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Amsterdam Lyrics

I'm sorry, mother; I'm sorry I let you down
Well, these days I'm fine - No these days I tend to lie
I'll take the west train, just by the side of Amsterdam
Just by my left brain, just by the side of the tin man

I'm sorry, brother; I'm sorry I let you down
Well, these days you're fine; no, these days you tend to lie
You'll take the west train, just by the side of Amsterdam
Just by your left brain, just by the side of the tin man

Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it
It's harder; believe me, I've tried
But I keep coming up short

I'm sorry, lover; I'm sorry I bring you down
Well, these days I try and these days I tend to lie
Kinda thought it was a mystery, and then I thought I wasn't meant to be
You said yourself fantastically, "Congratulations, you are all alone"

Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it
It's harder; believe me, I've tried
Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it
It's harder; believe me, I've tried

But the rain won't fall for the both of us
The sun won't shine on the both of us
Believe me when I say, that I wouldn't have it any other way

Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it
It's harder; believe, me I've tried
But I won't wait much longer, 'cause these walls they're crashing down
And I won't wait much longer, 'cause these walls they're crashing down
And I keep coming up short
Song Info
Submitted by
danzero On Feb 19, 2012
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Cover art for Amsterdam lyrics by Imagine Dragons

I interpret this song a little differently than most (I would think). It's about a man that really tried to love a woman - who loved him - but he just didn't feel that "spark"/connection that he was holding out for.

In the first two verses, he is apologizing to the those closest to him in his life - who worry about him and are trying to "ground" him. In the first, his mother. He tells her everything is fine, but in reality it's not. And filled with these struggling emotions, he begins to let his mind wander. Whether he literally goes to Amsterdam is unknown - however one could interrupt that he is referring to drug use (a concept often associated with Amsterdam).

In the second verse, his brother confronts him. It's almost inferred that either 1) his brother has been through the same situation; or 2) his brother is troubled by the fact that he can't help the narrator; or 3) it dawns upon his brother, that he is in the same situation. I believe it is the third; which leads to the third verse.

He's telling his brother: that a time will come, when he's loved by someone, who loves him equally - and that they both make each other happy.

In the fourth verse, he finally addresses the reason behind all this depression and madness: his lover. He addresses her as "lover", so we can infer that she does love him, and this is not a situation where he loves a woman that can't reciprocate. I interpret the beautiful poetry in these lines to reflect the notion that he's always felt distant to her. He says that he's tried, but instantly says that he also lies.

"Kinda thought I was a mystery and then I thought I wasn't meant to be" to me means, "I thought I was too complicated for someone, and then I thought that maybe I was never meant to fall in love." His "lovers" response to this, was to say "Congratulations, you were all alone" I infer this line to mean that her reply wasn't what he sought. She was too logical to love, she told him that the only reason he felt that way, was because he was alone before. "Congratulations" is almost said in a sarcastic tone. What he wanted, was for her to show him that he was wrong, to make him happy - but she couldn't.

"Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it It's hard, believe me... I've tried Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it It's hard, believe me... I've tried"

He's telling her: "I'm sorry, but the time for you to love someone, that will make you happy, will come - but it's not me. It's a hard thing to do - wait for love - and I know, because I've been trying this whole time."

"But the rain won't fall for the both of us The sun won't shine on the both of us Believe me when I say, that I wouldn't have it any other way"

He's attempting to rid her mind of any false hope. He rather find a true sense of happiness and love, than pretend that there is such between them.

"Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it It's hard, believe me... I've tried But I won't wait much longer 'cause these walls they're crashing down And I won't wait much longer 'cause these walls they're crashing down And I keep coming up short"

To me, these last lines aren't to his lover. But to himself. He's tried waiting for love - more than once - and he's waiting to feel that sense of "being in love"/that magical feeling that's comforting, weird, warm and cold at the same time. He's tried of waiting, and mentally it's begun to take a toll on him. His "inner walls"/his mind, is getting to a dangerous point of no return - where it will finally collapse on him.

It could also mean that he hasn't ended the relationship with his "lover" yet. And that he's still trying to give her a chance, but he doesn't know if he can do it for much longer.

That's my uneducated two sense.

Song Meaning

Very meaningful interpretation. :)

@EiliaYazdanian Thank you for this interpretation. I've been listening to this song for a while but I never actually listened to the lyrics before (not a native speaker). Reading your comment I felt extremely sad because it describes exactly the way I feel about my girlfriend these days. Weird I looked it up at this precise moment.

