Look back in silence
The cradle of your whole life
There in the distance
Losing its greatest pride
Nothing is easy, nothing is sacred, why?
Where did the bow break?
It happened before your time

And there were people there
Lovely as you'd ever care
Tonight, baby, you can start again
Laughing in the open air
Have yourself another dream
Tonight, maybe we can start again

Only the young can break away, break away
Lost when the wind blows, on your own
Only the young can break away, break away
Lost when the wind blows, on your own

Mother, it's cold here
Father, thy will be done
Thunder and lightning are crashing down
They got me on the run
Direct me to the sun
Redemption, keep my covers clean tonight
Baby, we can start again

Only the young can break away, break away
Lost when the wind blows, on your own
Only the young can break away, break away
Lost when the wind blows, on your own

And the sun will shine again
And the sun will shine again
Are you looking for a sign?
Or are you caught up in the lie?

Only the young can break away, break away
Lost when the wind blows, on your own
Only the young can break away, break away
Lost when the wind blows, on your own



Lyrics submitted by MayaMoo

Track duration: 04:19

"Only the Young" as written by Brandon Flowers

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Only The Young song meanings
Add your thoughts

26 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment:Does anyone else think that "Direct me to the sun" is maybe supposed to be read as "Direct me to the Son" (Jesus Christ)? Like, maybe Brandon Flowers is pointing out that he feels he needs to be closer to Jesus and God? Or the "thunder and lightning have got me on the run, direct me to the Son" because the thunder and lightning could symbolize the enemy (the devil, demons, temptation, etc.) and he is running scared, but needs to make sure he runs in the right direction (to God, to righteousness and salvation) instead of letting the enemy lead him astray, lead him off the path of righteousness. Although, I also see how "sun" would fit, like, "Get me away from this thunder and lightning" in a more literal sense.
    Flag paperbackwriter1993on July 01, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:We really felt he was singing about his Mother having died of a brain tumor. All that follows is only our opinion, and what do we know, really?

    Look back in silence
    The cradle of your whole life [his childhood, his family and early home.]
    There in the distance
    Losing its greatest pride [think "The Pride of the Yankees", the pride of the cradle of his whole life was his mother and now she's gone.]

    Nothing is easy, nothing is sacred, why? [he's having trouble coping with her death and maybe he's had trouble coping with his success in rock, but he also realizes that he's not honoring the sacred that she would have wanted him to honor. why is it that I find myself in a condition in my life where nothing is sacred? ]

    Where did the bow break? [remember, the cradle fell when the bow broke.]
    It happened before your time [mom, you died too soon. you were to young.]


    And there were people there
    Lovely as you'd ever care [were the people he now associates with any more kind or lovely than the people from his youth? he's remembering they weren't so bad and he finds something lovely about them. Not every person in life is lucky enough to be able to say this about the people they grew up with, but apparently he can. He talks a lot about the joy in his home when he was young.]
    Tonight, maybe you can start again
    Laughing in the open air
    Have yourself another dream
    Tonight, maybe we can start again [You can always be forgiven. You can always change. You can always start over. All can be erased and made new again. I will make all things new again.]

    Only the young can break away, break away
    Lost when the wind blows, on your own
    Only the young can break away, break away
    Lost when the wind blows, on your own [You have to become as a little child, then you can break away from what weighs you down. You can break away from the pain and sorrow by returning to the simplicity of when you were young, when your heart was open and life was simpler.]

    Mother, it's cold here [Mom, I miss you. Life without you is cold.]
    Father, thy will be done [OK, God. You allowed her to die. It was painful for me, but you know best. I'm willing to trust.]
    Thunder and lightning are crashing down
    They got me on the run [So here I now am all alone with what I struggle with.]
    Direct me to the sun [Get me out of dark and into the sun. A plea for guidance.]
    Redemption, keep my covers clean tonight [Anything he's done wrong can all be washed away and he can made new again. A spiritual rebirth, and a realization that redemption is real and always available, and a plea that it always be so and always be available for when he stumbles, as we all do.]
    Baby, we can start again [we can always start again. There is never a time we can't start over. It is never too late.]

    And the sun will shine again
    And the sun will shine again
    Are you looking for a sign? [This depends on whether the next line is lie or light. Sometimes seeking for a sign is bad, when you're waiting for proof before you're willing to believe in anything. Not sure here. It just depends.]
    Or are you caught up in the lie?

