In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Well your eyes just haven't been the same, Joseph
Are you bad at dealing with the fame, Joseph
There's a pale moonshine, above you
Do you see both sides, do they shove you, around
Is the touchstone forcing you to hide, Joseph
Are the rumors eating you alive, Joseph
When the holy night is upon you
Will you do what's right, the position is yours
From the temple walls to the New York night
Our decisions rest on a child
When she took her stand
Did she hold your hand
Will your faith stand still or run away
Run away
When they've driven you so far
That you think you're gonna drop
Do you wish you were back there at the carpenter shop
With the plane and the lathe
The work never drove you mad
You're a maker, a creator
Not just somebody's dad
From the temple walls to the New York night
Our decisions rest on a man
When I take the stand
When I take the stand
Will he hold my hand
Will my faith stand still or run away
(Run away)
And the desert
It's a hell of a place to find heaven
Forty years lost in the wilderness looking for God
And you climb to the top of the mountain
Looking down on the city
Where you were born
(On the years since you left gave you time to sit back and reflect)
Better you than me (better you than me)
Better you than me
Yes
Well the Holy night is upon you (better you than me, better you than me)
Do you see both sides, do they shove you, around
Better you than me, Joseph (better you than me)
Better you than me
Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, Joseph
Than me
Better you than me
Better you than me (better you, better you, better you)
Than me
Well your eyes just haven?t been the same, Joseph
Are you bad at dealing with the fame, Joseph
There's a pale moonshine, above you
Do you see both sides, do they shove you, around
Is the touchstone forcing you to hide, Joseph
Are the rumors eating you alive, Joseph
When the holy night is upon you
Will you do what's right, the position is yours
From the temple walls to the New York night
Our decisions rest on a child
When she took her stand
Did she hold your hand
Will your faith stand still or run away
Run away
When they've driven you so far
That you think you're gonna drop
Do you wish you were back there at the carpenter shop
With the plane and the lathe
The work never drove you mad
You're a maker, a creator
Not just somebody's dad
From the temple walls to the New York night
Our decisions rest on a man
When I take the stand
When I take the stand
Will he hold my hand
Will my faith stand still or run away
(Run away)
And the desert
It's a hell of a place to find heaven
Forty years lost in the wilderness looking for God
And you climb to the top of the mountain
Looking down on the city
Where you were born
(On the years since you left gave you time to sit back and reflect)
Better you than me (better you than me)
Better you than me
Yes
Well the Holy night is upon you (better you than me, better you than me)
Do you see both sides, do they shove you, around
Better you than me, Joseph (better you than me)
Better you than me
Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, Joseph
Than me
Better you than me
Better you than me (better you, better you, better you)
Than me
Well your eyes just haven?t been the same, Joseph
Lyrics submitted by ShotgunXXWedding, edited by unillama
Joseph, Better You Than Me Lyrics as written by Elton John Neil Tennant
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
This song sounds like it's about the decision of Joseph to keep the pregnant Mary in the Nativity Story. Mary was pregnant with Jesus at the time, conceived by the Holy Spirit. This could certainly be seen by her contemporaries as some lame excuse, and Joseph had to make a decision to leave her or keep her. According to ancient Jewish customs, he was supposed to leave her, and he was going to (albeit in secret to keep her honor) but was visited by an Angel in a dream telling him to keep her and to name the baby Jesus. I would have to look closer but this song seems like it references this decision, and concludes "better you than me" to make the decision, as in Brandon Flowers admits he wouldn't want to have had to made such a difficult decision. Oh, and Elton John too. Heh.
No one has commented yet??
Not sure about this one, think its growing on me though.....
Brandon Flowers is mormon, and this song is obviously about Joseph Smith...<br /> "are the rumors eating you alive," Joseph Smith was hated by a lot of people, and there were a lot of rumors about him...<br /> "from the temple walls to the new york night," they built a lot of temples when he was alive, and he was born and lived most of his life in New York...<br /> "And the desert It's a hell of a place to find heaven Forty years lost in the wilderness looking for God" (i know it sounds a lot like Moses but listen to this) Salt Lake City was the desert and that was supposed to be Zion, it also took them 40 years to build the Salt Lake City temple...<br /> <br /> <br /> it also says about a carpenter, so that's obviously Joseph from the old testiment... i think he's kind of talking about both
Needs a little less Elton John and a bit more Killers me thinks!
^yep lol i totally agree. elton john is....well elton john. and the killers are rock geniuses!
Ya, this one's about Joseph from the bible. "Bad at dealin with the fame" = all the people around bringing gifts to baby jesus and other things. he's not used to all these people around him like a celebrity almost.
"Are the rumors eatin you alive" = he didnt conseive the baby so people are bound to talk....
"When she took her stand did she hold your hand Will your faith stand still or run away" = Will you stay with Mary, or leave her?
"And the desert It's a hell of a place to find heaven Forty years lost in the wilderness looking for God" = This is referring to Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt. Not sure how this fits in with Joseph, considering he would have been born yet...
"Better you than me Joseph" = This is obviously a hard situation to be in so the singers are saying they couldnt handle this much responsibility, and 'good for you Joseph' kind of thing
Great song....at least thats how i take this song.
I think the line "Bad at dealin with the fame" could also be referring to how his whole community would be talking about Mary and her pre-marital pregnancy, as well as his role in it. He has a tough decision to make at it is, and all of the rumors and staring eyes wouldn't help.
Read my review on this song and let me know your thoughts..
beta.www.associatedcontent.com/article/1297166/joseph_better_you_than_me_by_the_killers.html
lol u were a bit mean to elton :p
idk, this at certain points i am willing to bet isnt brandon... is someone else singing with him?
AHAHA scratch that last comment...
40 years in the desert is about the isrealites going across the desert it fits because it's comparing his and the isrealites expirences and saying God taught them both stuff (least I take it in that way)......and also maybe more theologically they they meant it. The isrealights were gods chosen people and were carrying forth his plan by crossing the desert to reach the promised land, J+M were crossing the desert for Jesus to be born in beth (and fufill the prophets) so they were also carrying forth God's plan
i thought moses was involved with the crossing of irsaletes? who's joseph? it doesn't fit with the joseph sold in egypt? I don't get the song.
@charliepop500 what is an irsalete?