Gary from Snow Patrol mentioned his child in an interview about this song a long time ago, about how he imagined singing to his future child. (at the time he had neither children nor one on the way, just a desire to have them in the future) He specifically mentioned the first verse as being sung to this future child.
Before I delve deeper, let me say that my broad interpretation of this song is very simple: Love. That pure, unwavering love that does not flinch, does not shy away, is always there through anything and everything, and always strives to shield the object of our affection from the evils of the world. The kind of love that a parent shows their child. But the song can be adapted to express the love in just about any other strong relationship too, including close friends.
Now imagine a man who loves his future child that is not even conceived yet SO MUCH that he writes an entire song for them before they are even a glimmer in his eye. That's the type of love we are talking about; that is why this song speaks so strongly to so many people. That is why this song can be used to express the love felt in so many different relationships. It is also why the Leona Lewis version, while good, falls short of the orginal. Her version is breathy, almost seductive, implying romantic love in my eyes, which is not as easily adaptable to other types of relationships.. at least not like the absolutely pure father/wishchild expression in the Snow Patrol version.
In this song, we have quite simply the greatest lullabye in the history of the world. A lyllabye written for a child that has not even been conceived, and may never be born. A lullabye for the wish of a child, the mere thought.. the hope for a child that may some day exist.. That is why this song strikes so deeply and instantly. It is impossible to stand and face something that pure and not be moved.
Verse 1:
This verse is very straightforward and easy to understand if read in the context of a lullabye. He's singing his daughter's favorite bedtime song one more time but then it's time for bed. (I chose a gender to make the interpretations easier to follow, and I imagined daughter because of all the times he calls them 'dear' in the song.) He also makes sure she knows how much he loves her, telling her that she's the only thing that's right in all he's done. Another possible intepretation of "we really have to go" is that they are going somewhere other than bedtime. Summer camp, college, etc.. any time that she would need that reassurance, including darker times, such as illness or death. But in all cases, it is a lullabye. A reassurance to her that it will be alright.
Verse 2:
It gets a little tricky here. You have to remember he is not really singing to his daughter, but to his HOPE of a daughter. He is singing to his future child who may never be. He can picture her in his mind, can almost touch her, but not quite... he can "Barely look" at her, but every time he sees her in his mind, he knows that they will "make it anywhere away from here".
Now, it is important to note.. he doesn't mean that they won't make it if they stay "here".. they don't have to leave "here" to make it, in fact it's quite the opposite. Think of "here" as wherever they are safe... home.. where they are a family and strong, where nothing can hurt them... now... think of "anywhere away from here" as any time they can't be together in that safe place. Summer Camp, School, college, marriage and the kids move away, war, jail, poverty, illness, death, anything that breaks up that safety. He KNOWS that they will "Make it anywhere away from here".. in other words, they will be alright, no matter what.
Chorus:
"Light Up, light up" means brighten up, don't feel dark or lost. "As if you have a choice" why doesn't she have a choice? The next line tells us.. because "Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear"
Louder, louder (our chorus together, strong as a family)
"And we'll run for our lives" Remember that in the chorus, they aren't physically in the same location.. there is that separation .. she can't hear his voice, but "WE" will run together.. implying again, that he is with her in spirit, even though he isn't there in the flesh for whatever reason. And run for our lives doesn't necessarily mean danger, just that she will escape whatever trouble is after her, and her father has never left her side, and never will)
"I can hardly speak I understand Why you can't raise your voice to say" Is actually not complete in the first chorus. You need the continued chorus later on in the song to interpret this.
Verse 3:
The first two lines of verse 3 have two different meanings. Not two possible interpretations, but two meanings. It means both of thse things in the same two lines of the song. The last two lines are really only relevant to the second meaning.
a) Think of all the songs written for children. They usually are written right after the baby is born, and their parent almost always mentions the eyes of their child. Babies have such wonderfully curious eyes, sparkling and bright, full of promise, love, and hope for a long happy life. Now remember, in this song, he is singing to a child that may never exist. "To think I might not see those eyes Makes it so hard not to cry" He loves this child so much that the thought of never being blessed with her, of never holding her and seeing that wonder in her eyes makes it hard not to cry.
b) And if the child does come into the world, then the thought of being separated from her, being unable to look on her and see her eyes has a very similar effect. As they say their long goodbye before something pulls them apart (man haven't we all been here before) it nearly does make him cry.
