This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
We'll I'm standing by a river but the water doesn't flow
It boils with every poison you can think of
Then I'm underneath the streetlights
But the light of joy I know
Scared beyond belief way down in the shadows
And the perverted fear of violence chokes a smile on every face
And common sense is ringing out the bells
This ain't no technological breakdown
Oh no, this is the road to Hell
And all the roads jam up with credit
And there's nothing you can do
It's all just bits of paper flying away from you
Oh, look out world
Take a good look what comes down here
You must learn this lesson fast and learn it well
This ain't no upwardly mobile freeway
Oh no, this is the road
Said, this is the road
This is the road to Hell
It boils with every poison you can think of
Then I'm underneath the streetlights
But the light of joy I know
Scared beyond belief way down in the shadows
And the perverted fear of violence chokes a smile on every face
And common sense is ringing out the bells
This ain't no technological breakdown
Oh no, this is the road to Hell
And all the roads jam up with credit
And there's nothing you can do
It's all just bits of paper flying away from you
Oh, look out world
Take a good look what comes down here
You must learn this lesson fast and learn it well
This ain't no upwardly mobile freeway
Oh no, this is the road
Said, this is the road
This is the road to Hell
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Page
Ed Sheeran
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There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
this song has nothing at all to do with the M25 motorway in London, its a typical metaphore its all in the translation and when translated correctly-this is what the song is about.....
its basically a song telling you that the life your trapped in is the road to hell an you cant get out, ie marriage, morgage, commitment an how you will never be able to be free once you comite to these things that soceity tells you as a teen that this is how you should live your life, only the wise dont fall into this.. standing by the river But the water doesn't flow---waiting for your dreams but they just wont come-you are not your own man
It boils with every poison you can think of---the negativity an yr life that you choose which holds you down an the reallity of your decesions
And I'm underneath the streetlight But the light of joy I know Scared beyond belief way down in the shadows--
the brainwash an the fear the media an soceity puts into you, the reason why you wont risk anything or do or change anything you do
Chokes the smile on every face--as above your bound to the machine
the road to hell, the western soceity-where people think they are free but seriously they are bound
And all the roads jam up with credit And there's nothing you can do---morgage debt hire purchase all the things that married couples do an conform as society tells them to,
It's all just pieces of paper flying away from you----your stuffed an are like this its out of yr reach the debts morgages car repayments so on an so on, your now a part of the western way of life the machine.
You must learn this lesson fast and learn it well
if yr wise at a young age you will not get married or fall into debt just to have the happy couple sydrome you will never buy an travel an be yuour own man.-
This ain't no upwardly mobile freeway---once your bound your bound !!!!!! an this is the road to hell,
pink floyd wrote a simalar song called welcome to the machine
Showstopper!! Well done Kronos!!<br /> It has been 8 months since you posted that, and nobody could say a thing, it is a perfect analysis.<br /> <br /> Not to dispute what you said, but it is just interesting that AFTER Chris Rea wrote these lyrics, the world fell into a credit crisis {"And all the roads jam up with credit And there's nothing you can do"}... but I guess he wasn't referring to that. :)<br /> <br /> It is the sign of great lyrics when they are not specific but can apply to anyone's life, or all our lives. Stairway to Heaven is like that... this is on the same high level of writing. <br /> <br /> I also found it interesting that Rea didn't rhyme when it would have been easy, in the first stanza. {could have said "every poisen that we know"} ; <br /> <br /> And then later he makes it hard to sing/listen to by staggering the phrasing:<br /> Oh look out world take a good look,<br /> Look who's down there,<br /> You must learn this lesson fast, and learn it well.<br /> <br /> {i just found it awkward, but I am not saying it shouldn't be this way] <br /> <br /> I am working on a home-studio version of this song, just for my own fun... you have helped me a lot with your interpretation/analysis. Thanks kronos!<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />
haha hell yea its a good translation i reckon, first time ive read it since i wrote that, 2 years ago
i signed up to song meanings after reading your idea on the meaning of this song .......i feel it needs pointing out that the song lyrics ARE specific to the m25<br /> <br /> chris rea has allway said the lyrics were written while he was stuck in a traffic jam on the m25 so for you to say that the song has nothing to do with the m25 is just plain wrong <br /> <br /> <br /> And I'm underneath the streetlight<br /> But the light of joy I know<br /> Scared beyond belief way down in the shadows<br /> <br /> hes under the street light on the m25 and the light of joy is the sun ....scared of the shadows from the sun that set long ago because its london and its a bit rough ..... hence fear of violence <br /> chokes the smile on every face .<br /> its all just bits of paper flying away from you ....life ticking away stuck in a traffic jam <br /> <br /> <br /> Oh look out world, take a good look<br /> What comes down here<br /> You must learn this lesson fast and learn it well<br /> <br /> the world needs to look at how the m25 simply does not work properly ..it doesnt flow and things need to change ......<br /> the line This ain't no upwardly mobile freeway<br /> simply means the m25 has not made things any better ..(things are not on the up as they say )<br /> <br /> for me you simply over analized a great song <br /> great song lyrics do not need explaining ..they simply are
I think this song is about the disastrous results of progress & the corners developed countries have painted themselves into due to industrialization& urbanization. It is the road to he'll that will take citizens to deterioration in quality of life and a mechanical, lackluster life of struggle just to stay afloat financially. A warning is given to the rest of the world to take heed & not follow suit
His greatest song. Instant classic.
Apparently about the M25 motorway (London's Orbital Motorway), which is renowned for being more like a car park.
To me, this seems to be about debt... mostly based on the lyrics of the second verse