Holland Road

I love this song. I wasn't too impressed with it the first time I heard it, but I've listened to it several times since, and it's really grown on me.

To me, this is a song about forgiveness. It's a song that's asking forgiveness for past mistakes, and it's a song that shows forgiveness to someone who has been unforgiving of those past mistakes.

"You spared no time in lashing out But I knew your pain, and the effect of my shame But you cut me down."

The writer has done something to offend someone else, a friend or perhaps someone he's in love with, and he humbly endures their harsh treatment of him. Although he may be struggling with bad thoughts against the person, he doesn't voice them. With his heart like a stone, he puts up no fight, as his friend cuts him down out of bitterness. But even when he's at his lowest point, he still wishes them well.

"So I hit my low And little did I know, that would not be the end ... And I wished you well as you cut me down"

And even though the other person has hurt him and brought him to the end of his rope, he's on his knees begging their forgiveness and asking them to believe in him.

Again, at its heart, this is a song about forgiveness. The writer is asking forgiveness, and he's showing great humility and forgiveness towards the other person for their harsh treatment of him.

"When I'm on my knees I'll still believe And when I've hit the ground Neither lost nor found If you'll believe in me I'll still believe"

The more I listening to this song the more it leads me to believe that its about running away from someone he/she loved to war.

The way I interpret the song is that 'the holland road' is war.

"So I was lost, Go count the cost before you go" is saying he was lost after losing someone he loved and he realised running of is the best way to get over her.

"With your heart like a stone, You spared no time in lashing out" is saying she didn't come back or doesn't care.

"The thoughts of hell That carried me home From the Holland Road" I think is saying 'the thought of home (the girl he is getting over) is overpowering the thoughts of war and death ( the holland road).

The song goes one kinda following the same story, i think that anyway.

When I first heard this song, I thought of a son who is reeling from a confrontation with his disappointed father. The father judged actions the son admitted were worthy of shame, but he judged them so harshly that the relationship is severely damaged. The son is thinking of all the horrible things he thought about his father and all the things he almost said when he was being dressed down. And he still holds onto hope that the father will see him as someone worth believing in.

Now I think the song is about someone who has cheated on his lover and is mourning the loss of her love. I like Hazzy250's interpretation of the Holland Road being a war. I don't think it's an actual conflict in the sense of armed forces, but rather the beginning of the total war that his infidelity brought to their relationship. She was hurt and said things designed to make him feel horrible. Perhaps something about his character or past actions that once said can never be forgotten by either of them. A slight or perhaps a truth that would ensure the death of their love so he could not hurt her again. He knows he was wrong and "put up no fight." I think he also knows that he has hurt her more than once. Yet, he still loves her and hopes she'll forgive him.

Holland Road is an actual road in London and housed the music scene where Mumford got his start. As such, it should be considered to symbolize either his roots or the starting point in the path his life has taken.

interpretation In other words, the spiteful person he's is seeking forgiveness from here are his early fans or early critics, depending on whether you view the party he's speaking to as passively let down or actively hostile. Since he elects to not personify the other party, either interpretation could be valid. Although the references to their pain suggest the former, since critics might feel disappointment but would not feel hurt.

Beautiful song, although I've interpreted this a little differently. Kind of from a Christian stand point, which I believe it can be taken like this. This is not to offend God forbid, just my own feelings.

But, I took this song in this way.. That, no matter how many times I am knocked down by others, or have fallen away myself, you are not supposed to hurt others even if they hurt you, or "cut you down" a size, instead you turn the anger to sorrow, and pray for that person (which can be very difficult). Even through my own struggle, and being in dark moments of life, if you still believe in me, I will believe, and rise and rise with your strength, and seek your forgiveness, because I am not perfect, and You are well aware of this.

My personal take on this song. :)

I feel this is a very angry song. feels like an angry break up. "So I was lost Go count the cost before you go" is like saying - So it´s over, On your way out look att what you are throwing away. To the Holland Road i feel could be a metaphor, could be holland road as in amsterdam and the famous redlight district. wich could be subtle way of in anger saying "fuck you whore". And then how he just sat there as the insults spew and she just kept going to hurt him. while he was cold and showed nothing. And that he is a shamed for something he has done. possibly infidelity. That she did everything to make him feel bad, and feel even more ashamed. Then he rises from the corner she as but him in. Wishing her well and moves on. That he is stronger than that. And even though his cracks he still belives.

"To your callous mind and from your corner you rose" -

These are correct lyrics???

I thought it was "careless mind and corny rose"...? Could someone listen the song and prove me right? :D

this song represent in a way to people that they confused it to the higher self. God is willing to cut u down. but then life has different spheres and obviously we conclude every possible point to an extinct that it goes viral. just like bob dylan's "just like tom thumbs blues" but it sure hit like that in comparison in different charts of music playing to your drug head. they are mine two songs for playing. any given time.

Wow! You all are way off!!

Holland Road is a famous road in London. It is home to Universal Music. The music group that produced Queen, the Rolling Stones, and of course, Mumford & Sons. Freddy Mercury also lived on Holland Road while writing Bohemian Rhapsody.

So the song is obviously about all the people that kept shooting him down. It might have been people from the record label or other critics but they kept plugging away and "I rose and I rose and I paid less time To your callous mind and I wished you well As you cut me down You cut me down"

and no matter how much he got cut down he still believed and is obviously one of the most bad ass musicians in the world know.

Don't over think it!!

This song baffles me to a certain degree. I recently lost my soul mate, and I am clueless as to what happened. She figuratively pulled the rug from under my feet. As any one will attest, Passionate Love is extremely confusing and tumultuous.

One night, out of the blue, after her not speaking with me for a week, she sent me this song via text. She didn't say why, or what to focus on so I have banged my head against the wall trying to figure out what her message was.

For starters - This song is definitely written from the vantage point of a person who suffered intense pain in the relationship/breakup.

Its from a very vulnerable state, saying when they were weak and unable to protect themselves their lover took out his/her frustrations and anger on them. From how I see it the author was also angry and in pain but took the high road, and refused to continue to hurt the other party. Perhaps out of Love?

"And I will not tell, the thoughts of hell, that carried me home" - This is the author stating that the pain was incredible, but they wouldn't use it against their Ex. That they would hold it in and not resort to such behavior.

It was obvious to me that the perspectives are coming from someone who gave up on the relationship and bared the wrath because of it "With my heart like a stone, I put up no fight". During the time when the author was detaching from the relationship they hit several low places in their lives, but kept moving forward with spending less energy and time into the relationship. During this dissention the other party become more irate and difficult to be with. More than likely trying to hold onto the relationship and not understanding why it was failing/ending. We have all suffered loss, and with loss often comes anger (grieving cycle).

Then the wrench in the song comes out - "When I'm on my knees I'll still believe" and "If you'll believe in me I'll still believe".

This part in the song greatly confuses me. Why would someone who is leaving the relationship/shutting off emotion/detaching come to this realization that he/she would come back to the relationship if their lover really did care about them"? It sounds like perhaps the person who was leaving was ending the relationship because he/she felt as their spouse was falling out of love with them. Self preservation at its finest.

Love - Amazingly wonderful and often Amazingly painful