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.
Let the rain fall down, let it fall to the ground,
Let the rain fall down to the ground.
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound,
When you're six feet underground.
Well they cast me out when the word spread around
That I never sang in the church.
And it took one night for the town to decide
I'm afflicted by the curse.
And the rain falls down, let it fall to the ground.
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound.
So I look to the sky, tell me why, tell me why,
Do they all get to live, and I have to die?
So they marched me down to the center of town,
With their pitchforks high in the air.
I was chained and bound with a blindfold around
So the judge wouldn't catch my stare.
And they hung my soul from the gallows pole
But the witch they never found.
So to those who don't fit society's mold,
Learn to swim or you will drown.
And the rain falls down, let it fall to the ground.
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound.
So I look to the sky, tell me why, tell me why,
Do they all get to live, and I have to die?
And the angels sing "let it shine, let it shine"
Dry the teardrops from my eyes.
And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind,
'Cause the dead can't testify.
And because I can't take an eye for an eye,
In the afterlife I'll haunt you 'till you die!
And the rain falls down, let it fall to the ground
(Let teardrops hit the ground!)
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound
(When you're six feet underground!)
So I look to the sky, tell me why, tell me why,
Do they all get to live, and I have to die?
And the angels sing "let it shine, let it shine"
Dry the teardrops from my eyes.
And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind,
'Cause the dead can't testify.
And because I can't take an eye for an eye,
In the afterlife I'll haunt you 'till you die!
And the angels sing "let it shine, let it shine"
Dry the teardrops from my eyes.
And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind,
'Cause the dead can't testify.
And because I can't take an eye for an eye,
In the afterlife I'll haunt you 'till you die!
Let the rain fall down to the ground.
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound,
When you're six feet underground.
Well they cast me out when the word spread around
That I never sang in the church.
And it took one night for the town to decide
I'm afflicted by the curse.
And the rain falls down, let it fall to the ground.
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound.
So I look to the sky, tell me why, tell me why,
Do they all get to live, and I have to die?
So they marched me down to the center of town,
With their pitchforks high in the air.
I was chained and bound with a blindfold around
So the judge wouldn't catch my stare.
And they hung my soul from the gallows pole
But the witch they never found.
So to those who don't fit society's mold,
Learn to swim or you will drown.
And the rain falls down, let it fall to the ground.
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound.
So I look to the sky, tell me why, tell me why,
Do they all get to live, and I have to die?
And the angels sing "let it shine, let it shine"
Dry the teardrops from my eyes.
And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind,
'Cause the dead can't testify.
And because I can't take an eye for an eye,
In the afterlife I'll haunt you 'till you die!
And the rain falls down, let it fall to the ground
(Let teardrops hit the ground!)
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound
(When you're six feet underground!)
So I look to the sky, tell me why, tell me why,
Do they all get to live, and I have to die?
And the angels sing "let it shine, let it shine"
Dry the teardrops from my eyes.
And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind,
'Cause the dead can't testify.
And because I can't take an eye for an eye,
In the afterlife I'll haunt you 'till you die!
And the angels sing "let it shine, let it shine"
Dry the teardrops from my eyes.
And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind,
'Cause the dead can't testify.
And because I can't take an eye for an eye,
In the afterlife I'll haunt you 'till you die!
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
If we look at this song from a purely literal point of view, then it pretty much tells us about life in the 1600’s. In the past, many people were killed because of their beliefs, whether these opinions were religious or other; if they contradicted the rest of society, they were executed. 1692 was the year of the Salem Witch trials, which I believe this song is referencing to in part. In those days, if you had anything slightly off about you, any small difference, or different beliefs, you were accused of being a witch, and hunted down by the town.
“Hung from the gallows pole”, is a reference to the old folk song about a woman begging the executioner to spare her life. It was popularized in the 1970s when Led Zeppelin recorded their own version, entitled “Gallows Pole”, which is most likely what BT is referring to with this song. The gallows are the big wooden things they hung the condemned from in the past. “When the blind lead the blind” is a term that actually originally came from the bible.
