And in the middle of the night
I may watch you go.
There'll be no value in the strength
Of walls that I'll have grown
There'll be no comfort in the shade of the shadows thrown

But I'd be yours if you'd be mine

Stretch out my life and pick the seams out
Take what you like but close my ears and eyes
Or watch me stumble over and over

I had done wrong you built your tower
But call me home and I will build a throne
And wash my eyes out never again

But love the one you hold
And I will be your gold
To have and to hold
A lover of the light

With skin too tight and eyes like marbles
You spin me high so watch me as I glide
Before I tumble homeward, homeward

I know I've tried I was not stable
And flawed by pride I miss my sanguine eyes
So hold my hands up
Breathe in and breathe out

So love the one you hold
And I will be your gold
To have and to hold
A lover of the light

And in the middle of the night
I may watch you go.
There'll be no value in the strength
Of walls that I'll have grown
There'll be no comfort in the shade of the shadows thrown
You may not trust the promises of the change I'll show
But I'd be yours
If you'd be mine

So love the one you hold
And I'll be your gold
To have and to hold
A lover of the light

So love the one you hold
And I will be your gold
To have and to hold
A lover of the light



Lyrics submitted by like_letting_go, edited by oliviahh, Mellow_Harsher, kayb97, mrswinnie

Track duration: 05:15


Lover of the Light song meanings
Add your thoughts

27 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    Song Meaning:A guy who struggles to be vulnerable.

    He thought he would appreciate having built a "tower" (fortress) and the shadows it cast upon saying goodbye, but the isolation is actually too cold. It isn't comforting. The tower is useless, the fortitude of its walls unwanted.

    He is almost ok with being stretched out and vulnerable. But still, being fully aware of how vulnerable he is being would be overwhelming (causing him to stumble repeatedly into his cycle of isolation and fear)... in order to continue being vulnerable without this, he feels compelled to ignore his openness (close my ears and eyes).

    Something in him cracked open. Being vulnerable spun him high (exhilirating), as he says, but scared him as well ("skin too tight, eyes like marbles"). He seems to feel it is inevitable that he will crash back down in fear, no more gliding in the exhiliration of intimacy.

    He realizes he was too prideful (whatever that implies for a relationship) leading to some weakness in the relationship between him and the other.

    YET, he misses the rose-colored lenses of one who sees things as he wants, in a way that makes him feel good, rather than as they actually are.

    Seems like, in the end, he sees the value in being deeply close and open with another. He loves the light! He doesn't want the tower and its shadows any more. He is battling his fear and pride... but perhaps it's too late?
    Flag nsocon April 03, 2013   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:A guy who struggles to be vulnerable.

    He thought he would appreciate having built a "tower" (fortress) and the shadows it cast upon saying goodbye, but the isolation is actually too cold. It isn't comforting. The tower is useless, the fortitude of its walls unwanted.

    He is almost ok with being stretched out and vulnerable. But still, being fully aware of how vulnerable he is being would be overwhelming (causing him to stumble repeatedly into his cycle of isolation and fear)... in order to continue being vulnerable without this, he feels compelled to ignore his openness (close my ears and eyes).

    Something in him cracked open. Being vulnerable spun him high (exhilirating), as he says, but scared him as well ("skin too tight, eyes like marbles"). He seems to feel it is inevitable that he will crash back down in fear, no more gliding in the exhiliration of intimacy.

    He realizes he was too prideful (whatever that implies for a relationship) leading to some weakness in the relationship between him and the other.

    YET, he misses the rose-colored lenses of one who sees things as he wants, in a way that makes him feel good, rather than as they actually are.

    Seems like, in the end, he sees the value in being deeply close and open with another. He loves the light! He doesn't want the tower and its shadows any more. He is battling his fear and pride... but perhaps it's too late?
    Flag nsocon April 03, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I found this a romantic song, without a religious interpretation, but I may be wrong... I think it talks about two persons who love each other but can´t have a relation beacuase the problems they had.

    And in the middle of the night I may watch you go.
    There'll be no value in the strength
    Of walls that I'll have grown
    There'll be no comfort in the shade of the shadows thrown

    This means they have a passionate love that daily ends, finishing with all the values they grown in this time, they will not be comfortable because of all they had lived.

    But I'd be yours if you'd be mine

    Even with this, they love each other and want to be together.

    Stretch out my life and pick the seams out
    Take what you like but close my ears and eyes
    Or watch me stumble over and over

    She complements his life, and take the best of him, even with all this, he´s not proud, and prefers not to see or hear anything about this.

    I had done wrong you built your tower
    But call me home and I will build a throne
    And wash my eyes out never again

    He isn´t completely good, she make a "protection" of him, but when they are together he can change and make anything for her.

    But love the one you hold
    And I will be your gold
    To have and to hold
    A lover of the light

    This means he wants to be with her, and lover of the light, means the hope of his romantic life.

    With skin too tight and eyes like marbles
    You spin me high so watch me as I glide
    Before I tumble homeward, homeward

    She is being insensible with him (skin too tight, and eyes like marbles) making him fall down when he returns to his reality.

    I know I've tried I was not stable
    And flawed by pride I miss my sanguine eyes
    So hold my hands up
    Breathe in and breathe out

    Even he can´t be regular, and can be egocentric, he is making an effort. Even without hope he has to wait.

    So love the one you hold
    And I will be your gold
    To have and to hold
    A lover of the light

    And in the middle of the night
    I may watch you go.
    There'll be no value in the strength
    Of walls that I'll have grown
    There'll be no comfort in the shade of the shadows thrown
    You may not trust the promises of the change I'll show
    But I'd be yours
    If you'd be mine

    You only add one line here, she is not sure about the change in him, but they love each other.

    So love the one you hold
    And I'll be your gold
    To have and to hold
    A lover of the light

    So love the one you hold
    And I will be your gold
    To have and to hold
    A lover of the light
    Flag ezagalon March 06, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is beautiful. i loved it the first time i heard it! Lucky Couple!
    Flag KJFSNSon February 05, 2013   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion:i think that this song is about separation, about someone that let his/her love slip away into the night and that someone can't find his way bak to life again
    Flagged joaninhaon January 04, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is a musical biography of Thomas Edison. Was originally part of a concept album Mr Mumford and his children were working on - "Great Engineers and Inventors of the Modern Age".
    Flag shamone12on December 19, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:John 3:19-21 may be relevant here. In the King James translation:

    "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."
    Flagged kcostellon December 15, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:..."I miss my sanguine eyes..."

    san·guine [sang-gwin] Show IPA
    adjective
    1.
    cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident: a sanguine disposition; sanguine expectations.

    I reckon it's his rose-tinted glasses or his positive outlook on life that he misses.
    Flag Verbalinaon November 28, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it is about a man or woman regretful but determined to change how how they have been living. It clearly has something to do with a relationship of some kind that has broken down, lingered, and things transgressed out of self habituation that never truely reflected how one felt. There are overtones of a spiritual awakening and love is definetly in the picture. Mumford and Sons is excellent with double entendre's as their video's and lyrics can attain to numerous meanings left up to one's perception. Beautiful band, spiritual, even the "hypster" crowd can enjoy this and the music is timeless.
    Flagged DMLTMon November 10, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Upon first seeing it i had the feeling that his wife had died in the night, they knew it was coming and he built his walls and tried to disconnect from that pain, even if it meant not living anymore. No matter what loss we experience, our primal urge is to survive, he is struggling to survive for her.
    Flagged loftspaceon November 09, 2012   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!

Back to top
explain