Gold lion's gonna tell me where the light is,
Gold lion's gonna tell me where the light is,
Take our hands out of control,
Take our hands out of control

Now, tell me what you saw,
Tell me what you saw,
There was a crowd of seeds,
Inside, outside,
I must have done a dozen each

It was the height I threw, the weight,
The shell was crushing you,
I've been around a few

Tell me what you saw,
I'll tell you what to...
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ohh ohh
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ohh ohh

Gold lion's gonna tell me where the light is,
Gold lion's gonna tell me where the light is,
Take our hands out of control,
Take our hands out of control

Outside, inside,
This is the moon without a tide,
We'll build a fire in your eyes,
We'll build a fire when the cover's getting brighter,
Cold as I, makes the moon without a tide

Tell me what you saw,
I'll tell you what to...
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ohh ohh
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ohh ohh

Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ohh ohh
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ohh ohh



Lyrics submitted by Botman4y2k

Track duration: 03:06

"Gold Lion" as written by Nick Zinner Karen Orzolek

Lyrics © CHRYSALIS MUSIC GROUP

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Gold Lion song meanings
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86 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment:Okay, so at first, I wanted to believe this was indeed about Vegas or maybe even a crime that took place there. In fact, did anyone notice that synthesized/guitar noise that comes up right as she starts to sing "outside, inside..."? It sounds EXACTLY like a car alarm. I don't know if that holds any connection to the meaning, but hey...

    Anyway, reading all of these interpretations, I'm thinking it's a mix with the Gold Lion award thing being the focus. I'm surprised nobody mentioned the running metaphor of seeds/plants being connected to something other than drugs. She describes "the height I grew/ the weight, the shell was crushing you" as the music crescendos. In the music video too, the flames eventually surrounded them and appear obviously reflected in her eyes. She covers her face in her hands as she moans and that shot of her figure dwarfed by her shadow in the smoke comes up. There's a lot of imagery and sounds that play on that overwhelming feeling which makes me think that, as she "grows" and "crushes" those around her, she is growing with the band, as a musician, a person and it's just alarming how "out of control" everything feels. She feels like she's on a "moon without a tide" (which, albeit, could mean a BUTTLOAD of things), like a world with no weight/meaning.

    "We'll build a fire in your eyes/ we'll build a fire/ when the colors/ getting brighter/ cold desire" could be that the music industry, the dream and/or the award she won lights a fire in her which only grows bigger. This "desire" builds on itself burns everything in its path, eventually she herself, which "makes a moon without a tide" or an existence without a meaning.

    Rodan2000 said this part best, though:
    "I seem to have gotten the feeling that the "moon without a tide" is some sort of relationship that has lost many of its attractions. The Moon, it's own existence, is there, but it doesn't have that gravitational pull, or attraction, the tide. "Cold desire", or desire that has become stagnant sound about the same."

    A lot of songs speak to me about depression and the existence, but this song is just a bit more specific with the circumstances, making it somewhat difficult to understand from an outsider's point of view. If you think there's anything to what I'm saying, go check out the lyrics to "Empire Ants" by Gorillaz. Cheers~
    Flag Parachion November 04, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:When she does the high-pitched "ooh ooh" part, I about come down with a fap attack. It's way hot.
    Flag lunchboxturtleon October 28, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:totally agree with heartbeats xxx about the vegas thing.
    Flag wiseindiegirlon October 05, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I was listening to this song with someone who asked me if it was about heroin, and it kind of made me think a little. It could possibly be. "Gold lion" since heroin is apparantly a goldish color? "Take our hands out of control," and "the height I grew" sound like the effects of heroin. "Gold Lion's gonna tell me where the light is" talking about it using? Just a theory, but I definitely think that this could be about some kind of drug.
    Flag joannabee861on August 30, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:amazing song hahahaha I love it !!!!!! yeah the "ooh ooh ..." part is weird, i mean it's awesome but i dunno how karen can do that !!!
    Flag zxoqwizon April 15, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:haha the comments at the beginning are making me want to try the "ooh ooh"s..so gonna work on that.
    anyway, LOVE this song.
    Flag flyingxponyon March 11, 2010   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion:I like all ideas people have come up with about this song : Vegas, Sex, Alice In wonder land, The Lion The witch and the wardrobe. They could all be possible. This song has many various meanings and is deep. However I think it's about acid and Karen O winning the Lion award in paris. I think it's about an acid trip. I hear the experience makes you learn more about yourself as a person, you see and learn a lot. So perhaps after winning the award she tripped and the drug experience made her see things that were hallucinogenic and gave her a physical feelings (It was the height I grew The weight, the shell was crushing you We'll build a fire When the colors Getting brighter) and other things made her realize things about herself, personality, and life. The award made her see the light in herself as a musician the success, confidence, ect. a So Due to the gold lion award and trip she saw the light. This only an opinionated guess I don't know for sure. I love this song it's amazing.
    Flag FeverRae23on February 18, 2010   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion:the lyrics are wrong. it's
    "tell me what you saw, I'll tell you what to..." and the "ooh ooh"s are like the word "do"

    I read here that it's about ecstasy, that gold lion is a certain type of ecstasy. this song is pretty much obviously about that drug.
    Flag twelvefiftyone1251on January 16, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:When I first read the lyrics and listened it seemed like it was a crime scene that was trying to be covered up. Basically tell the authority what your being told to tell them. The lyrics talk about the seeds/dozen of each (people) inside outside (location) my height/weight (description of criminal). The gold lion could be an attorney... I know its all a far stretch, but I like my interpretation.
    Flag Wursteron September 08, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:ooh oohh oohh oh ah! ooh ooh oh ah ah! Love itttt
    Flag britishmusicisbetteron August 30, 2009   Link

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