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As she walks in the room
Scented and tall
Hesitating once more
And as I take on myself
And the bitterness I felt
I realize that love flows
[Chorus]
Wild, white horses
They will take me away
And the tenderness I feel
Will send the dark underneath
Will I follow?
Through the glory of life
I will scatter on the floor
Disappointed and sore
And in my thoughts I have bled
For the riddles I've been fed
Another lie moves over
[Chorus: x2]
Scented and tall
Hesitating once more
And as I take on myself
And the bitterness I felt
I realize that love flows
[Chorus]
Wild, white horses
They will take me away
And the tenderness I feel
Will send the dark underneath
Will I follow?
Through the glory of life
I will scatter on the floor
Disappointed and sore
And in my thoughts I have bled
For the riddles I've been fed
Another lie moves over
[Chorus: x2]
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(This to me is about bumping into a ex lover who she doesnt want apart of him).
and as i take on myself and the biterness i felt i feel love flows.
(This to me means hes so angry and hurt over what has happened but he realises that he still has feelings for her).
wild white horses they will take me away
(To me that is he longs to get out either being drugs or suicide i believe suicide and he wants to go somewhere peaceful )
And the tenderness i feel
(Pain and depression)
will send the dark underneath will i follow
(its a mixed message i think its on about getting rid of pain and will i follow means will i go with it too )
Through the glory of life
(Blood)
i will scatter on the floor.(self explanitory )
disapointed and sore.( I think this means ashamed of himself )
and in my thought i have bled ( means a self battle with depression)
for the riddles of been fed ( just lies and being let down )
Another lie moves over ( his life could of been a lie and decided to go through with it this is more of what people would think of him for doing it that he didnt apear unhappy no signs a lie and he does it in the end )
I honestly believe this song is about suicide and the music turns into a dreamy state at the end as if he decided to go through with it and hes going to a better place absolutely amazing song
"Watching your face
That makes an emptiness of this crowded place,
I stand, not speaking, terrified to see
You grown more lovely, and still lost to me."
I see the song telling of the surge of deep and conflicting emotions that tear (rip) at the central character upon seeing a former lover, like rip tides that surge beneath apparently calm surfaces of water. "Love flows" like the sea. But which will surge stronger, the love that might drag the darkness (of negativity) away, or the bitterness that resulted from the relationship's end?
I think white horses here refer to violently breaking waves
Rip, or rip tide, is a phenomenon where a strong channel of water flowing seaward from near the shore is created, dragging swimmers away from the beach.
I think this song talks about relationships, and that moment where you realize, for the first time, you are truly in love with that other person.
The tenderness, the doubt, the certainty of the bitterness, the moments of sadness, anguish to come.. And giving in to the trip that is "Life with Someone" and its uncertain outcome.. And it all comes in a second, a swirl, a rip..
Whether she is the woman, at the beginning of the song, whether she's in love with that woman.. Whether she's singing it through her partner's eyes.. God and Portishead only know :)
It's about losing something or someone very important to you, or simply that things ended between you, and the pain you feel is unbearable so you resort to drugs and/or plan suicide.
The white horses representing the place where drugs/death would take you, and it's so wonderful you're thinking of going all the way, "Will I follow?".
2nd verse being about what you thought was going to last, or spring into something even more beautiful, did not, even though you still love the other person, and so you feel you've been lying to yourself, again and again.
And so again the White Horses offer you a ride.
"wild, white horses":
ever heard the expressions "horse; underneath the horse, etc" in reference to heroin? don't need to explain this further.
"they will take me away":
why do people use drugs, specifically opiates? to feel good yes, but also to numb themselves from physical, mental, and psychological pain/torment. "they (the drug) "will take me (in this case, that which makes a person human, their spiritual/emotionally-driven core) away."
"and the tenderness i feel":
you're floating on a cloud, completely void of not only the senses of pain/suffering but of the recollection of them.
"will send the dark underneath":
like i explained above, the dark is gone to some other place, it's not within you anymore. i mean, it is, but it's snuffed out. you shoved the pain underneath the rug. it'll reappear later, but for now, you sent it away.
"will i follow?":
when the high starts to dissipate, the threat of the imminent crash (and state of withdrawal, for the addicted, chronically using individual) will shove you back to the pain you used to get away from in the first place.
then the drum loop kicks in, and it reminds me of the hazy, blissful numb of the rush immediately following injection. the emotion behind the words fade, the looping lyrics kicks in (when the moment stands still, the rush is at its peak, time stops!)... followed by the verse again, surrounded yet shrouded by the repeating electronic, synthesized looping sound layers.
interesting how the first half of the song is more melancholy, minimal and bare-sounding. the lyrics and emotion behind them stand out, front and center. this is in contrast to the second half, when the drum/electronic sound loops rush in quickly and faster, like the beating of an accelerating heart. the lyrics are less prominent now, and there's a conspicuous mood change in the song. the heavily-felt emotion of the first pass of the chorus is in diametric opposition to the layered, artificiality of the verse as it's sung seemingly behind the additional loops and sounds.
i could analyze the other verses in the song, but i've already wrote a goddamn novel.
again, i'm NOT saying that this was written with drugs in mind. really, much of the truly great music throughout human history is comprised of complex meaning, applicable to a broad variety of human experiences. this song could also mirror the pains of losing a loved one, a relationship, feeling alone, physical ailments, transcending suffering, WHATEVER. you get my point.
but as a recovering addict (IV use of dilaudid mostly) the lyrics resonate so strongly with my experiences with opiates that i couldn't help but share my thoughts with the rest of you all.
It seems at times, she may feel positive, enjoyable emotions and thoughts, such as a kindness, warmth and love for life and other people.
But then again, at others times, incidents; (perhaps tragedies), involving herself and others cause her to feel and think in more negative or painful ways, i.e. brokenheartedness, disappointment and doubt.
Jo.