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At the Barricades
The Provenance Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

So it's a fact now
What should have been flooded
The best years of my life down the drain
So I'm on the bed
I hate the heart for pumping
Things will never be the same

Wish I was dead and no one cared
Wish I was dead and that I cared




Off to fight despair
Truthfully I really should have been aware
I clench my fist
So I bite down hard, I won't go out like this
Yes, you'll find me there at the barricades

I'll see you at the barricades
Meet you there at the barricades

So I'm at the front
I hate my heart for pumping
Things will always be the same
It always ends like this
Always has and always will
You're all the same

Wish I was dead and no one cared
Wish I was dead and that I cared
Wish you were dead and no one cared
Wish you were dead and that I cared

I'll see you at the barricades
Meet you there at the barricades

Overall Meaning

The song "At the Barricades" by The Provenance is a bleak and introspective look at the singer's feelings of hopelessness and desperation. The first verse speaks to the feeling that the best years of the singer's life have been wasted or lost, as if they had been washed down the drain. The singer then expresses a wish for death, both for himself and for others.


The second verse finds the singer resolved to fight despair, though he acknowledges that he should have seen it coming. He clenches his fist and refuses to go out without a fight. But ultimately, the song seems to suggest that the battle is futile and that things will never truly change. The singer is resigned to his fate and accepts that he will remain at the barricades, fighting a losing battle.


The repeated line "I hate my heart for pumping" suggests a deep self-loathing and an inability to escape the feelings of despair that plague the singer. The final lines "I'll see you at the barricades/Meet you there at the barricades" suggest that this sense of hopelessness is shared by many others and that they will continue to fight together, even when there seems to be no hope.


Overall, "At the Barricades" is a powerful meditation on feelings of hopelessness, despair, and the struggle to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless world.


Line by Line Meaning

So it's a fact now
I have come to accept the truth


What should have been flooded
What was supposed to be overwhelming


The best years of my life down the drain
My prime years are wasted and gone


So I'm on the bed
I am lying down in despair


I hate the heart for pumping
I cannot stand my own heartbeat


Things will never be the same
My life will never be as it was


Wish I was dead and no one cared
I desire death without anyone mourning me


Wish I was dead and that I cared
I want to care about my own life but death still seems appealing


Off to fight despair
I am determined to battle hopelessness


Truthfully I really should have been aware
I ought to have known better


I clench my fist
I grip my hand tightly in anger


So I bite down hard, I won't go out like this
I endure the pain to prevent myself from giving up


Yes, you'll find me there at the barricades
I will be present when the conflict arises


So I'm at the front
I am positioned at the forefront


It always ends like this
This event always concludes in the same manner


Always has and always will
This is how it has been and will continue to be


You're all the same
Everyone is indistinguishable from one another


Wish you were dead and no one cared
I wish for your death without anyone lamenting your loss


Wish you were dead and that I cared
I wish to have the capacity to care about you but still yearn for your demise


I'll see you at the barricades
I will encounter you in the midst of the conflict


Meet you there at the barricades
I will join you in the confrontation




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EMMA JOANNA HELLSTROM, JOAKIM ALEXANDER ROSEN, JOEL LINDELL, JONNIE TALL, TOBIAS MARTINSSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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