Know something about this song or lyrics?
Add it to our wiki.
Well I walk upon the river like it's easier than land
Evil's in my pocket and your will is in my hand
Oh, your will is in my hand
And I'll throw it in the current that I stand upon so still
Love is all, from what I've heard, but my heart's learned to kill
Oh, mine has learned to kill
Oh, I said I could rise
From the harness of our goals
Here come the tears
But like always, I let them go
Just let them go
And now spikes will keep on falling from the heavens to the floor
The future was our skin and now we don't dream anymore
No, we don't dream anymore
Like a house made from spider webs and the clouds rolling in
I bet this mighty river's both my savior and my sin
Oh, my savior and my sin
Oh, I said I could rise
From the harness of our goals
Here come the tears
But like always, I let them go
Just let them go
Well I walk upon the river like it's easier than land
Evil's in my pocket and your strength is in my hand
Your strength is in my hand
And I'll throw you in the current that I stand upon so still
Love is all, from what I've heard, but my heart's learned to kill
Oh, mine has learned to kill
Oh, I said I could rise
From the harness of our goals
Here come the tears
But like always, I let them go
Just let them go
Evil's in my pocket and your will is in my hand
Oh, your will is in my hand
And I'll throw it in the current that I stand upon so still
Love is all, from what I've heard, but my heart's learned to kill
Oh, mine has learned to kill
Oh, I said I could rise
From the harness of our goals
Here come the tears
But like always, I let them go
Just let them go
And now spikes will keep on falling from the heavens to the floor
The future was our skin and now we don't dream anymore
No, we don't dream anymore
Like a house made from spider webs and the clouds rolling in
I bet this mighty river's both my savior and my sin
Oh, my savior and my sin
Oh, I said I could rise
From the harness of our goals
Here come the tears
But like always, I let them go
Just let them go
Well I walk upon the river like it's easier than land
Evil's in my pocket and your strength is in my hand
Your strength is in my hand
And I'll throw you in the current that I stand upon so still
Love is all, from what I've heard, but my heart's learned to kill
Oh, mine has learned to kill
Oh, I said I could rise
From the harness of our goals
Here come the tears
But like always, I let them go
Just let them go
Lyrics submitted by synapsistapped
Track duration: 04:15
"Love Is All" as written by Kristian Matsson
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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!
the tears that come are hers and he lets them go meaning he goes about his life despite her tears, but also his, and he lets them go because he either abandons himself to them or "lets them go" by callously turning away from them.
savior because this love changed him, but sin because he's breaking her heart.
I think the song is from the perspective of a person struggling with either an intelligent sociopathy or mild psychopathy. He tries being a valid and innocuous member of society, but with little sustained success. He's introspective and currently in touch with some of his empathy before losing it again. He's experiencing the last moments of the the calm before another period of mental turmoil. Perhaps my interpretation does overlap with those of you who are saying it's about a breakup. I think perhaps the song is being sung to the one person who was able to help him think he could be better, but no longer has that ability as he becomes more consumed in his more real connection with hopelessness and destruction.
- - -
"I walk upon the river like it's easier than land"
When he's trying to, accomplishing things that appear impressive is easier for this person than the simple day-to-day things he see others doing with ease. He gets credit for being an extraordinary individual, but struggles with what should be natural to him (connection, relationships, love).
- - -
"Evil's in my pocket and your will/strength is in my hand"
He will always have it in him to be a bad person, but he's trying, hard, to be good because of the person he's singing to.
- - -
"Love is all, from what I've heard, but my heart's meant to kill"
He has to take the best part of being human on faith because he does not experience the same joys everyone else seems to. What he feels is the darkness which makes him harmful.
- - -
"And now spikes will keep on falling from the heavens to the floor
The future was our skin and now we don't dream anymore"
We are disillusioned. We were idealistic and optimistic when we were young and inexperienced. Life is filled with more pain than we had realized.
