Things we lost to the flames
Things we'll never see again
All that we've amassed
Sits before us, shattered into ash

These are the things, the things we lost
The things we lost in the fire, fire, fire
These are the things, the things we lost
The things we lost in the fire, fire, fire

We sat and made a list
Of all the things that we have
Down the backs of table tops
Ticket stubs and your diaries, I read them all one day

When loneliness came and you were away
Oh they told me nothing new
But I love to read the words you used
These are the things, the things we lost

The things we lost in the fire, fire, fire
These are the things, the things we lost
The things we lost in the fire, fire, fire

I was the match and you were the rock
Maybe, we started this fire
We sat apart and watched
All we had burned on the pyre

You said, "We were born with nothing
And we sure as hell have nothing now"
You said, "We were born with nothing
And we sure as hell have nothing now"

These are the things, the things we lost
The things we lost in the fire, fire, fire
These are the things, the things we lost
The things we lost in the fire, fire, fire

Do you understand that we will never be the same again
Do you understand that we will never be the same again
The future's in our hands and we will never be the same again
The future's in our hands and we will never be the same again

These are the things, the things we lost
The things we lost in the fire, fire, fire
These are the things, the things we lost
The things we lost in the fire, fire, fire

These are the things, the things we lost
These are the things we lost in the fire fire fire

Flames they licked the walls
Tenderly they turned to dust all that I adore


Lyrics submitted by kattrina, edited by JackDavid

Things We Lost in the Fire Lyrics as written by Daniel Campbell Smith

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Things We Lost in the Fire song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

18 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +9
    My Interpretation

    "We sat and made a list of all the things that we have. Down the backs of table tops, ticket stubs and your diaries. I read them all one day when loneliness came and you were away. Oh they told me nothing new, but I love to read the words you used."

    I find this verse to be romantic and so full of love. He reads her diaries not to find out her secrets for she had already shared all her secrets with him. He read them because she was gone, he was lonely, missing her and longing for her company and only to find solace in diary entries of her stories that he has already heard.

    loversdreamersandmeon September 17, 2013   Link
  • +7
    My Interpretation

    Personally, I feel this song is about a fight between either a couple, or simple friends, and the person singing this could be feeling incredibly lonely, singing how they feel about the fight, or "fire", according to the song. "All that we've amassed, sits before us, shattered into ash." - This could represent how, say friends, have made so many memories, and the "fire" or fight leads all those memories to be "shattered into ash" or essentially diminished, meaningless. "I was the match, and you were the rock; maybe we started this fire." - This could represent how two friends who are fighting are both at fault, and this fire was started because of them, clearly. "I read them all one day, when loneliness came, and you were away." - This could represent how after the fight, that the friends are beginning to feel lonely not being with their other friend, and they had to think about their other friend in order to feel like they were not alone, when in reality, they were. "We were born with nothing, and we sure as hell have nothing now." - This could represent how they weren't friends at the beginning, and now that the 'fire' has erupted, they have nothing, and their friendship is essentially meaningless. "Do you understand that we will never be the same again?" - This could represent how no matter what, nothing will ever be truly the same again, it's like that saying: 'Trust is like paper, once you crumble it, it will never be perfect again, no matter your attempts' (or something along those lines...) And last but not least, my favourite line in the song: "Flames, they licked the walls. Tenderly, they turn to dust, all that I adore." - This could represent how the 'fire' has ruined everything in the relationship, and that's its essentially demolished everything this person adores in life.

    The reason I felt the need to do this song, is because I am going through the same situation right now, and all these lyrics and "interpretations" were based off of my personal feelings, so they won't be necessarily correct, depending on the person reading. Nevertheless, this song is incredible, and I can't believe how it describes my situation so perfectly.

    littlewolfloveon November 22, 2013   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Can anyone tell me what the music video is about? Thanks!

    annagram44on April 15, 2014   Link
  • +2
    My Opinion

    I feel like this is about a fight, i.e the fire. It could be about a couple or just two friends.

