I let it fall, my heart
And as it fell, you rose to claim it
It was dark and I was over
Until you kissed my lips and you saved me
My hands, they were strong
But my knees were far too weak
To stand in your arms
Without falling to your feet

But there's a side to you
That I never knew, never knew
All the things you'd say
They were never true, never true
And the games you'd play
You would always win, always win

But I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Well, it burned while I cried
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name
Your name

When I lay with you
I could stay there
Close my eyes
Feel you here forever
You and me together, nothing is better

'Cause there's a side to you
That I never knew, never knew
All the things you'd say
They were never true, never true
And the games you'd play
You would always win, always win

But I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Well, it burned while I cried
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name
Your name
I set fire to the rain
And I threw us into the flames
When it fell, something died
'Cause I knew that that was
The last time, the last time

Sometimes I wake up by the door
That heart you caught must be waiting for you
Even now, when we're already over
I can't help myself from looking for you

I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Well, it burned while I cried
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name
Your name
I set fire to the rain
And I threw us into the flames
When it fell, something died
'Cause I knew that that was the last time
The last time

Oh, oh, no
Let it burn
Oh, oh
Let it burn
Let it burn


Lyrics submitted by photocopied_heart, edited by Masang

Set Fire To The Rain Lyrics as written by Fraser T Smith Adele Adkins

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Set Fire to the Rain song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

89 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    It's about officially getting over a guy. Her heart fell for a guy and he claimed it (she fell in love with him). The part about her knees being weak, etc explains itself, meaning she loved him so much he had her "weak at the knees" for him. The part about laying with him, closing her eyes, and how nothing was better than them together recalls the good times in their relationship and how when they first got together they were both in love with each other and nothing could tear them apart.

    But then after awhile, they grow apart and she discovers he's not the man she thinks he is. He's cheating on her, lying to her, and playing games with her heart but she's so in love that she never really does anything about it and keeps going along with it out of love and not wanting to mess up/end their relationship.

    But eventually her boyfriend leaves/she's had enough and she officially lets go of her feelings for the guy and watches "it" (her heart) burn after she keeps finding herself wanting to go back to him (hence the "I heard it screaming out your name" part). Her heart was screaming out for her boyfriend but she knew it was over and she had to let go but the only way she could do that is if she let her heart "burn".

    "Sometimes I'd wake up by the door", talks about how wrecked she became while he played her, such as waiting up for him but he'd never come home, etc.

    "That heart you called must be waiting for you", is referring to his new lover.

    I also feel like the part about "even now when we're already over, I can't help myself from looking for you", she's talking about confronting her ex and officially ending it in front of him. She touches his face and cries while her heart burns because she's still in love and didn't want to let him go but she knows she has to. It also seems like her attempt to hold him one more time before it's officially over. It could also reference to her thinking back to the times he wronged her and remembering why she has to do this.

    The let it burn part is about her heart and her feelings for the guy. She's doing what she thought was impossible (such as how it's impossible to set fire to rain) and that's letting her feelings for him die. Though rain could also be a metaphor for her tears she cried and how she eventually stopped crying and turned her tears into revenge.

    mch101389on April 12, 2012   Link

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

Album art
Jesse with the long hair....
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Classic love story true to his western tx roots. One of my favorites as a story, but I think there are alot of songs that are amazing not even listed on this site. I guess I should figure out how to add them, because I have about 8 REK cd's.
Album art
when rules change
Life in Your Way
High life
Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.