Cover art for Amsterdam lyrics by Imagine Dragons

I think the meaning in this song ultimately lies in the chorus: "Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it It's hard, believe me I've tried But I keep coming up short" Whatever time that may be I think depends on each individual person's life, but eventually, everyone has their time! It is hard to believe, and the artist connects with us in the second line of the chorus by saying he has tried, and this makes me think of all the times I have had to be patient for something, and how hard it has been, and a few of those occasions I too came up short. I think the key message here though, is if we can stay patient, our time will come :)

My Interpretation

I was going to add my thoughts on the song until you read my mind. Totally agree with your interpretation, You definitely deserve a Thumbs Up :)

Cover art for Amsterdam lyrics by Imagine Dragons

The "I'm sorry I let/bring you down" lyrics seem to imply that the narrator feels inadequate or worthless. Perhaps I'm overanalyzing here, the mentions of "my left brain" (considered the more logical brain half) and "the tin man" (who, in the wizard of Oz, didn't have a heart) seem to reference a logical, emotionless outlook - perhaps the narrator thought he would be better off remaining logical rather than focusing on his feelings of low-self esteem. In the chorus - "your time will come if you wait for it... it's hard, believe me, I've tried" - he reveals that even someone with a low sense of self-worth like him will eventually have a time when their life gets better, even if it's hard to wait for that time.

Cover art for Amsterdam lyrics by Imagine Dragons

it's sort of like a suicide note. he's telling everyone he's sorry, and how he's trying to get better. but he's so close to suicide and is about to give up. he knows everyone else can get through it, but he can't.

Cover art for Amsterdam lyrics by Imagine Dragons

It sounds as if he's talking to his younger brother and trying to let him know that he's been through a lot and still experiencing some things. He's trying to relay to his brother that he has no clue what he's been through but his time will come to experience it. His younger brother isn't no better than him. He's just inexperienced and hasn't made any mistakes yet. He's also apologizing to his mother because of these very mistakes he's made. He let's her know that whatever she tried to teach him she was right all along.

My Interpretation
Cover art for Amsterdam lyrics by Imagine Dragons

I dont know if this is right but this is what i have got from the song. I think its about a man who ended up killing himself and he is telling everyone that- yeah he is gone and he is sorry, but they will see him again in another life.

"I'm sorry, mother I'm sorry, I let you down" He is saying sorry for letting his mom down and for not being strong enough. "Well, these days I'm fine - No these days I tend to lie" He acts like he is fine but is lying. (i tend to lie) "I'll take the West train, just by the side of Amsterdam" He is leaving and going away from his home. Maybe this means he is going to die, leaving the world. "Just by your left brain, just by the side of the Tin man" This shows that he thinks he is a bad person. That he thinks he is brainless ("left brain") and heartless (the tinman had no heart).

"I'm sorry, brother I'm sorry, I let cha down. Well, these days you're fine, no these days you tend to lie" This line is interesting. I believe that his brother is going through the same thing he is going through but is scared to admit it. the singer is realizing how he feels. "You'll take the West train, just by the side of Amsterdam. Just by your left brain, just by the side of the Tin man." Maybe he knows that his brother is about to kill himself

"Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it" This means that things will get better eventually but you have to stay strong and be patient. "It's hard, believe me I've tried" He TRIED, which points to the fact that he tried to be patient and tried to wait for things to get better but ended up failing. "But I keep coming up short" He kept waiting for things to get good but nothing happened and his life was still bad. This could also be him explaining why he killed himself.

"I'm sorry, lover you're sorry; I bring you down" This is him telling his lover that he is sorry for being sad and burdening her with his depression. Sorry for "bringing them down" and making them sad, too. "Well, these days I try and these days I tend to lie" He says he is okay but is lying. "Kinda thought I was a mystery and then I thought I wasn't meant to be" This is when he first starts thinking about killing himself. He says that he was a "mystery" which could mean that he was "unsolvable". And "I thought I wasnt meant to be" means that maybe itd be better if he was gone and this is his fate. "You said yourself fantastically, 'Congratulations you were all alone'" Maybe he scared off everyone he cared about by being this way.

"But the rain won't fall for the both of us. The sun won't shine on the both of us" This line shows that him and his friends cant always be happy. They wont both be perfect. He will not be okay even though his friends will. "Believe me when I say, that I wouldn't have it any other way" hes saying that he wishes that they would both be okay.

So yeah this is my interpretation. I hope you understand a little bit better~

My Interpretation
Cover art for Amsterdam lyrics by Imagine Dragons

I'm sorry, mother I'm sorry, I let you down- i let down the people close to me Well, these days I'm fine - No these days I tend to lie-i am lying right now because guess what in reality I'm not fine I'll take the West train, just by the side of Amsterdam-im trying to escape from the mess i have made Just by my left brain, just by the side of the Tin man-i already gave my heart away to the tin man no he can have my brain too its not like i was using either of them

I'm sorry, brother I'm sorry, I let cha down- again i let down the people close to me Well, these days you're fine, no these days you tend to lie-i am lying right now because guess what in reality I'm not fine You'll take the West train, just by the side of Amsterdam-im trying to escape from the mess i have made Just by your left brain, just by the side of the Tin man-i already gave my heart away to the tin man no he can have my brain too its not like i was using either of them

Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it- love will come soon just be patient It's hard, believe me I've tried-being patient is hard i would know because I had to go through this too But I keep coming up short-I never was patient i could never wait

I'm sorry, lover you're sorry; I bring you down-Im sorry i wasn't patient enough to let our relationship slowly grow; so you pulled away because I brought you down Well, these days I try and these days I tend to lie- I say i tried hard to keep you from going but thats a lie; i just let you go without a hard fight Kinda thought I was a mystery and then I thought I wasn't meant to be-i thought no one could figure me out and no one would ever figure me out You said yourself fantastically, "Congratulations you were all alone"-his lover said yea you were all alone because it was just him pulling her through the realtionship

Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it It's hard, believe me I've tried Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it It's hard, believe me I've tried

But the rain won't fall for the both of us The sun won't shine on the both of us Believe me when I say, that I wouldn't have it any other way --nothing can come from this anymore;he has pushed her away too much and he's letting her go so she can be better

Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it It's hard, believe me I've tried But I won't wait much longer 'cause these walls they're crashing down And I won't wait much longer 'cause these walls they're crashing down And I keep coming up short --im trying to let you go and be patient so i can find someone new but i can't wait much longer because the barriers he put up to keep her out are coming down and he knows he won't get he back because he's not good enough for her patient, wondrous love

Cover art for Amsterdam lyrics by Imagine Dragons

I'm a person who have a dream and is pursuing it, and this song really struck a cord on me. I can relate to a lot of it, so it was very understandable to me. (just how I understood it)

I really think that this song is about someone who is following his heart. Someone who have to sacrifice people he loves, leaving them for his dreams but keeps failing and feeling like he is disappointing everyone he loves. He is having trouble with self worth and feeling like a failure.

"I'm sorry, mother I'm sorry, I let you down" -He thinks he is disappointing people who he cares about and people who knows he is out there to follow his dreams.

"Well, these days I'm fine - No these days I tend to lie" -He is staying strong for them, he wants to let them know he is doing just fine on his pursuit, but he is not.

"I'll take the West train, just by the side of Amsterdam Just by my left brain, just by the side of the Tin man"

-He is on a journey. Tin man is a fictional character searching for where his heart is. "Just by the side of the Tin man" means he is going on the same journey as Tin man did and go where his heart is.

"I'm sorry, brother I'm sorry, I let cha down Well, these days you're fine, no these days you tend to lie You'll take the West train, just by the side of Amsterdam Just by your left brain, just by the side of the Tin man"

-"Brother" might be literal or referring to people who are going through the same. His brother might've also gone on the same journey, leaving they're "mother" or people they care about to follow his dreams.

"Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it It's hard, believe me I've tried But I keep coming up short"

-He is referring to himself and to the others who tried. (before the chorus he mentioned his brother) He have gone through the same and keeps on failing.

"I'm sorry, lover you're sorry; I bring you down" -His lover is someone who he had to sacrifice for his dreams.

"Well, these days I try and these days I tend to lie Kinda thought I was a mystery and then I thought I wasn't meant to be You said yourself fantastically, "Congratulations you were all alone"

-It seems that his heart was truly for his dreams, he wasn't really able to do her his best because he is focused on something else. He thought it might be something special but he realized that what he really is meant for is not her. Apparently, the lover FANTASTICALLY said "Congratulations you are all alone" saying to him that he can finally go for his true passion and she would not be a burden anymore because he thought that he was hurting her. He knows she is not his true love.

"But the rain won't fall for the both of us The sun won't shine on the both of us Believe me when I say, that I wouldn't have it any other way"

-There is just now way they can be together. It's painful but he does not regret that he would have to be far away from them, probably just to fail. He just can't give up on his dreams. He is willing to give it all up.

"But I won't wait much longer 'cause these walls they're crashing down And I won't wait much longer 'cause these walls they're crashing down And I keep coming up short"

-He really tried his best but this line just shows that the meaning is really about someone who keeps on trying, pursuing their dreams but keeps on failing. Even though they have to sacrifice so much, people they care about and love.

If you have a dream and full on pursuing it too, you can probably relate to this. It gets you on your knees, make you be willing to give up everything for it.

My Interpretation
Cover art for Amsterdam lyrics by Imagine Dragons

I think he sings "Congratulations, you're all alone" instead of "You were all alone"...but maybe that's just what I'm hearin...

Lyric Correction
Cover art for Amsterdam lyrics by Imagine Dragons

this song seems to be about someone letting someone else down. "i'm sorry mother, i'm sorry i let you down'' its about when you let someone down, you wish you had done something different, you wish you treated them different. and they go on to a different place but you stay in the same place.

"i take the west train, just by the side of Amsterdam." their taking different roads to each other.

"your time will come, if you wait for it." your time will come when you see what you've done; what you should have done instead. the mistake you've made.

no hate please ;)

My Interpretation