    DullFlameon May 04, 2013   Link
  • +2
    Song Fact

    I realized that almost all of Bastille's songs are historical like "Pompeii" which message is literally the about the city of Pompeii.So in comparison,I think that the song "Things We Lost in the Fire" means that they are explaining the burning of the London Bridge.The children's song "London Bridge is falling down" has a dark meaning which tells the story of the falling and the burning of the London Bridge which until now cannot be explained.Someone started that fire.These are the lyrics that caught my attention:"I was the match and you were the rock Maybe we started this fire We sat apart and watched All we had burned on the pyre"

    songlord27on September 07, 2014   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    I think this means that things are lost because of anger. The fire in this song would represent anger, and when the song says "lost in the fire" it means that people lost things because they took out their anger and let it get the better of them. This song teaches that when people let that happen, they'll loose valuable things because of anger.

    kitty1306on October 09, 2014   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I feel like it's the singer and possibly a lover who gave everything for eachother, looking back on a shattered life. They see friends, family, and poessions that the two cared about, all leaving them.

    Things we lost to the flame Things we'll never see again All that we've amassed Sits before us, shattered into ash- All of the things they had, or people they knew are abandoning them

    These are the things, the things we lost The things we lost in the fire, fire, fire These are the things, the things we lost The things we lost in the fire, fire, fire - Reapeating what the two lost/gave up for love

    We sat and made a list Of all the things that we have Down the backs of table tops Ticket stubs and your diaries I read them all one day- They had so much and just threw it all away

    When loneliness came and you were away Oh they told me nothing new, But I love to read the words you used These are the things, the things we lost- I feel as if the two ran off together because one of they were never together and wrote letters to one another, until they gave up on separation, met up, and ran off.

    I was the match and you were the rock Maybe we started this fire We sat apart and watched All we had burned on the pyre- The duo realize that this isolation together was caused by their leaving

    (You said) we were born with nothing And we sure as hell have nothing now (You said) we were born with nothing And we sure as hell have nothing now- They realize that they only have each other now

    Do you understand that we will never be the same again Do you understand that we will never be the same again The future's in our hands and we will never be the same again The future's in our hands and we will never be the same again- The singer is reassuring the other that their future is in good hands-their own. But he/she also wants them to know that this is drastically changing them both.

    Flames they licked the walls Tenderly they turned to dust all that I adore. -The leaving was quick to ignite and take everything away, and it's snowballing

    sarahsarahson March 19, 2014   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    I think it is sort of like a metaphor to a relationship. "I was the match and you were the rock Maybe we started this fire We sat apart and watched All we had burned on the pyre" that struck me as that something they did caused a problem and now everything is going wrong. they are losing everything

    melomanieon May 01, 2014   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    To me it seems to be a song about feeling terribly sorry about messing up a relationship. He looks back at the relationship, thinking it was wonderful. The life with his partner was "all that he adored", and that his partner's diaries told him nothing new testifies to the honesty in their relationship. However, then some problem came up, I imagine it to be a fight about something (the fire), and it destroyed their emotional bond, their ability to wholeheartedly trust and love eachother. This, to me, seems to be what got lost in the fire (fire).

    Then loneliness came (which made him read his partner's old diaries, to feel close again) but it was already too late to restore their relation, so they ended up dividing their stuff (for which they made a list of all the things that they had). They were really separated now. Just like when they were born, they again had nothing - no love relationship. He feels terribly sorry about what got lost, and wonders if his partner understands that it will never again be the way it was: the two of them in a perfect relationship. And he realizes it is their own fault: maybe we started this fire / the future's in our hands and we will never be the same again...

    pearjuiceon July 10, 2014   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    The things we lost to the flame... Perhaps the friendship was ruined by making love.

    michaelw90on June 20, 2015   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
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.