In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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
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.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
according to wikipedia, rolling stones released in 1971, 10 years before justin timberlake was born..... so both of you are way off (kankurou and gaijinnippon).
I like isabell428's interpretation, it makes sense in a way that I never thought of.
isabell428's interpretation, is very close but she had the gender wrong, its Mother & Son.<br /> The song was written about Keith's first born son Marlon, & the Graceless Lady is Anita Pallenberg one time girlfriend of Brian & later had an affair with Mick on the set of "Performance" It just so happen I know Marlon & one night at a great little celeb hang out in Soho NYC He gave me the lowdown. You might say I heard it from the Horses mouth (Please pardon the Pun !) My FB name is Kevin B. Lynch, hit me up and listen so some of my own music or go here>>>>.KEVIN B. LYNCH | Free Music, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos<br /> myspace.com/needlessjunkie
@isabell428 I love this interpretation, thanks
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!
i think this song is about death coming for an old woman.
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 ^_^
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!
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 ^_^
I love this song as Buffy's and Angel's prom song also
I agree with Tracie, this song fit the part in Fear. Great version of this song.
ahhh this song is so wonderful!!
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