Bling (Confession of a King)

This song might be my favourite that I've heard off of Sam's Town. I was very honoured to be the one to submit the lyrics. ANYWAY!

This song means a lot to me...like lulabella said, this song is all about don't give up. Although I've read this song is about Brandon Flowers' alcoholic father, for me, it has more of an relationship meaning.

I take it as a person in a relationship that's really having a hard time keeping everything in a good situation. Let's call this person Jane for the sake of making this easy on me. Jane really can't take it anymore.

(And I can't pull it any longer, The sun is beating down my neck)

Jane makes excuses to her loved one for why everything is going downhill, but the excuses won't solve anything, it all comes down to fate to decide what will happen.

(So I ran with the devil Left a trail of excuses, Like a stone on the water, The elements decide my fate,)

Jane keeps trying to keep the relationship going, and her significant other keeps saying, life's hard enough and their relationship just makes it more taxing. She thinks he's going to leave her, she pleads for him not to. She needs him to be strong; even though they have a lot going against them, there's more to it all than the problems.

(When I offer you survival, You say it's hard enough to live, Don't tell me that it's over, Stand up, Poor and tired, But more than this)

He thinks it's all better between them, he thinks it's all perfect, but Jane sees otherwise. He isn't worried about the relationship, so obviously he's not going to see things from a negative view. He makes her think everything is okay, but only for a while.

(How do you know that you're right? If you're not nervous anymore, It's not so bad, it's not so bad)

Jane keeps switching between two ideas: it's all okay and it's not okay. She doesn't know what to think, so she keeps pushing on for a point of perfection in the relationship, but obstacles get in the way.

(I feel my vision slipping in and out of focus, But I'm pushing on for that horizon, I'm pushing on, Now I've got the blowing wind against my face)

He starts throwing little arguments at her, and she keeps questioning is it okay? She finally realizes their relationship is going nowhere, it's horrible. The realization of this hits Jane hard. She knows she won't feel happiness until the holes in the relationship are patched, and it doesn't seem likely that will happen. (like rain in the desert) So, she might as well throw in the towel.

(So you sling rocks at the rip tide, Am I wrong or am I right? I hit the bottom with a "huh!" (??) Quite strange, I get my glory in the desert rain, Watch it go..."bling".)

Jane knows in the end, they're going to make it through, make it out of all the hell, and the relationship is going to climb 'higher and higher'.

(Higher and higher, We're gonna take it, Down to the wire, We're gonna make it, Out of the fire, Higher and higher.)

She realizes how great they are, and knows that it really won't be that hard to hold on. He'll always remember her for trying to keep it together no matter where they might end.

(It ain't hard to hold, When it shines like gold, You'll remember me. )

In the end, I feel it is a song of confusion, insecurity, and holding on through the hard times. I can see myself in this song so much. It's beautiful how the Killers' music can mean something so great to everyone. I also suggest everyone read my comment on Sam's Town...it's better than this one ;)

Lyndz

this is a powerful song you have to listen to it a few times before you get it i love the ending how everything mellows out:

It ain't hard to hold, When it shines like gold, You'll remember me.

pure genius

i think theres a strong 'jesus in the desert' narrative, with the devil offering him all sorts of stuff like survival and asking jesus how does he know he's right. that has parallels with brandons own life and his fathers temptations. then theres the whole geographical parallels of the israel desert and the nevada desert where he's from

Great song but I believe the real lyrics are:

When I offer you survival, You say it's hard enough to live, It's not so bad, it's not so bad How do you know that you're right?

I awoke on the roadside, In the land of the free ride, And I can't hold it any longer, The sun is beating down my neck

So I ran with the devil Left a trail of excuses, Like a stone on the water, The elements decide my fate, Watch it go..."bling".

When I offer you survival, You say it's hard enough to live, Don't tell me that it's over, Stand up, Poor and tired, But more than this

How do you know that you're right? If you're not nervous anymore, It's not so bad, it's not so bad

I feel my vision slipping in and out of focus, But I'm pushing on for that horizon, I'm pushing on, Now I've got the blowing wind against my face

So you sling rocks at the rip tide, Am I wrong or am I right? I hit the bottom with a "huh!" Cried strange, I get my glory in the desert range, Watch it go..."bling".

When I offer you survival, You say it's hard enough to live, And I'll tell you when it's over, Shut up, Poor and tired, But more than this

How do you know that you're right? If you're not nervous anymore, It's not so bad, it's not so bad...

Higher and higher, We're gonna take it, Down to the wire, We're gonna make it, Out of the fire, Higher and higher. (x2)

Higher and higher, We're gonna take it, Down to the wire, We're gonna make it out, Whoa-oh-oh Higher and higher...

It ain't hard to hold, When it shines like gold, You'll remember me.

I diagramed this song for a music video set to a tv show. Mine is based on a hero, defending his optimism

When I offer you survival You say it's hard enough to live It's not so bad, its not so bad

Is him talking, trying to cheer up/comfort a friend

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Is the friend, who's new; overwhelmed and confused by the suffering they see

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I awoke on the roadside, In the land of the free ride

Is the hero's flashback, and sort of a description of his life, just wandering through life with out understanding why or where he's going (bit hazy stil, feel free to comment) Awoke on the roadside, meaning movement is constant, no beginning or end. Land of the free ride may mean everyone is in motion, but free rides are arbitrary, they don't go anywhere we choose, or anywhere in particular at all.

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I can't pull it any longer

Note switch to present tense. Also fuzzy, but could mean the hero has recently stopped trying to run destiny/the world. He can't force life to go where he wants it to, can't save everyone.

