Sorrow found me when I was young,
Sorrow waited, sorrow won.
Sorrow that put me on the pills,
It's in my honey it's in my milk.
It's only about half a heart alone
On the water,
Cover me in rag and bones, sympathy.
'Cause I don't wanna get over you.
I don't wanna get over you.

Sorrows my body on the waves
Sorrows a girl inside my cage
I live in a city sorrow built
It's in my honey, it's in my milk.
It's only my half of heart alone,
On the water,
Cover me in rag and bones, sympathy.
'Cause I don't wanna get over you.
I don't wanna get over you.

It's only my half of heart alone,
On the water,
Cover me in rag and bones, sympathy.

'Cause I don't wanna get over you.

I don't wanna get over you.



Lyrics submitted by Zarlant, edited by Nostawyn, evanreyes

Track duration: 03:25

"Sorrow" as written by Matthew D. Berninger Aaron B. Dessner

Lyrics © BUG MUSIC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Sorrow song meanings
Add your thoughts

34 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment:Actually...
    I just now watched an interview with Aaron and Bryce on Youtube, and they mentioned that the words are actually "sorrow's a girl inside my cake". The song was supposed to be a fun sort of celebration of sorrow (which I saw in another interview that I can't remember)...
    But the cake part was found in the video: "Backstage with The National at the Treasure Island Music Festival".
    Flag MusicStuff0405on May 18, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I hear the chorus as:
    Don't leave my hyper heart alone
    on the water
    cover me with rag and bones, sympathy
    'cause I don't wanna get over you
    Anyways, I think this song is about how bad things seem to follow one around, appearing in every aspect of one's life until it becomes a part of him or her and they get used to the idea of strife, loneliness, failure, misfortune. Pessimism, basically.
    And this sorrow has been with them so long that they've almost become comfortable with it, and would feel alien with it gone.
    Flag MusicStuff0405on May 17, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:As a mind state observer (meditation practitioner) I have contemplated on sorrow, a unwholesome state of mind which sometimes or frequently comes and goes. This song touches me a lot. I think it is firstly trying to remind that everyone knows sorrow. Sorrow is inevitable, inescapable. It is everywhere in this world. Everybody knowingly or unknowingly almost continuously experiences sorrow. This is how I interpret "Sorrow found me when I was young" and "I live in a city sorrow built, It's in my honey, it's in my milk." Sorrow is entangled in every aspect of this world.

    But this song is not just describing sorrow. It is about depression, which is not just a short state of sorrowed mind, but a long cloudy mass of sorrow that is hard to overcome, for which it is hard for light to shine through. Sorrow waited, sorrow won.

    "Sorrows a girl inside my cage" is the most touching line. I think the singer sings "Sorrow is", explaining what sorrow means. The singer gives definition to depression here and integrally mentions the cause. The unsatisfying and uncontrollable nature of the world that gives rise to sorrow, especially experienced in entangling relationships. For me this reminds the essence of monkhood (a renunciating lifestyle chosen in order to find space to observe and let go craving, grief, sorrow), a way to get rid of unwholesome mental states, including sorrow and depression.
    However, "A girl inside your cage" is not about renunciation but a metaphor for the worldly life. It is about maintaining the preconditions for suffering and sorrowing, seeing no choice, no solution, no way out (cage) to escape from sorrow and depression, which is caused by craving and entanglement (for which 'girl' is metaphor). Sadly enough, the effect of just continuing the worldly way is even more sorrow and depression...
    Flag BrotherJohnon May 11, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I've always heard it as 'half a heart.' and to me it makes sense, because in the vine like grip of depression you can't give everything you've got to someone you love; It takes everything from you and restricts it. It also makes sense to me as 'I don't wanna get over you.' suggests that the person he loves left him, more reason to only have half a heart.
    Flag DizzyKitsuneon April 23, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:The line "Sorrows a girl inside my cage" kills me. I always took that to be his partner who has to suffer his depression.
    Flag fan777on January 19, 2013   Link
  • +10
    General Comment:I read somewhere that Matt wrote this song for Bryan Devendorf, who has suffered from clinical depression all his life. As someone who also struggles with lifelong depression, this song is spot on - it's amazing that Matt, who says he's never been depressed, could describe so accurately what depression does to a person. You really do fall in love with your own sadness, it becomes a shield that protects you from reality. Depression touches every single aspect of its victim's life. It clouds and distorts everything and rebuilds your memories and your perceptions. "I live in a city sorrow built/It's in my honey, it's in my milk." It's everywhere.
    Flag nothingeveron September 21, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:This is one of my favourite tracks by The National for sure. I think this is quite obviously about depression, probably clinical depression ("Sorrow they put me on the pills"). I've always heard it as "don't leave my HYPER heart alone, on the water", possibly refering ADHD or something simialr? "Rag and bone sympathy" to me means sympathy with no real depth to it, like when you say "My dog died" or something and people always answer with "I'm so sorry", when they don't really know what you're going through or what they really should be saying... When I'm feeling sad I just want to be left alone... Just my thoughts on some of these lyrics.
    Flag Daaanieeelon September 14, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The line 'Sorrow's a girl inside my cave' is something I can definitely relate to. It's made obvious that he is mourning the loss of a girlfriend and maybe as a result, the loss of his feminity. Now he has no outlet to express his feminie side as it is trapped in a cave of masculinity.
    Flag Lyrics81on April 19, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:cover me in rag and bone.
    lyric is thrown in because that is matts favorite store in nyc actually brooklyn.
    the name of the store"rag and bone"
    Flag julianf1on February 05, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:cover me in rag and bone.
    lyric is thrown in because that is matts favorite store in nyc actually brooklyn.
    the name of the store"rag and bone"
    Flag julianf1on February 05, 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