You cool your bed-warm hands down
On the broken radiator
And when you lay them freezing on me
I mumble, "Can you wake me later?"

But I don't really want you to stop
And you know it so it doesn't stop you
And run your hands from my neck to my chest

Crack the shutters open wide
I wanna bathe you in the light of day
And just watch you as the rays
Tangle up around your face and body

I could sit for hours
Finding new ways to be awed each minute
'Cause the daylight seems to want you
Just as much as I want you

It's been minutes, it's been days
It's been all I will remember
Happy lost in your hair
And the cold side of the pillow

Your hills and valleys
Are mapped by my intrepid fingers
And in a naked slumber
I dream all this again

Crack the shutters open wide
I wanna bathe you in the light of day
And just watch you as the rays
Tangle up around your face and body

I could sit for hours
Finding new ways to be awed each minute
'Cause the daylight seems to want you
Just as much as I want you

Crack the shutters open wide
I wanna bathe you in the light of day
And just watch you as the rays
Tangle up around your face and body

I could sit for hours
Finding new ways to be awed each minute
'Cause the daylight seems to want you
Just as much as I want you


Lyrics submitted by mlew10

Crack the Shutters Lyrics as written by Jonathan Graham Quinn Gary Lightbody

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Crack The Shutters song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

32 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +3
    General Comment

    This is so beautiful.. you can just imagine it..her waking him up in the early morning and him being awed at her beauty..its perfect "Your hills and valleys are mapped by my intrepid fingers" hes searching her body and even though he probably knows it better than anyone it still amazes him

    Nina_1990on December 17, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Despite adoring "If there's a rocket, tie me to it", I think "crack the shutters" has overtaken it to second place(Part3 of the lightning strike."Daylight"- is my favourite)

    This is about worshipping the person you're with-My boyfriend has a tendency to call me his "goddess" and while this is a SLIGHT exaggeration, this seemsth perfect expression to describe how this man sees his partner. the whole putting-cold-hands- on-someone is such a symbol of affection, Im not quite sure why. I think its about being so close to someone that such things won't annoy them.Its such cute imagery. And the fact that he tells her to stop, but doesnt really want her to is even sweeter-he just loves being touched by her. And all the time, he wants to "bathe" her in the light- show her in all her glory, just watch her in awe.(thats where I see the goddess imagery) And she awes him in SO many ways. This is just beautiful.

    another*teen*clicheon October 29, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    WWOOOOWW!!!!!!!!!!! This is one of the most beautiful songs i have EVER heard. And i'm not much of a romantic/pop/sweet/love songs fan(just check my username), but this song just hits me, is is way too romantic maybe even cheesy and that piano sounds like we're watching a Fairy tale movie (which i hate), and the lines sound like the most sickly-sweet words of a soap opera (which i hate even more), but for some reason i find it amazing and inspiring, I can't stop listening to it, i can put it on repeat for hours and hours everyday and i won't get a bit tired of it.

    I have to quote Gary and say "I could sit for hours finding new ways to be awed each minute" just by listening to this song. I love everything about it: the almost inexisting guitar, the hypnotizing piano, i love the sound of bells around, and i just ADORE the way he sings it, so perfectly, deep and with feeling.

    That's the purest love song ever, and it has an special i don't know what, that makes you love it and make it a part of you soul, somethings that apparts it from most love songs and makes it deep and moving instead of annoying. There are no words t express what that song does to me, like if i was doing in a roller coaster or something, if you've heard it with your eyes closed, you know what i mean, you feel like you're watching the most beautiful movie ever, and is just the story of the song.

    And yes, it must be beautiful that someone actually feels that way about you

    MCRockerwayAfion December 03, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This song is epic

    Skullzon October 04, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song ultimately poons the boon!! Best song on the album in my opinion, I love the short pause before the chorus kicks in =P

    inderhouseon October 27, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    It's like Song of Solomon!

    I like how easy this is to play on piano.

    unggoyon July 15, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Dude, I've been waiting for the lyrics for this for so long. Thanks so much!

    I'm thinking that he's talking about how the girl he likes/loves is like an angel.

    OnThe11thon October 24, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    god i love this song so much!!! thank u for the lyrics!!!

    albertinaon October 24, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    No problem. This might be my favorite Snow Patrol song. I can't stop listening to it.

    mlew10on October 24, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is so sweet and romantic.

    It's everything we love about Snow Patrol. Amazing!

    mattisyourheroon October 26, 2008   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.