and your body cannot stop a rockin' I know;
it hurts to let go.
and your voice still echoes in the hallways of this house,
but now 's the end.
We will be with you; when you go
We will be with you; and hold you 'till you're quiet;
it hurts to let you go
We will be with you; ahhh
We will be with you; no
You will stay with us

I read an interview where he said this song was inspired by the passing of a family friend's dog--he had been searching through his computer for old musical experimentations he'd given up on, trying to find inspiration for a new song, and he came across an instrumental thread that reminded him of what he thought they must be feeling about the loss of their dog, Bronte. :'(
I had no idea about this. Now that I know his intention for the song, it makes me want to cry :( My childhood best friend (german shepherd) had to be put down so I know what it feels like to lose a pet. This was many years ago now, but the sentiment of the song still rings true today. Beautiful and sad :(
I had no idea about this. Now that I know his intention for the song, it makes me want to cry :( My childhood best friend (german shepherd) had to be put down so I know what it feels like to lose a pet. This was many years ago now, but the sentiment of the song still rings true today. Beautiful and sad :(

Losing a pet is so sad :(

I found this song when my dog was very sick, suffering from a brain tumour. After he passed away it related to my situation completely. Now your bowl is empty- when he was sick he never finished his food but when he passed obviously his bowl was now empty And your feet are cold- this takes me back to the exact moments when we were saying good bye in the vet room, this when he passed and his blood was now cold and his body was cold and lifeless And your body cannot stop rocking- this hits me really hard, because he was suffering a brain tumour he had seizures where his body would uncontrollably "rock" and the reason we had to put him down is because he was seizuring for over 6 hours and they said he would not stop and eventually the seizures would kill him Since the day we found you you have been our friend- my dog was a present from my dad when i was 2 years old, my dad bought him for me because at the time he was suffering from drug addiction and he told me that when ever he couldn't be there for me the dog would be. And from that day my dog was my leaning wall and he was there for me every minute because my dad never was. And your voice still echoes in the hallways of this house- For a long time after he passed and still to this day i will think that i hear him or ill forget that he's even gone and everything else like that. This representing everything that reminds me of him and all the memories he has left behind. We will be with you When you're leaving We will be with you When you go We will be with you And hold you till you're quiet It hurts to let you go
We will be with you We will be with you We will be with you You will stay with us- Saying in where ever you are, when ever you are, what ever state your'e in we will always be with you and no matter how far away in time and space you will forever be by my side. Throughout the whole song there are lyrics that refer to my situation and bring back exact feelings that i was having during that time. When he passed explaining my lose and my pain seemed impossible and even more impossible that someone would understand. I would like to say to anyone reading this that has had a similar situation or going through something similar that its alright to hurt, its normal and if no one understands your pain then know that i do, the kind of relationship you have with an animal is so surreal and it's the kind of thing you only come across once in your life time.

Gotye has stated that he wrote this for a friend whose old dog had to be put to sleep. I found this last spring when my five year old cat was dying from lymphoma. I was on the way to have him put to sleep when he passed, and this song would not leave my head for days...

Thank you for the explaination. My husband found the song on itunes and downloaded it for us. We just had to put our 10yr old cat early Sun morning to lung cancer. It hurts, but we know he is not suffering.We were there until the end.

I had to put my dog down a few months ago...I just discovered Goyte...bought this CD....best thing I have heard in a long time.....when I heard this song....I cried my eyes out...what an emotional song..when an artist can move you like it moved me, there's no more to be said....Magnificent!

It sounds like "..let him go" not "let you go" to me...

What I love about music is when it can be interpreted in different fashions based on one's current situation or past experiences. Though I now know his inspiration, I see the connection, but I can still apply my own interpretation. Especially listening with the music video (a child connecting with bison, then going to school leaving them in the shadows of the forest and losing them), I hear the voice of enlightenment as the narrator of this piece.
"Now that you have found oneness with the world, now that you no longer need things that sustain human life (or now you've soaked up all the knowledge [the food in the bowl] we could give; and when I took medicine to regain focus, my feet would become cold; focus leads to enlightenment), it is time for your ascension, though it is hard to accept that you must let go of your secular things and desires, but doing so means the end of your suffering."
The second verse is the voice of the enlightened one. "Ever since I discovered your path and discipled you, you have helped and your teachings stayed with me always, but I've reached the destination now."
The first voice returns to reassure the enlightened one that oneness means unity and and you're not leaving us, you're leaving this part in the Cycle of Life. Because LYRIC CORRECTION the very last line of the song after three repetitions of "We will be with you" is "You will stay with us." As if through enlightenment you are moving away from the earthly life into their realm.

"we will be with you" is the real message. It means to let someone go but remember them allways.

I saw Gotye live last year, and he sang this song. I actually cried my eyes out because I knew the meaning of the song (about his friends' dog, Bronte), and it was very emotional and true. Even now when I listen I can't help but get choked up (me = biggest sap in the world!). Our family dog is 9-years-old and when he goes I know I'll be listening to this song...