There's a palace a fallin'
There's a smoke in the sky
There's a boy running downhill to the lowlands tonight
And he's catching the train to where he's heard you have been
He's a fool now among us, a dreamer within
Dreaming of you

And on that day there was snowfall in the street, yellow light
And they cleared the bill and rails just by those dark shimmer eyes
In that land there's a winter
In that winter's a day
In that day there's a moment when it all goes your way
And you know it's a lion's heart
That will tumble and tear apart
When he's coming down the hills for you

But can you still now remember who's been hiding up there?
Through his howling at twilight all his songs of despair?
Do you remember the caller of a black and white crime?
Well he lives by that memory and falls from his mind
And you know it's a lion's heart
That will tumble and tear apart
When he's coming down the hills for you

Well he'll walk in the city forever
Oh, walk in a time to be gone
Well there's no real goodbye if you mean it
So I guess I'm forever alone

Now he's a stranger among us, he will die in the park
Where he hides from the statues and the weather remarks
In that land there's a winter
In that winter's a day
In that day there's a moment when it all goes away
And you know it's a lion's heart
That will tumble and tear apart
When it's coming down the hills for you



Lyrics submitted by margonauts

Track duration: 03:17


A Lion's Heart song meanings
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13 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:The whole key to the song is in the last verse:

    Now he's a stranger among us, he will die in the park
    Where he hides from the statues and the weather remarks
    In that land there's a winter
    In that winter's a day
    In that day there's a moment when it all goes away

    For me, the song is about someone who desperately and with a lions heart is seeking meaning and ultimate truth. "Where he hides from the statues and the weather remarks" - he has no use for ritual or shallow thought and conversation. He wants to get to the bottom of it all. This search for ultimate truth leads to desperation and lonliness. It's the very sad story of the truest of seekers. The you he sings about at the start of the song is simple truth.
    Flag windshadowon January 03, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love this song, one of my favorites. Even though its sad, that first verse is so sweet.
    Flag likealionon July 15, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:There's a palace a fallin'
    There's a smoke in the sky
    There's a boy running downhill to the lowlands tonight
    And he's catching the train to where he's heard you have been
    He's a fool now among us, a dreamer within
    Dreaming of you

    To me this song is about some poor sap that falls hopelessly in love with the woman of his dreams. That also pretty much sums up the first verse; he drops everything and chases this girl.

    And on that day there was snowfall in the street, yellow light
    And they cleared the bill and rails just by those dark shimmer eyes
    In that land there's a winter
    In that winter's a day
    In that day there's a moment when it all goes your way
    And you know it's a lion's heart
    That will tumble and tear apart
    When he's coming down the hills for you

    This verse shows both the fervor and the persistence of this guy. He believes that in the whole dang winter, he must have his moment eventually. He's determined that at some point things are going to start going his way. He has a lion's heart that will tumble and tear apart, to me this shows his aggressive passion. He won't let anything get in his way.

    But can you still now remember who's been hiding up there?
    Through his howling at twilight all his songs of despair?
    Do you remember the caller of a black and white crime?
    Well he lives by that memory and falls from his mind
    And you know it's a lion's heart
    That will tumble and tear apart
    When he's coming down the hills for you

    The story jumps forwards a little. We get a taste of how things are going to turn out for the poor guy "Can you still now remember who’s been hiding up there, through his howling at twilight all his songs of despair". Bummer. Well, we now see that he's been unsuccessful thus far. However, he hasn’t given up yet, that lion’s heart is still driving him towards that girl.

    Well he'll walk in the city forever
    Oh, walk in a time to be gone
    Well there's no real goodbye if you mean it
    So I guess I'm forever alone

    Hope? Not really. He finally gives up and spends the rest of his days drifting aimlessly through life, without hope of every finding another person to love.

    Now he's a stranger among us, he will die in the park
    Where he hides from the statues and the weather remarks
    In that land there's a winter
    In that winter's a day
    In that day there's a moment when it all goes away
    And you know it's a lion's heart
    That will tumble and tear apart
    When it's coming down the hills for you

    The last verse utilizes some of the lines from earlier in the song, but they certainly don’t hold the same meaning. “In that day there’s a moment when it all goes away”, though it once represented the naïve belief that eventually things will turn up, the singer now uses it to show the mans helpless outlook, and trust that sometime soon it will all just go away. Does that mean he’s waiting for death to take him? I haven’t really decided. Second is “You know it’s a lion’s heart, that will tumble and tear apart”, which once symbolized his passionate and relentless drive to win the woman of his dreams. I envisioned him tackling and tearing apart any metaphorical obstacles that may have stood between him and the woman of his dreams; now I feel that his once righteous heart is now tumbling to the ground and slowly tearing itself apart.

    Very melancholic song. If I could summarize it in one word it would have to be “bummer”. Of course all of this is just my opinion, let me know what you think.
    Flagged mellowpeaceon January 17, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it's overwhelmingly obvious: this song is about me.
    Flag CasualTon September 29, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Lyric Correction:I think it should be "quitted building rails" and not "cleared the bills and rails".
    Flag adame225on August 30, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"There's not real goodbye if you mean it
    So I guess im forever alone"

    I guess he is saying if you are really sincere about a goodbye, then you shouldn't be saying it at all, because you still love that person. As he was when he said goodbye to a previous lover maybe? he is still in love, but she has gone.


    Flag ThisMeansMoreon June 04, 2011   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Personally i think this song is about Jesus.
    Flag ninabobeenaon February 19, 2011   Link
  • +3
    General Comment:For me this song just details the events of Narnia

    Theres the fall of Aslan:
    "And you know it's a lion's heart
    That will tumble and tear apart
    When he's coming down the hills for you"

    The Great Winter:
    "And on that day there was snowfall in the street, yellow light
    And they cleared the bill and rails just by those dark shimmer eyes
    In that land there's a winter
    In that winter's a day
    In that day there's a moment when it all goes your way"

    Beating The White Witch is in that as well and theres a few more in there as well
    Flag SpringStingrayon November 29, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I don't have much to say about this song's lyrics, but it's my favorite song on the album for its melody. That building, building melody into the chorus is so great.

    I will say though that "Where he hides from the statues and the weather remarks" is a brilliant line. As one who repudiates talking about the weather as much as possible, I appreciate this line for its poignancy.
    Flag marshallrayhunton October 22, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The Wild Hunt, think about it. What's more wild than a woman? These are songs of love, though not always happy. He's married, I believe, since he's wearing a ring and semi-joked about it at the show in Ft. Worth.
    Flag ttakethefireon October 16, 2010   Link

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