- - -
"Like a house made from spider webs and the clouds rolling in
I bet this mighty river's both my savior and my sin"
His version of the security others have in a relationship/ties to others is flimsy and won't withstand his next period of depression or violence, which he feels coming on. Perhaps ending it all could be both his best and worst moves at once.
- - -
"And I'll throw it/you in the current that I stand upon so still"
The current = violence and destruction, either physical or emotional. He can navigate situations where he is attacking, assaulting or destroying something without the madness of the action disquieting his mind.
Stand upon so still = not phased by what he's doing/experiencing.
Throwing it/you in the current = How he deals with the things that bring him struggle. The person he's singing to is no longer sacred by the end of the song, despite his/her former good influence. Where s/he may have tried to bring the singer over to the side where a normal life feels good, things have transitioned to a perspective wherein the singer destroying the person he's singing to could feel just as normal.
- - -
His submission to the crying is the most powerful part of this song to me. He doesn't try to control them because from his experience there's no way to stop them, even if he did understand them fully.
Titling the entire narrative "Love is All" makes it sound even more hopeless, if truly he cannot feel any of it. If love is everything, and he cannot make himself feel love, he knows he exists and struggles for nothing.
So sad, from my point of view. Thanks, Mr. Birbiglia.
the explanation u give to "I walk upon the river like it's easier than land" is amazing, its like you have known me forever .
thank you.
The part where i have a differing view is,
"Here come the tears, But like always, I let them go"
Your interpretation is that he cant hold the tears back. The use of 'But' suggests to me that he just lets the tears and the emotions pass by, because of his inability to show or feel his emotions in the normal way.
I still haven't decided which meaning i believe to be true myself.
"I walk upon the river like it's easier than land" is Jesus "evil's in my pocket and your will is in my hand" I think is talking about the power (good and bad) of organized religion
"Love is all from what I've heard, but my heart's learned to kill" some people preaching love, but acting otherwise
"I said I could rise..." "but here come the tears" someone losing faith
"Your strength is in my hand.." seems to be something about the power behind a group believing and defending one ideology.
From someone who is not terribly religious, this is the impression it gives me. Just my thoughts.
"I walk upon the river like it's easier than land
Evil's in my pocket and your will is in my hand
Oh, your will is in my hand"
The Fly Fisherman walks through the water as easy as walking on land. The evil that's in their pocket is a knife or club used to kill the fish. The will that's in their hand is the fish caught on their line, the fish are being reeled in against their will.
"And I'll throw it in the current that I stand upon so still
Love is all, from what I've heard, but my heart's learned to kill
Oh, mine has learned to kill"
When you fly fish it's important to stand still in the current so not to spook the fish. Most if not all the fisherman I know, fish because they love to do it, it brings them closer to nature. They have all learned to kill these animals at some point or have killed them. their hearts have learned to kill.
"And now spikes will keep on falling from the heavens to the floor"
The spikes are the fly's, the lures casting from the rod to the bottom of the river.
"I bet this mighty river's both my savior and my sin
Oh, my savior and my sin"
Its his savior because he's closer to nature but it's his sin because he knows he'll kill the fish once he's caught it.
"Oh, I said I could rise
From the harness of our goals
The fish rises to fly, the fisherman uses the fly to catch the fish. Its the harness of both their goals. Both their goals are to catch their prey.
"Here come the tears
But like always, I let them go
Just let them go"
Here come the tears, here comes the tragedy of killing. But like always the fisherman let's them go, out of love. This is a common thing in Fly Fishing most fisherman let the fish go, they only do it for the love of the sport and to hold the mystery and beauty of nature in the palm of their hand. Love is all.
This also could be an allusion to Hemmway's Big Two-Hearted River
evil's in my pocket(he's mad because of the break up) and your will is in my hand(he respect herr wishes. probably not seeing him or something).
I love The Tallest Man!!!
such a beautiful song