Let It Burn

It's obvious that the metaphor for what's burning down is the relationship.

The song starts out with someone saying that they've seen everything slowly crash. It then asks if that other person ever cared, and states that they've been deceived (possibly lies, cheating, disloyalty etc.) and even asks "where are you now" as posing to either say "look where you're at" or "where are you even at?"

Then the chorus is asking the other person how long they're going to endure the pain of the relationship, how they run and hide from the problem, and essentially saying that all they're doing is burning down the relationship.

It continues to show how it's just going nowhere but down, asking if the best thing to do is burn it all down and asking if that other person is still there or alive(?)

The bridge I think is finally asking if they're going to wait until it's all burned down, if they are going to say or do something until it's all burned down.

Then, my favorite part, it asks if they will love again, will they be strong, when the relationship has crashed. Also asking if once it's over, will it really be over or will they continue to come back.

In the end I feel like it's asking the other person how long will they hold on to it, and telling them to just let it go and let it burn.

That's what's been going on in my head since i've listened to it. Though I still feel like I need to listen to it more to get a clear picture of the different meanings and viewpoints.

you guys kidding me? this first posts are alreaddy stating that its some sort of relationship between a guy and gal or sumtin? y cant it be any other form of relationship? Revelation 6:10 "And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"

how long? i very much see a reference to Revelation. to me, this person is looking at how our world is falling apart, how theres so much pain and violence, how so many people hate God and His followers, and how His followers are so greatly persecuted. he wonders where Christ is, and why He hasn't done anything. He wants Him to return and fix this corrupted world. he asks the question asked in Revelation, how much longer?

One thing I love about RED's songs is their openness to multiple interpretations. To me, this song sounds like something take right out of Job or the Psalms when the author is crying out in frustration and agony to God. If you have ever had a tragedy happen to someone near to you, a terrible illness a critical injury, etc., you can relate to this feeling. Your heart is full or fear and pain for the one you love, but God seems distant and uncaring. This song cries out to him "How long can you stand the pain?" (you say you care about the world and that you notice even the sparrows falling; how long then can you stand this terrible pain?). "How long will you hide your face?" (this line is taken right out of scripture; Psalm 27 "Your face Lord, I will seek, do not hide your face from me..." and many other passages; it clearly describes what it feels like when God is distant). "How long will you be afraid? Are you afraid?" (why aren't you doing anything about this, God? Are you afraid to act? Is that it?). "How long will you play this game? Will you fight or will you walk away?" (you promised to be here with me God. Where is your presence now? Are you playing games with me? Are you going to do something about this? Or will you just walk away?). I think the whole idea of the city burning imagery is that it is something completely beyond our control. If a city is burning to the ground, how can we save it? It's in God's hands. It's pretty clear in the second verse when it says, "Is your world just a broken promise? Is your love just a drop of rain?" that it is God that he is talking to. At the end of the song, it seems like there is some sort of reconciliation between the speaker and God, as he realizes that yes, He was there all along. I think this is really the most beautiful song on the album with the depth of emotion and realistic spiritual suffering it displays. As a paraphrase of what Philip Yancey once wrote, "God would rather that we cry out to him in frustration, anger, and pain then ignore him when we are suffering."

Seeing how RED is a Christian Band I believe the singer is talking directly to God about how "is your world just a broken promise?" I think everything that is burning around and the pain involves the world in its current state such as Egypt's protests, this ongoing war for possession of nuclear warfare. Everything is crumbling down and those trying to find peace are simply sacrificed in the chaos.

To me, what the song is trying to get at is when life gets tough, are you going to just sit back and let it burn, asking why God would let something like this happen, or still keep fighting?

The first verse shows a life in turmoil, and someone asking why God would let something like this happen. "Never thought that You'd deceive me, where are You now." But I really think it's the chorus that makes this song.

"How long can you stand the pain?" Are you going to be able to stand even when the pain of life is overwhelming? "How long will you hide your face?" Pretty self explanatory, it's asking whether or not you're going to keep hiding or still keep serving God, living for Him even when everything gets hard. "How long will you be afraid, are you afraid?" A question of trust, are you trusting in God or no? "How long will you play this game, will you fight or will you walk away?" It's the deciding factor, because we all have to choose one eventually. Are you going to stand for God or are you going to walk away? I think it's calling for us to make a desicion. "How long will you let it burn, let it burn." Here it's saying that if God doesn't swoop down and take all of the pain away, make everything better, are you still going to trust in Him and keep serving Him? For how long? The "let it burn" at the end is like us saying to God that it can all burn down, but we're still going to stand for Him.

Overall, great song, my favorite in the album.

i feel like this is a cry to GOD from someone who is losing faith, at the same time pointing out how messed up this world is, and how badly we need GOD. and i also feel like GOD himself is asking, how long will we stand for whats goin (hence the chorus). this song to me is more like a message to the world to open up our eyes. weather u believe in GOD or not, we have got to at least notice all the messed up things goin on u know. so yeah this is what i got from this song.

there is no doubt that red is a mainstream christian band i think this song is like to God asking him to save us .........how long hes gonna let the world die like this How long will you be afraid meaning god doesn't want to destroy the world that's cos how much he loves his people

Awesome song. I think its about how it seems like God is turning his back on the world. He's asking if God's just going to hide his face and pretend that all the bad things in the world aren't happening, or if he's going to fight against all that. (although he wouldn't even need to fight, that's how powerful he is). Not much of a resolution is said in this song though.

this is why red is an amazing christian band, im not even religuous but this song makes me cry...unlike most christian bands that "praise" god and his wonders, this song questions them. like its pure genious, this song is like the final plead to god before everything dies, same thing with breathe into me. long live RED!

This song reminds me of Wake Up Dead Man by U2. I think the singer is asking how God can let the world drown in War. I don't know if anyone else noticed this but throughout the song it sounds like gunshots are being fired in the background.