1 Meaning
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Fire Lyrics
i was born in a lighthouse
where my mother lay
and she wont wake for no shouting
i was raised by the water
by the crippling waves
and the gulls gave me my singing voice
when the devil came to visit me
he said son i am your enemy
fear me
but it came to my surprise
i was drawn by the fire
i set off west in the springtime
before the flowers had bloomed
and the frost and ice followed me
i met a lot of fine women
with the small of their backs
shining like the crescent moon
when the finest came to visit me
she said son i am your enemy
fear me
but it came as no surprise
i was drawn by the fire
hey
i am looking for freedom
in the wild eyes of the dancing girls
hey
i am looking for freedom
in the open arms of america
i was told to find jesus
in a stained glass church
where the light shines red like blood
but the eyes of his children
were so bitterly burned
that i could not stand to look at them
when he finally came to visit me
he was dressed in the rags of poverty
and it came as no surprise
it came as no surprise
hey
i am looking for freedom
in the wild eyes of the dancing girls
hey
i am looking for freedom
in the open arms of america
where my mother lay
and she wont wake for no shouting
by the crippling waves
and the gulls gave me my singing voice
he said son i am your enemy
fear me
but it came to my surprise
i was drawn by the fire
before the flowers had bloomed
and the frost and ice followed me
with the small of their backs
shining like the crescent moon
she said son i am your enemy
fear me
but it came as no surprise
i was drawn by the fire
i am looking for freedom
in the wild eyes of the dancing girls
hey
i am looking for freedom
in the open arms of america
in a stained glass church
where the light shines red like blood
were so bitterly burned
that i could not stand to look at them
he was dressed in the rags of poverty
it came as no surprise
i am looking for freedom
in the wild eyes of the dancing girls
hey
i am looking for freedom
in the open arms of america
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
This is a story about a man from Eastern Europe, maybe Russia, whose mother passed away while he was young. He was raised on the water, practically by nature itself; then he's tempted to the west, by someone who is considered dangerous. It's surprising to him that he takes the offer, as dangerous as it is. Possible soldier connotations? To me, it sounds like he was signed up for the war (possibly WWII?). This 'devil' mention reminds me of the temptation of Jesus in the desert, which I'll return to in a moment.
Springtime: very symbolic, used to represent new life; however, "the frost and ice followed me" perhaps suggesting that he brings war and strife with him to a place that hasn't even left the harshness of winter yet. He (like many soldiers) sleeps with the local women in the area where he fights. 'The Finest' tempts him (recalling the temptation of Jesus yet again) and he submits to her. His sins don't surprise him this time. (maybe they get married? can't tell, don't think so)
Now, after the war has ended, he travels to America to escape his past. He wants the freedom that the West offers him. He hopes to forget his doomed love with The Finest by watching the dancing girls.
Jesus enters the story now, as people tried to convert him once he went to America. But the churches just remind him of the war (makes it more likely that it was some sort of religious war). The people in the churches remind him of the people he lost on the field, and they way that they blindly believed (burned eyes) disgusted him. When he finally found God, it was in the homeless of America (which is often where the most faithful and the most despondent can be found). It didn't surprise him that he found God amongst those commonly considered sinners.
He reminds us that he's still trying to find a home in this new country. All he wants is freedom, but he can't find it.
@angelumcaedis - Have you ever read Mark Helprin's "Winter's Tale" (not the movie; it's terrible). The lyrics of this song actually do a decent job of telling the backstory of Peter Lake - so good, in fact, that I wouldn't be surprised if the songwriter was doing homage to the story.
@angelumcaedis - Have you ever read Mark Helprin's "Winter's Tale" (not the movie; it's terrible). The lyrics of this song actually do a decent job of telling the backstory of Peter Lake - so good, in fact, that I wouldn't be surprised if the songwriter was doing homage to the story.