Let they go, they are ye blynde leaders of ye blynde. Wha one blinde leadeth another, they fall both i ye diche. Bible, Matthew 15:14
In actual English, this is basically saying that when the blind lead the blind (therefore, when the disabled or incompetent take care of each other), they’ll all just fall into a ditch (ie., they’re screwed). Then, the song goes on to say that this is because the dead can’t testify. Therefore, those who are already screwed (dead), can’t help those who are about to be screwed (hung).
However, “The Dead Can’t Testify” could also be looked at as a metaphor reflecting today’s society. Obviously we don’t have people hunting us down with pitchforks because we refuse to sing in church, but it is sort of saying that by being different, we’ll be made into outcasts by society. Even though we say “oh, just be yourself,” often people are afraid to do that because of the possibility that they won’t be accepted by the rest of the world.
"In the afterlife I'll haunt you 'til you die"
Correct lyrics:
Let the rain fall down, let it fall to the ground Let the rain fall down to the ground And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound When you're six feet underground
Well they cast me out when the word spread around That I never sang in the church And it took one night for the town to decide I'm afflicted by the curse
And the rain falls down, let it fall to the ground And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound So I looked to the sky, Tell me why, tell me why, Do they all get to live and I have to die
So they marched me down, to the center of town With their pitchforks high in the air I was chained and bound, with a blindfold around So the judge wouldn't catch my stare
And they hung my soul from the gallows fold but the witch they never found So to those who don't fit society's mold Better swim or you will drown
And the rain falls down, let it fall to the ground And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound So I looked to the sky, Tell me why, tell me why, Do they all get to live and I have to die
And the angels sing: let it shine, let it shine Dry the teardrops from my eyes And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind Cause the dead can't testify And because I can't take an eye for an eye In the afterlife I'll hold you 'til you die
And the rain falls down, let it fall to the ground (let teardrops hit the ground) And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound (when your six feet underground) So I looked to the sky, Tell me why, tell me why, Do they all get to live and I have to die
And the angels sing: let it shine, let it shine Dry the teardrops from my eyes And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind Cause the dead can't testify And because I can't take an eye for an eye In the afterlife I'll hold you 'til you die
And the angels sing: let it shine, let it shine Dry the teardrops from my eyes And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind Cause the dead can't testify And because I can't take an eye for an eye In the afterlife I'll hold you 'til you die
This is about someone being executed for witchcraft as a scapegoat by their town.
And it is haunt not hold.
I think the wich being executed is a metaphor for people rejected by the society.
"So to those who don't fit society's mold Better swim or you will drown"
The idea behind this song is to help relate their lives to thier audiance, but gives a message of hope. To remind the listner that everyone will get whats coming to them in the end. "So if you dont fit societies mold, learn to swim or you will drown" Warns the listner that if they're going to stand up and stan out, that they need to be able to back themselves up!
The lyrics make me think of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, like "The Crucible".
this song is pretty much speaks for itself. it's the witch hunt, you were different, you stood out so you must be the witch and the cause of the towns problems.
the song also talks about not only the idea of the witch hunt but the "haunt you till you die" aspect which is like the karma side of things.
wether you decide to look at it from a complete witch hunt view or maybe a modern message that people today are still going to be persecuted for being different either way it's the same type of meaning.
if you stand out, you're going to get some flack, but it doesn't mean you cant fight back!
pretty much my all time fave lyric "So to those who don't fit society's mold Better swim or you will drown" is actually "So to those who don't fit society's mold LEARN TO swim or you will drown"
i've checked a couple places, and listened to the song again and its defiantly learn to. it also makes more sence in the context, that the song is a metaphor for discrimination in society. learn to fit in or you'll be ostracized.
This is truely my favourite song from Billy Talent!!!