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The sun is beating down my neck

He's tired. Very straight forward. 'Pulling" doesn't seem worth it.

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So I ran with the devil Left this trail of excuses

Switches back to past tense. Also straight forward. He's done lots of things he isn't proud of.

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Like a stone on the water The elements decide my fate Watch it go

Present. Could mean two things. One, stones sink like stones, drowning reference; fate is against him. Watch it go, control is slipping away from him

Second, the one I'm choosing for my specific purpose, is more zen. He's letting go more, like the smaller stones smoothed and carried by the river, he's letting life shape and guide him. Watch it go is more positive now, he gets to experience life by watching and admiring it, rather than fighting against it.

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When I offer you survival ... Poor and tired but more than this

Repeat of intro, with a more earnest tone. Life is not perfect, or even great, but it is worth it.

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How do you know that your right? If you're not nervous anymore

I'm going to say that this is the friend's retort, because I can't even fathom what it would mean if it was the optimist saying it. PLEASE COMMENT IF YOU MIGHT KNOW IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS!

Anyways, in mine the friend is saying, how can you believe life is so great if you're so unafraid of you're own death? If life is so wonderful, even in the face of all the dark things you've seen, shouldn't you be afraid of dying?

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It's not so bad, It's not so bad

exactly what it says

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I feel my vision slipping in and out of focus but I'm pushing off for that horizon I'm pushing on

again, could mean two things

One, he's dying, and either waiting to see what's on the other side, or trying to finish his mission here. My first impression, since your vision starts to blur as you lose consciousness, but it doesn't fit my story.

Two, much more general, he sometimes loses sight of where he's really going or what's most important, but he knows he's going somewhere. Any direction is toward the horizon if you walk with enough determination

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now I've got that blowing wind against my face

could mean adversity, being pushed back, but I think it's a positive, like the rush of air you feel as you pick up speed. also, a counter to the hot sun beating down his neck.

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So you sling rocks at the riptide Am I wrong or am I right?

an accusation, (I'm not sure on which side, but I'm saying that it's the friend talking) that the other person is wasting angry efforts, almost like shouting at a hurricane.

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I hit the bottom with a huh quite strange I get my glory in the desert rain watch it go

Some people are interpreting the third line as "I get glory when hell freezes over". These people have never been a small child in Arizona. Summer monsoons are the most gobsmackingly spectacular things you could possibly experience. They may be rare, but i would go three days without air conditioning in July down here to just stand there in a half hour summer storm. Each and every plant that struggles through the rest of the year explodes into life literally overnight, like spring condensed into an evening

I think this means that the hero has seen the best and worst of times, that hitting rock bottom was an experience that has changed him, but he clings to those moments of every now and then, when something incredible happens that makes everything worth while.

Watch it go, again, just means enjoy it. all the complexity and beauty and texure of life.

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... And I'll tell you when it's over Shut up, Poor and tired but more than this

getting more desperate, he's determined to pull his friend through, because he's seen all this before, and knows that it gets better if you hold on

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How do you know that you're right ... It's not so bad, it's not so bad

see above.

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Higher and higer

Basically, we can get through the rough times. If we keep on going til the very end, down to the wire, we can find those desert rain moments, and make it out.

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It ain't hard to hold when it shines like gold you'll remember me

Anyone can be good when times are kind. Our misfortunes define us as much as anything else. The hero accepts all of the hardships that he's come across, the mistakes he's made, and takes pride in the fact that he's become a person worthy of remembering.

It's Doctor Who, if anyone cares. Everyone does videos of him being tragic and angsty, but I don't think that's how he would put if he were telling his own story. The point is that he keeps going.

First comment!! oh gosh the new album is amaaaazing :D I think this song is like saying...things may get bad but if you just hold on it'll get better "when it shines like gold, you'll remember me"

lord...my computer always posts twice. can someone delete that?

OMG just heard this song from new album its just blown me away wow! ill add explanation once ive given it a few more listens

Shit, I just had a big analysis of what I thought this song meant and lost it.

This is my favourite song of the album by far...Basically I think that it is referring to Brandons fathers alcohol addiction (or anyone who has been down the same path)

There are two people speaking in the song - one being Brandons alcoholic father and one Brandon. Most of the song is about Brandons battle to get his father to help himself, fight the addiction and change his life. Brandon tells of how he assures his father, and also shows how his father feels - that he cant make it out of the hole he has dug for himself, and he keeps slipping back into the temptation...he covers it with excuses...and brandon is becoming exhausted by it "Shut up, poor and tired, but better than this" He knows his father worth and is having a hard time getting through to his dad. Near the end he seems to have given up "Glory in the desert rain" basically he feels that he will not be able to convince his father.

But he cant throw it in because he cares so much about this person "We're gonna make it, Out of the fire" - out of the fire, like out of the addiction.

The last sentence "You'll remember me." is Brandon telling his dad, that when he makes it out, he will remember how Brandon assured he was better and could pull through and how much easier it could have been if he had have tried earlier.

The song I feel is about being there for someone who is suffering or in a bad phase in anyway, and having them constantly let you down and give up, but sticking throught to see them come around...and how tough and hard it is to watch.

I feel this song because I know what its like to be down and feel like you cant get out, even with outside sources telling you you can...and then realising afterwards how you let yourself get further into a bad state and needed someone you cared for to pull you out.

That's what I get from it, im probably totally wrong but still lol

I think Brandon said in NME this song is about his dad, and how he worked hard, had a lot of kids, and how you can tell he's happy with his life when he plays with his grandkids. I think it's sweet and I loooove this song.