Chorus Part 2:
The last two lines of the first half of the chorus actually are the first two lines of the second half of the extended chorus. This part of the chorus is particularly interesting.. he is singing to a future child who may never even be born about how he's already choking up on how fast she's growing.
"I can hardly speak" (because I'm choking on the words)
"I understand why you can't raise your voice to say" (because as a kid you don't want to say it)
Slower, slower (slow down, as in life is coming too fast)
We don't have time for that (life doesn't slow down for anybody, and for kids, seems to take too long anyway)
All I want is to find an easier way (what every parent and child wants, an easier/safer way)
To get out of our little heads (to grow up)
Verse 4:
Again, very straightforward if taken with the rest of the song. Have heart, it's natural to be afraid even if it's just for a few days that our world is interrupted. But we will be ok, we'll get through this mess, together.
Conclusion:
This song is love on tap. The absolute purest expression of love imaginable, and I invite you to top off a nice tall glass and drink it up.
@pfarabee Here I am, commenting on this 11 years later, and I think pfarabee nailed it. I was at a program for parents and high school seniors at a prominent university in Texas and in the auditorium between events was this song playing loudly in the background. It struck me, as a parent preparing to have my child leave for college, very emotionally and I didn't even know the lyrics. But nonetheless I felt overwhelmed emotionally and now I realize why. I think that this song was not chosen by the organizers (probably college students) accidentally....
@pfarabee Here I am, commenting on this 11 years later, and I think pfarabee nailed it. I was at a program for parents and high school seniors at a prominent university in Texas and in the auditorium between events was this song playing loudly in the background. It struck me, as a parent preparing to have my child leave for college, very emotionally and I didn't even know the lyrics. But nonetheless I felt overwhelmed emotionally and now I realize why. I think that this song was not chosen by the organizers (probably college students) accidentally. I think it was chosen for the very meaning described here. Well said @pfarabee!
Gary from Snow Patrol mentioned his child in an interview about this song a long time ago, about how he imagined singing to his future child. (at the time he had neither children nor one on the way, just a desire to have them in the future) He specifically mentioned the first verse as being sung to this future child.
Before I delve deeper, let me say that my broad interpretation of this song is very simple: Love. That pure, unwavering love that does not flinch, does not shy away, is always there through anything and everything, and always strives to shield the object of our affection from the evils of the world. The kind of love that a parent shows their child. But the song can be adapted to express the love in just about any other strong relationship too, including close friends.
Now imagine a man who loves his future child that is not even conceived yet SO MUCH that he writes an entire song for them before they are even a glimmer in his eye. That's the type of love we are talking about; that is why this song speaks so strongly to so many people. That is why this song can be used to express the love felt in so many different relationships. It is also why the Leona Lewis version, while good, falls short of the orginal. Her version is breathy, almost seductive, implying romantic love in my eyes, which is not as easily adaptable to other types of relationships.. at least not like the absolutely pure father/wishchild expression in the Snow Patrol version.
In this song, we have quite simply the greatest lullabye in the history of the world. A lyllabye written for a child that has not even been conceived, and may never be born. A lullabye for the wish of a child, the mere thought.. the hope for a child that may some day exist.. That is why this song strikes so deeply and instantly. It is impossible to stand and face something that pure and not be moved.
Verse 1: This verse is very straightforward and easy to understand if read in the context of a lullabye. He's singing his daughter's favorite bedtime song one more time but then it's time for bed. (I chose a gender to make the interpretations easier to follow, and I imagined daughter because of all the times he calls them 'dear' in the song.) He also makes sure she knows how much he loves her, telling her that she's the only thing that's right in all he's done. Another possible intepretation of "we really have to go" is that they are going somewhere other than bedtime. Summer camp, college, etc.. any time that she would need that reassurance, including darker times, such as illness or death. But in all cases, it is a lullabye. A reassurance to her that it will be alright.
