Anywhere you go, anyone you meet
Remember that your eyes, can be your enemies

I said, hell is so Close, and heaven's out of reach

But I ain't givin' up quite yet
I've got too much to lose

[Chorus]
Hold me down, sweet and low, little girl
Hold me down, sweet and low, and I'll carry you home
Hold me down, sweet and low, little girl
Hold me down and I'll carry you home

The rain is gonna fall
The sun is gonna shine
The wind is gonna blow
The water's gonna rise
She said, when that day comes,
LooK into my eyes, no one's givin' up quite yet, we've go too much to lose

Hold me down, sweet and low, little girl
Hold me down, sweet and low, and I'll carry you home
Hold me down, sweet and low, little girl
Hold me down and I'll carry you
All the way,
And you say your fine
But your still young
And out of line
When all I need's to turn around
To make it last to make it count
I ain't gonna make the same mistakes that put my mama in her grave
I don't wanna be alone

[Chorus]



Lyrics submitted by gamesteeler712

Track duration: 03:34

"Sweet and Low" as written by Dan Layus, Mike Flynn

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Sweet and Low song meanings
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78 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment:Now that Augustana has broken up, perhaps this song gives us insight as to why. By no means am I passing this off as a fact, but here's a possible interpretation of this song:

    Lead singer Dan Layus struggled with pedophilia:
    "Remember that your eyes can be your enemies"
    Just 'cause he seems good looking to you, remember, you're young and illegal and he's in his 20s. Don't let your eyes be your downfall.

    "Hell is so close, and Heaven's out of reach"
    Layus knows he's in the wrong and his sin is unpardonable.

    "But I ain't givin' up just yet, I've got too much to lose"
    He's going to do everything in his power to stop this sinful relationship. He knows he's got too much to lose -- yes, like 30 years in the clink and a lifetime on the sex offender's registry.

    "Hold me down, sweet and low little girl"
    He's talking literally now. The next time he tries to physically touch her inappropriately, he wants her to literally to hold him down until he's regained his wits about him.

    "The rain is gonna fall, the sun is gonna shine"
    Like any struggling person, he'll have good days where Dan's behaving, and he'll have off-days where he can't resist calling her, leaving her a raunchy Facebook msg, and even sneaking into her parent's window at night.

    "You say you're fine, but you're still young and you're out of line"
    She tells him he'll never be reported to authorities; she's fine with the relationship, but he's having a moment of clarity and admonishing her that she shouldn't be doing this.

    "I don't wanna make the same mistakes that put my mama in her grave"
    His mom obviously committed suicide when she found out about this relationship -- or she was a victim of pedophilia herself and took her own life; this is unclear.

    "I don't wanna be alone"
    He repeats his struggle. He knows he has to leave her, but he doesn't wanna be alone, and might not be attracted to girls /- 5 years his age.

    Again, I'm not saying this is fact, it's just a possible interpretation of this song, and a reasoning behind the band's breakup.
    Flag jasonwe0v8on September 20, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:not to be morbid or dark about this but i think this song has to do with a mentally tormented father who is fighting with suicide, but fights through it to see his daughter grow up. several lines in this song and parts of the music video as well lead me to this conclusion, but as in the majesty of music i could be completely wrong and thats ok, because at the end its still a happy song because his daughter "holds him down" he isnt going anywhere :)
    Flag Huros28on February 17, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is what I've found out from an interview about this song...
    "The first single is a song called "Sweet and Low". It's kind of an older song, but we definitely changed it a little bit... added a full band version of it, then kind of re-wrote the verse while we were on the Dashboard Confessional tour. It's a real straight-forward song, it's kind of a letter from his wife's prospective to him... when he's on the road... but there's a good amount of vagueness so it can apply to other things."

    So there you have it. A Love song, but can be interpreted differently with however you feel the sings applies to you.
    Flag Chilixx326on January 16, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think this song is more of a father doughter song...because the lyrics say - hold me down sweet and low little girl...hold me down and ill carry you home...and he mentioned his mom and the mistakes she made...and when he worns her -remember that your eyes can be your enemies... he sings it very softly
    Flag nelenaon September 28, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:He said it's vary vague though and he wanted it to be interpreted in different ways
    Flag Liveespn777on September 07, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:He said in an interview this is basically a song written from his wife's perspective. Being gone on the road a lot and just trying to maintain that relationship
    Flag Liveespn777on September 07, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love this song. I have another take on it though. I think the singer came from an abusive family and wants to be kept in check so that his issues won't turn into hurting his younger girlfriend. That is why he says hold me down. I think it is has seen violence and wants her to keep him in check. He is assuming she is going to do things to make him mad because she is younger than him, but he will be there to carry her. He doesn't want to let her go out like his mother did through violence from his father. It might also be her age and he is just turning around for the dumb things she is doing so he goes to her instead of walking away. Like maybe she is cheating on him or something like that. Don't want to die of a broken heart because he can forgive and his mother couldn't when his dad cheated. Just some guesses.
    Flag Webbdavon May 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Some people are so literal! C'mon, people!

    I think this is about, as someone said earlier, a guy who is afraid to settle down, but is sure that he's found the one. For those who have not watched the music video, I suggest watching it; if this song confuses you. At first, I didn't understand the blood and the wedding ring, but now that I have looked at the lyrics again, I understand.
    Flag Jordanzadanggiton December 19, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Actually me and my colleagues have analyzed the emotion and word choice in this song and have come out with the following conclusion:

    He talks about how he has thought about suicide several times after being hurt from his first love. "Hell is so close and heaven is out of reach" obviously, it is the belief that you go to hell for committing suicide (if you are Christian. which this entire band is.) So, heaven is out of reach for him is he commits suicide.

    Next "Hold me down, sweet and low, little girl" he is asking her (a girl he loves) to keep him from committing suicide. He is asking her to stand by his side and make it better and to be with him. "I'll carry you home" means he will live another day to be there for her and to carry her home.

    The next verse is basically about how there will be common problems and there will be days they will and will not get along. This verse is basically the details.

    Last verse I will talk about, he tells how his mother's mistakes took her to her grave. He also notes how she will make the same mistakes because she is still young and foolish. He tries to sway her from these mistakes.

    In the end, he lives another day and you are left to believe what you want. An optimist might say he continues to live and be with her forever. A pessimist may say he eventually commits suicide and leaves it all behind. I like to believe the optimistic side. This has been you song analysis by Dr. Edward Fayt
    Flag songanalyzer11on October 07, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i believe this song is about a long distance relationship. "Anywhere you go, anyone you meet
    Remember that your eyes can be your enemies" is like saying dont fall under temptation. the references to heaven and hell is a testament to the good times and the bad just like the reference to the rain and the sun. when i hear him say not giving up yet is cause they might have been at it for a while and have invested alot of emotion into it. what do u guys think?
    Flag itron19on September 01, 2010   Link

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