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Love Will Save You
Swans Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Love will save you when the ocean splits itself in two
Love will save you when the cold wind blows right through you
Love will save you when the poison eats the precious air
And love will save you from the snake that crawls around down there
But it won't save me

Love will save you from the evil and the greed of ignorant men
And love will save you from the guilt you feel when you
betray your only friend
Love will save you from yourself when you lose control
And love will save you from all the lies your lover ever told you
But it won't save me

Love will save you from the truth when you think you're free
Love will save you from the cold light of boring reality
Love will save you from the corruption of your lazy-minded soul
And love will save you from your selfish and distorted goals
But it won't save me

Love will save you from the black night and the lightning and the ghost
Love will save you from your misery, then tie you to the bloody post
Love will save you from the hands that pull you down beneath the sea
Love may save all you people, but it will never, never save me
No it won't save me

Overall Meaning

The song "Love Will Save You" by Swans is a complex and introspective look at the power of love in different situations. The opening lines suggest that love has the potential to save someone even in the most extreme circumstances, such as when the ocean splits in two or when poison contaminates the air. However, the repeated refrain of "But it won't save me" suggests that the singer feels excluded from this potential salvation - that love may have power for others, but not for them.


The subsequent verses explore various scenarios where love has the potential to save. This includes love saving someone from the evils and greed of ignorant people and from the guilt of betraying a friend. Love also has the power to save individuals from themselves when they lose control, from the lies their lover may tell, and from the corruption of their soul. However, again, the singer repeats the refrain, suggesting that love won't save them from any of these things.


Line by Line Meaning

Love will save you when the ocean splits itself in two
Love is powerful enough to save you from even the most catastrophic of events, such as an ocean splitting in two


Love will save you when the cold wind blows right through you
Love can provide warmth and protection even during the coldest of times and the most harsh of winds


Love will save you when the poison eats the precious air
Love has the ability to counteract the deadliest of poisons and pollutants that threaten to harm the air we breathe and life as we know it


And love will save you from the snake that crawls around down there
Love can save you from the hidden dangers lurking underfoot and the serpents that seek to bite and inject their venom into unsuspecting victims


But it won't save me
Despite love's ability to protect and save others, the artist believes that they themselves are beyond redemption and cannot be saved by love


Love will save you from the evil and the greed of ignorant men
Love can shield you from the destructive forces of ignorance, greed, and malice that are perpetuated by wicked individuals


And love will save you from the guilt you feel when you betray your only friend
Love can alleviate the guilt and remorse one may feel after committing a betrayal against a close and trusted companion


Love will save you from yourself when you lose control
Love has the capability to rescue you from yourself when you feel helpless or powerless against your own actions and impulses


And love will save you from all the lies your lover ever told you
Love can free you from the lies and deceit of a former lover, offering relief and peace of mind


Love will save you from the truth when you think you're free
Love can provide an escape from the harshness and pain of reality, allowing you to continue feeling as though you are free and unburdened


Love will save you from the cold light of boring reality
Love can protect you from the bleakness and monotony of everyday life and the harsh reality that surrounds us


Love will save you from the corruption of your lazy-minded soul
Love can rescue you from the erosion and decay of your own spirit and the idleness and apathy that threaten to consume it


And love will save you from your selfish and distorted goals
Love can spare you from the negative consequences of pursuing narrow and misguided ambitions that only serve yourself at others' expense


Love will save you from the black night and the lightning and the ghost
Love can shield you from the eerie and harrowing darkness of night, the sudden and jarring flashes of lightning, and the phantoms that haunt you


Love will save you from your misery, then tie you to the bloody post
Love can rescue you from suffering, but may still bring pain and suffering in other forms that cannot be avoided


Love will save you from the hands that pull you down beneath the sea
Love can keep you from drowning and succumbing to the depths of despair when life's struggles threaten to overwhelm you


Love may save all you people, but it will never, never save me
The artist reiterates that despite love's potential to save others, they believe themselves to be beyond saving and beyond love's power




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MICHAEL ROLFE GIRA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

006Morrigan

Love will save you when the ocean splits itself in two
Love will save you when the cold wind blows right through you
Love will save you when the poison eats the precious air
And love will save you from the snake that crawls around down there
But it won't save me

Love will save you from the evil and the greed of ignorant men
And love will save you from the guilt you feel when you
betray your only friend
Love will save you from yourself when you lose control
And love will save you from all the lies your lover ever told you
But it won't save me

Love will save you from the truth when you think you're free
Love will save you from the cold light of boring reality
Love will save you from the corruption of your lazy-minded soul
And love will save you from your selfish and distorted goals
But it won't save me

Love will save you from the black night and the lightning and the ghost
Love will save you from your misery, then tie you to the bloody post
Love will save you from the hands that pull you down beneath the sea
Love may save all you people, but it will never, never save me



Whyt3wyrm

[Verse 1]
Love will save you
When the ocean splits itself in two
Love will save you
When the cold wind blows right through you
Love will save you
When the poison eats the precious air
And love will save you
From the snake that crawls around down there

[Refrain]
But it won't save me

[Verse 2]
Love will save you
From the evil and the greed of ignorant men
And love will save you
From the guilt you feel when you betray your only friend
Love will save you
From yourself when you lose control
And love will save you
From all the lies your lover told you

[Refrain]
But it won't save me

[Verse 3]
Love will save you
From the truth when you think you're free
Love will save you
From the cold light of boring reality
Love will save you
From the corruption of your lazy-minded soul
And love will save you
From your selfish and distorted goals

[Refrain]
But it won't save...

[Verse 4]
Love will save you
From the black night and the lightning and the ghost
Love will save you
From your misery, then tie you to the bloody post
Love will save you
From the hands that pull you down beneath the sea
And love may save all you people
But it will never, never save me

[Refrain]
No, it won't save
Me



All comments from YouTube:

Cedric Sankara

I’m a black man who mostly grew up listening to hip-hop and R&B. I ran into the Swans by sheer coincidence and this song in particular. When that outro hits, i feel mostly sad for the people in my circle of friends who’ll never get to experience this beautiful work of art simply because they won’t even give it a chance. It’s so beautiful

Mother Fucker

But it's nice to hear that at least you gave Swans a chance !

steve patton

that was really cool dude. ive been listening to them since about 2001. stealing music and stuff. heard of them because of tool.

Douglas Von

Right on~! "Blind" is also a masterpiece that hits me in the gut ever time...

Josiah Montilla

Thats awesome! Just enjoy it yourself fuck everyone else

rsd rsd

👍 i had a friend (*hope = still alive maybe now potugal whatever .... But yeahhhhhhhhhh! he was exxxxxxxact like you !!!!!!!!!!!!! almost i think ??¿¿ he?=yuuu ...nahhhh &*^no his name=ties! most wonderfull man,s on earth...s ,cheers man WHO-ever yu are 🤍

39 More Replies...

Schuyler Haussmann

only swans can make a song that is very depressing and uplifting at the same time

Moatasem Kassab

The swan's music sort of a rockish, melancholized, bittersweet, with a bitter mix of heavy metal, and also pixies... idk how to explain it, their music is fucking transcendent and depressing simultaneously....

Schuyler Haussmann

@Moatasem Kassab exactly

Literally Me

I missed the part when it's uplifting

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