Verse 2: It gets a little tricky here. You have to remember he is not really singing to his daughter, but to his HOPE of a daughter. He is singing to his future child who may never be. He can picture her in his mind, can almost touch her, but not quite... he can "Barely look" at her, but every time he sees her in his mind, he knows that they will "make it anywhere away from here". Now, it is important to note.. he doesn't mean that they won't make it if they stay "here".. they don't have to leave "here" to make it, in fact it's quite the opposite. Think of "here" as wherever they are safe... home.. where they are a family and strong, where nothing can hurt them... now... think of "anywhere away from here" as any time they can't be together in that safe place. Summer Camp, School, college, marriage and the kids move away, war, jail, poverty, illness, death, anything that breaks up that safety. He KNOWS that they will "Make it anywhere away from here".. in other words, they will be alright, no matter what.
Chorus: "Light Up, light up" means brighten up, don't feel dark or lost. "As if you have a choice" why doesn't she have a choice? The next line tells us.. because "Even if you cannot hear my voice I'll be right beside you dear" Louder, louder (our chorus together, strong as a family) "And we'll run for our lives" Remember that in the chorus, they aren't physically in the same location.. there is that separation .. she can't hear his voice, but "WE" will run together.. implying again, that he is with her in spirit, even though he isn't there in the flesh for whatever reason. And run for our lives doesn't necessarily mean danger, just that she will escape whatever trouble is after her, and her father has never left her side, and never will) "I can hardly speak I understand Why you can't raise your voice to say" Is actually not complete in the first chorus. You need the continued chorus later on in the song to interpret this.
Verse 3: The first two lines of verse 3 have two different meanings. Not two possible interpretations, but two meanings. It means both of thse things in the same two lines of the song. The last two lines are really only relevant to the second meaning.
a) Think of all the songs written for children. They usually are written right after the baby is born, and their parent almost always mentions the eyes of their child. Babies have such wonderfully curious eyes, sparkling and bright, full of promise, love, and hope for a long happy life. Now remember, in this song, he is singing to a child that may never exist. "To think I might not see those eyes Makes it so hard not to cry" He loves this child so much that the thought of never being blessed with her, of never holding her and seeing that wonder in her eyes makes it hard not to cry.
b) And if the child does come into the world, then the thought of being separated from her, being unable to look on her and see her eyes has a very similar effect. As they say their long goodbye before something pulls them apart (man haven't we all been here before) it nearly does make him cry.
Chorus Part 2: The last two lines of the first half of the chorus actually are the first two lines of the second half of the extended chorus. This part of the chorus is particularly interesting.. he is singing to a future child who may never even be born about how he's already choking up on how fast she's growing.
"I can hardly speak" (because I'm choking on the words) "I understand why you can't raise your voice to say" (because as a kid you don't want to say it) Slower, slower (slow down, as in life is coming too fast) We don't have time for that (life doesn't slow down for anybody, and for kids, seems to take too long anyway) All I want is to find an easier way (what every parent and child wants, an easier/safer way) To get out of our little heads (to grow up)
Verse 4: Again, very straightforward if taken with the rest of the song. Have heart, it's natural to be afraid even if it's just for a few days that our world is interrupted. But we will be ok, we'll get through this mess, together.
Conclusion: This song is love on tap. The absolute purest expression of love imaginable, and I invite you to top off a nice tall glass and drink it up.
@pfarabee wow.... that was deep.... i liked your thoughts & depth! ♡☮♫
@pfarabee wow.... that was deep.... i liked your thoughts & depth! ♡☮♫
@pfarabee Here I am, commenting on this 11 years later, and I think pfarabee nailed it. I was at a program for parents and high school seniors at a prominent university in Texas and in the auditorium between events was this song playing loudly in the background. It struck me, as a parent preparing to have my child leave for college, very emotionally and I didn't even know the lyrics. But nonetheless I felt overwhelmed emotionally and now I realize why. I think that this song was not chosen by the organizers (probably college students) accidentally....
@pfarabee Here I am, commenting on this 11 years later, and I think pfarabee nailed it. I was at a program for parents and high school seniors at a prominent university in Texas and in the auditorium between events was this song playing loudly in the background. It struck me, as a parent preparing to have my child leave for college, very emotionally and I didn't even know the lyrics. But nonetheless I felt overwhelmed emotionally and now I realize why. I think that this song was not chosen by the organizers (probably college students) accidentally. I think it was chosen for the very meaning described here. Well said @pfarabee!
@pfarabee Wow! Excellent explanation, nicely done! And thank you!
@pfarabee Wow! Excellent explanation, nicely done! And thank you!