In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Fire for the hills pick up your feet and lets go.
Head for the hills pick up steel on your way.
And when you find a piece of them in your site,
fire at will, don't you waste no time.
Another thought of the unaware,
addiction in disguise.
With a drop of blood,
you will take them out, for me.
Fire from the hills pick up speed and lets go.
Fire for real, yeah shoot to kill with no aim.
Head for the hills, yes eyes on the camp fire glow.
Creep up there like a white mink hiding in snow.
And outta black a figure forms a soldier in the sky.
With a drop of love, trying to set you free.
Run for the hills, pick up your feet and lets go.
We did our jobs, pick up speed now lets move.
The trees cant grow without the sun in their eyes.
And we can't live if we're too afraid to die.
Hold on tight, yes hold on tight you're too slow.
Fire at the breeze that blows these thoughts through our mind.
Hire only thieves to steal the thoughts from our heads.
Head for the hills pick up steel on your way.
And when you find a piece of them in your site,
fire at will, don't you waste no time.
Another thought of the unaware,
addiction in disguise.
With a drop of blood,
you will take them out, for me.
Fire from the hills pick up speed and lets go.
Fire for real, yeah shoot to kill with no aim.
Head for the hills, yes eyes on the camp fire glow.
Creep up there like a white mink hiding in snow.
And outta black a figure forms a soldier in the sky.
With a drop of love, trying to set you free.
Run for the hills, pick up your feet and lets go.
We did our jobs, pick up speed now lets move.
The trees cant grow without the sun in their eyes.
And we can't live if we're too afraid to die.
Hold on tight, yes hold on tight you're too slow.
Fire at the breeze that blows these thoughts through our mind.
Hire only thieves to steal the thoughts from our heads.
Lyrics submitted by ecorchee1
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
I think this song is more specifically about the Vietnam War. The totality of the sound and lyrics is reminiscent of the 1960s. You can hear musical references to the Velvet Underground for one and the droning is very specific to psychedelic music from that era. The lyrics tell a story about a battle and coming home. Many battles were fought in Vietnam over hills and the fighting was so bitter that both sides felt like the their own respective enemies weren't human. You can hear references to this when he says, "And when you find a piece of them in your sight, fire at will don't you waste no time". These same hills were often frequently lost and won over the period of several days of fighting. References to camp fires, and creeping uphill is a reference to night time jungle operations supported by helicopter gunships or soldiers in the sky (its worth noting that Sky Soldiers was the real nickname for 173rd Brigade which saw extensive combat in the highlands of Vietnam). Drop of Love or bombs trying to set you free (kill or save you). At the end the lyrics shift to subject of the song waking up, or taking orders from a new leader. I heard this song and bought the album when they were with Light in the Attic Records in 2006 and for me back then it was still an obvious reference to the Vietnam War and its similarity to then current Iraq War. The song is very much Anti-War, along with the entire album of Passover, but this song specifically speaks to Vietnam and 65k young men who lost their lives fighting over hill against a relentless enemy for a government and population that forsake them. If you look at Passover as a story this song is the first song since its the battle that starts the the change.