It's the place that's said to break
It's just as safe from the outside
Tonight

And I warned them
I face the storms at the tides
From the lighthouse

And I warned them
Unleash the storm and the night

What do the waves have to say now?
What do the waves have to say now?

Slow down

And let the waves have their way now
Slow, and let the waves
Have their day

And I warned them

Here I've been living
On roofs made from sin
I put an outward,
"Begin, begin."

Here I've been lucid
I'm living within
Inwardly urgent
And sinking again

The lighthouse



Lyrics submitted by ZombieStar

Track duration: 05:24


The Lighthouse song meanings
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37 Comments

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  • +2
    Lyric Correction:Those lyrics are totally wrong, here's the real deal, it makes more sense:


    This place is set to break
    It's just as safe for me outside tonight
    And I want that
    I face the storm's appetite
    From the lighthouse

    And I want that
    I embrace the storm and the night
    Whole

    What do the waves have to say
    What do the waves have to say now now
    Slow now
    I let the waves have their way
    Now now
    Slow
    I let the waves have their day

    Here I've been living unloosened from sin
    Upward and outward
    Begin, begin

    Here I've been loosened, unliving within
    Inwardly urgent
    I'm sinking again

    The lighthouse
    Flag Julietbon March 21, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Replace "lucid" with "lucent" and the lyrics are more accurate.

    Here I've been vain
    I'm lucent from sin
    I put an outward,
    "Begin, begin."

    Here I've been lucent
    I'm living within
    Inwardly urgent
    And sinking again
    Flag blackmantison July 24, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:He's killing himself by jumping off a lighthouse and into an ocean.


    "It's the place that's said to break"
    The place is the moment in his life. Something happened, causing him to become depressed

    "It's just as safe from the outside
    Tonight"
    It really doesn't make a difference if he stays here (in the world of the living) or if he leaves his body.

    "And I warned them"
    Suicidal people tend to warn people before they act

    "I face the storms at the tides"
    He's going to find the end, the hardest part of this decision at the tides. Where he drowns.
    "From the lighthouse"
    He jumps off of here. The lighthouse also represents solitude, out in the middle of the water.

    "And I warned them
    Unleash the storm and the night"
    He warned people he'd kill himself, and now he faces the storm (again) and the night (forever sleep)

    "What do the waves have to say now?
    What do the waves have to say now?"
    He's wondering what will happen as he drowns. He questions doing what he is about to do.

    "Slow down"
    He takes a step back and reassures himself that this is what must be done.


    "And let the waves have their way now"
    Now he lets himself fall so that the waves can have him.
    "Slow, and let the waves
    Have their day"
    As he falls, things start to slow down.

    "And I warned them"
    Again

    "Here I've been living
    On roofs made from sin"
    And so now he has to die by falling from the roofs. It represents something bad he's done that he is abandoning.

    "I put an outward,
    "Begin, begin.""
    I think at this points he starts reflecting on his fall, and "begin" is how he will begin a new stage in passing on. He begins as he comes into the water

    "Here I've been lucid"
    Now he is drowning, things are blanking out.

    "I'm living within"
    Within the waters?
    "Inwardly urgent"
    Something he truly feels he has to do
    "And sinking again"
    His life was sinking, and now he's sinking.

    "The lighthouse"
    He can also be considered a lighthouse as he's alone in a big empty space.
    Flag AsteroidManon June 09, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song describes exactly the feelings I've had after I've lost someone. When I just don't care about anything. Living doesn't seem relevant anymore, and I feel disconnected from everything.
    The thing that really gets to me about this song, though, is that everytime I feel really depressed I go down to the sea just to feel the weather (i live in norway so the weather i usually bad).
    Flag Mishion May 26, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this reminds me of my dog...
    he was my best friend through everything.
    i just put him to sleep this friday.
    i hear this and can't help but cry.

    i keep telling myself that i was the right thing to do
    you know: let the waves have their way

    Flag shindog48on April 20, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The correct lyrics, from their official website:

    This place is set to break
    It's just as safe for me outside tonight
    And I want that
    I face the storm’s appetite
    From the lighthouse

    And I want that
    I embrace the storm and the night
    Whole

    What do the waves have to say now?
    What do the waves have to say now now?
    Slow now
    I let the waves have their way, now now
    Slow
    I let the waves have their day

    And I want that

    Here I've been living, unloosened from sin
    Upward and outward
    Begin, begin

    Here I've been loosened, unliving within
    Inwardly urgent
    And sinking again

    The lighthouse



    Much different from what's on here, changes the way you look at the song quite a bit.
    Flag pozwalanaon April 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I found this song a grower, it went from dull to quite magical over a very long period of listening.

    The Lighthouse reminds me of Virginia Woolf; 'what do the waves have to say now?' Most obviously her novel The Waves which asks the 'bigger' questions, waves representing the lifetime, time and passing of life. How insignificant our lives are, and still controlled by external forces (the moon).

    The narrator standing in a lighthouse looking out at the sea, 'i warned them', self concerned, self interested, slipping into his own thoughts. The sea is the outside state - things he can't control, life, passing of time, his existence is nothing he is just a blip in this endless life. From this feeling he must escape and so jumps back into himself again, sinks back into his thoughts. He is the lighthouse.

    Meh, alternatively I did think maybe he is some form of god figure (a author/poet also) controlling the waves (the story), bringing in the storm and sea. 'I've warned them' - Noah's ark possibly? Then trying to justify sending the flood by mentioned hell and sinking back into himself.

    Either or neither, it's a brilliant piece of music.
    Flag TalkingOutTheWorldon March 25, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i hate this song. always have. there are a good handful of Interpol songs that REALLY REALLY grew on me, and this is the only one that never has. I can't stand it.
    Flag incupolon November 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is astounding live and...
    ...It's my ringtone.

    But anyway, I came to a complete stop when I was first listening to Our Love to Admire and this song came on. I mean, it's got imagery all over it. The cresendo's (sp) of the guitar lines and their slow disappearance can stand for either waves, the actual light of a lighthouse or slow sighs of tired breathing.

    The songs seemed to strike me of the depths of some depression or drug addiction. Or perhaps being tired with the monotomy of life as in everything just seems to be the same these days despite all the sex, drugs, music, parties and alcohol (I'm sure all of us here know Paul is quite the..."drinker" for a lameo way of putting it..).

    Kazuu90210 - I love your interpretation.
    Flag detleneson December 29, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I can't listen to this song without getting close to tears. I get the feeling that it's talking about the lighthouse as his loved one, who was his safe place while his life was storming at him, now that lighthouse is gone, he is going to have to face it alone.
    I can't imagine what kind of pain Paul is going through (Assuming he wrote these lyrics, which is a 99% chance he did)
    I can't imagine loosing my girlfriend. She is my lighthouse.
    Flag Kazuu90210on November 30, 2007   Link

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