    Flag Quayleon October 17, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Can anyone be as close to perfection? Brandon Flowers is the man I want to be like!
    Flag JohnstonPon September 26, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I've got to see 3 of his flamingo concerts: UK, Germany and France, he was fantastic! I must say my favorite was France, he had so much energy and was in such a happy mood! I left the concert feeling so excited, it's contagious man! I thought his home was Las Vegas!
    Flag dayna24on September 07, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:Look back in silence
    The cradle of your whole life
    There in the distance
    Losing its greatest pride
    Nothing is easy, nothing is sacred, why?
    Where did the bow break?
    It happened before your time

    This first is brilliant,my interpritation is essentially he is looking back on his life, his entire life "look back in silence, the cradle of your whole life", and realising that everything he was when he was young, well, its changed now, he(and the world) is entirely different "loosing its greatest pride, nothing is easy....". Realising that his new life, of responsibilities, adulthood, problems just isn't right "where did the bow break?", he is asking where did life go wrong, but not just for him, for the entire society in a way, a ship is a vessel with many people on.. "it happened before your time".. is saying that it isn't new, it has been like this for a long time, but that doesnt make it ok.

    And there were people there
    Lovely as you'd ever care
    Tonight, maybe you can start again
    Laughing in the open air
    Have yourself another dream
    Tonight, maybe we can start again


    This is the best verse IMO, the first lines are referring to life before "the bow had broken" when values were more intact (something Brandon has spoken of), and reassuring himself that maybe we can start again, we can get back to this way of life. (In many ways, a Utopia)


    Only the young can break away, break away
    Lost when the wind blows, on your own
    Only the young can break away, break away
    Lost when the wind blows, on your own

    The chorus comes to the core meaning of the song, and IMO is him realising one of two tihngs. Either that when he was young and free he could be the person he wanted to, be happy "break away" form the modern world, lost when the wind blows, basically the wonders of childhood (something he also mentoins in the song "Jacksonville". He could however also be asking the next generation, the young, to break away from this life and change it for the future, or both really.


    Mother, it's cold here
    Father, thy will be done
    Thunder and lightning are crashing down
    They got me on the run
    Direct me to the sun
    Redemption, keep my covers clean tonight
    Baby, we can start again

    In this verse he is simply referring to the difficult life he is currently living, with tuhnder and lightning crashing down. M

    Only the young can break away, break away
    Lost when the wind blows, on your own
    Only the young can break away, break away
    Lost when the wind blows, on your own

    And the sun will shine again
    And the sun will shine again
    Are you looking for a sign?
    Or are you caught up in the lie?

    Only the young can break away, break away
    Lost when the wind blows, on your own
    Only the young can break away, break away
    Lost when the wind blows, on your own
    Flag jm92on March 12, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I grew up LDS in Vegas and am about the same age as Brandon. I can't hear this song and watch this video without remembering two very frequently quoted scriptures from the Book Of Mormon. Whether you believe in God or not, they are powerfully worded and full of beautiful imagery. They must have had some influence here.

    Mosiah 3: 19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and ***BECOMETH AS A CHILD, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

    ***Lost when the wind blows
    Helaman 5:12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the ***DEVIL SHALL SEND FORTH HIS MIGHTY WINDS, YEA, HIS SHAFTS IN THE WHILWIND, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
    Flagged jillmon March 08, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:In his video, the dancers in white are the spirits born on this earth, us, and the dancers in red, are the evil spirits that surround us, tempt us, oppress us... clever video!
    Flag joshua35on January 27, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I like where some of you went with this song, though I dont think he is contemplating the idea of suicide. I think he is saying that only young people can start over without hurting anyone, the young have time to start over and find happiness(the sun) again. And the lyrics, "Are you looking for a sign? Or are you caught up in the lie?" suggests that the person is too afraid to leave the life they hate behind without some specific guide to become the person that want to be and the idea of being caught in a lie a suggest the person believes that they cant change(they lie being that they cant change).
    Flag jasonveraSCon December 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I like where some of you went with this song, though I dont think he is contemplating the idea of suicide. I think he is saying that only young people can start over without hurting anyone, the young have time to start over and find happiness(the sun) again. And the lyrics, "Are you looking for a sign? Or are you caught up in the lie?" suggests that the person is too afraid to leave the life they hate behind without some specific guide to become the person that want to be and the idea of being caught in a lie a suggest the person believes that they cant change(they lie being that they cant change).
    Flag jasonveraSCon December 27, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Brandon's dead handsome! He has such a lovely olive skin and dark hair and his eyes make me melt. I adore his smile too. That guy's a killer, my oh my!!!
    Flag amy9on December 04, 2010   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