are babies laughing
And children running
And they say "read me a book, oh sing me a song,"
And I was the one who I felt so, so sorry for
But you are the one who is gone

So will you save me a seat
If I make it that far?
Will you even know
That I am the one?
I will be old
For the angels have told me
That I will never die young

'Cause I am the one who will never die young
I am a martyr and I cannot hide
But I'm not a winner
I am just brilliantly bitter
I'm sealed by my skin
But broken inside
And I will be old
For the angels have told me
That I will never die young
I'll never die young


Lyrics submitted by delial

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2 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment
    Oh my god- this song is fucking amazing. I can think of no reasons whatsoever that Lori isnt huge. There lyrics are so powerful; in my opinion the song is about someone who commited suicide which is extremely personal to me so this song means a whole hell of a lot
    paper_hearts13on February 27, 2007   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation
    The song is about her mother, who died of cancer when she was a young child. In that context, the lyrics are heartwrenching, but the themes of dying before one's time and the despair of those left behind are universal. There *are* many parallels to suicide in the lyric, such as preparing for death and trying to avoid living in pain, be it physical or emotional, and this song always feels like me having a conversation with my sister, who committed suicide as a young adult - it always cuts right to my emotional core.
    alpineincon July 25, 2010   Link

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