Childhood living is easy to do
The things that you wanted I bought them for you
Graceless lady you know who I am
You know I can't let you slide through my hands

Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild horses, couldn't drag me away

I watched you suffer a dull aching pain
Now you've decided just to show me the same
No sweeping exits or offstage lines
Can make me feel bitter or treat you unkind

Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away

Faith has been broken, tears must be cried
Let's do some living after we die

Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away

Wild, wild horses, we'll ride them someday
Wild, wild horses, we'll ride them someday


Lyrics submitted by spliphstar

Wild Horses Lyrics as written by Mick Jagger Keith Richards

Lyrics © Abkco Music Inc.

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Wild Horses song meanings
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  • +6
    My Interpretation

    Might sound weird, but I think this song could be a parent singing to her older, troubled daughter. Sounds dumb at first maybe, but bear with me:

    "Childhood living is easy to do, the things you wanted, I bought them for you." When the subject of the song was young, the parent could placate her with toys and "stuff", maybe at the expense of being an actually good parent. But now that the child isn't actually a child, it doesn't work any more.

    "Graceless lady, you know who I am. You know I can't let you slide through my hands." The daughter is fighting against the parent (as teens/adolescents often do), and the mother is telling the daughter that she loves her unconditionally and won't abandon her, no matter how badly the daughter acts. The daughter also knows deep inside that her mother will always be there.

    "I watched you suffer a dull aching pain. Now you decided to show me the same." The parent was helpless to solve the daughter's emotional problems, and now the daughter is acting out because she "blames" them for not helping her (again, as adolescent often do). The mother is suffering watching her child suffer.

    "No sweeping exits or off stage lines could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind." Again, the parent is professing their unconditional love, no matter what the troubled daughter does or what she says they are going to stick with her. They aren't going to get angry or blame her for what she is doing and going through.

    "I know I've dreamed you a sin and a lie. I have my freedom but I don't have much time." This makes me think (again) that maybe the singer wasn't the best mother when the daughter was young. The mother "has her freedom" (she didn't spend enough time/energy on the child when she should have, and now the child is nearly grown)- but the mother is regretting it. Now the parent wants to make up for it, but she doesn't have much time because her child is growing up and growing away from her.

    "Faith has been broken tears must be cried. Let's do some living after we die." The mother has disappointed the daughter and wasn't there for her in the past. The daughter has to get her issues out of her system and move on. The second part doesn't mean "die" literally, but more die to the past. In other words, the daughter and mother moving beyond the pain of the past and "living" again in new happiness.

    "Wild horses, couldn't drag me away. Wild, wild horses we'll ride them someday." Unconditional love again. The wild horses are the daughter's issues. The mother is promising that someday they will overcome, and be in control of those problems, and the relationship will be mended at last.

    Well, that is my interpretation. It might sound weird but it makes a lot of sense the way I look at it :) It also adds a lot more bittersweetness to the song than if it were just about plain old romance, in my opinion.

    isabell428on November 12, 2008   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    This song is so great. I've never heard the real Rolling Stones version though. I first heard the song on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (my mom was watching it). Very pretty song!

    PunkKiwi666on September 17, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    i think this song is about death coming for an old woman.

    bibis817on November 04, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This song is incredible. I will always relate it to the Buffy and Angel scene at the prom (sniffles I love that scene). This song to me means so much. Definantly a relationship song. In this song, I think they've done wrong to each other ,but No matter what happens, no matter the horrible things they say to each other, they will never stop loving each other. Wild horses can't drag them away from each other. "I have my freedom but I dont have much time" - I think this means that the singer can say anything he wants to the one he's singing it too, even tho he doesn't and time is running out. But he isn't going to give up.(I can't let you slide thru my hands).

    "Faith has been broken and tears must be cried. Let's do some living after we die." I think they've cheated on each or something along the lines of it. But in my head, I think one of them is dieing from a disease or something with all these mentions of how he's running out of time. He's losing her so he wants their love to live on after they die and for them to still be close. The Rolling Stones vers. is really great too and theres another one by a few more artists but this one by The Sundays is definantly my faveorite. Its the prettier one of all of them with lotsa emotion. But the guy from the Rolling stones who wrote this supposedly wrote it for his dieing ex-wife. He wrote this in an attempt to get her to come back to him. I don't know if she ever did and I really don't want to find out. I just rather hope she did come back and they forgave each other and she lived.

    But I don't know.~ I just love this song ^_^

    Sillyrabbiton September 04, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I love this version! It fit so well when it came on in "Fear"...I bet guys really liked that part of the movie, too! :) The Bush version is awesome too! Great song!

    tracieon May 27, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song is incredible. I will always relate it to the Buffy and Angel scene at the prom (sniffles I love that scene). This song to me means so much. Definantly a relationship song. In this song, I think they've done wrong to each other ,but No matter what happens, no matter the horrible things they say to each other, they will never stop loving each other. Wild horses can't drag them away from each other. "I have my freedom but I dont have much time" - I think this means that the singer can say anything he wants to the one he's singing it too, even tho he doesn't and time is running out. But he isn't going to give up.(I can't let you slide thru my hands).

    "Faith has been broken and tears must be cried. Let's do some living after we die." I think they've cheated on each or something along the lines of it. But in my head, I think one of them is dieing from a disease or something with all these mentions of how he's running out of time. He's losing her so he wants their love to live on after they die and for them to still be close. The Rolling Stones vers. is really great too and theres another one by a few more artists but this one by The Sundays is definantly my faveorite. Its the prettier one of all of them with lotsa emotion. But the guy from the Rolling stones who wrote this supposedly wrote it for his dieing ex-wife. He wrote this in an attempt to get her to come back to him. I don't know if she ever did and I really don't want to find out. I just rather hope she did come back and they forgave each other and she lived.

    But I don't know.~ I just love this song ^_^

    Sillyrabbiton September 04, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this song as Buffy's and Angel's prom song also

    Theresa_Craneon June 07, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I agree with Tracie, this song fit the part in Fear. Great version of this song.

    BadReligionGrrrlon July 05, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    ahhh this song is so wonderful!!

    justsomegirlon July 06, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i love this song so much, never can get old. i also like the version Jewel did live. its nice b/c she does it on the keyboard. its just great

    cowgirl18on July 09, 2002   Link

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