Angels of the Silences
Adam Duritz Lyrics
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Did it make it any easier to leave me where I stand?
I guess there might not be too many who would stand beside you now
Where'd you come from? Where am I going?
Why'd you leave me till I'm only good for...
Waiting for you
All my sins, I said that I would pay for them if I could
All my innocence is wasted on the dead and dreaming
Every night these silhouettes appear above my head
Little angels of the silences that climb into my bed and whisper
Every time I fall asleep, every time I dream
"Did you come? Would you lie?
Why'd you leave us till we're only good for...
Waiting for you"
All my sins, I said that I would pay for them if I could
Come back to you
All my innocence is wasted on the dead and dreaming
I dream of Michelangelo when I'm lying in my bed
Little angels hang above my head and read me like an open book
And suck my blood, break my nerve, offer me their arms
Well, I will not be an enemy of anything
I'll only stand here
Waiting for you
All my sins, I said that I would pay for them if I could
Come back to you
All my innocence is wasted on the dead and dreaming
I'm gone, I'm gone
I'll leave today, I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone
Take me away, I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone
I'll leave today
I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone
I'm gone
The lyrics of Adam Duritz's song Angels of the Silences are a reflection on lost love and the longing that comes with it. The singer is left holding feathers in his hand, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for the memories of his past relationship. However, this doesn't make it any easier for him to be left behind. He wonders where his former love came from and where he is headed without her. He questions why she left him until he is "only good for waiting" for her.
The second verse of the song introduces the idea of little angels of the silences that appear above his head every night. These angels climb into his bed and whisper to him as he falls asleep. They ask if his love has come back to him and if he will lie to her. Duritz's protagonist is haunted by his lost love and his guilt over his sins. He would do anything to be able to pay for them and have his love come back to him. The singer's dreams are also haunted by these little angels, who read him like an open book, suck his blood, and offer him their arms.
In the end, the singer recognizes that he is powerless over his lost love and the angels of the silences that haunt him. He is gone, and he knows that he will only stand there, waiting for his love to come back to him. The song is a poignant expression of love, loss, and the hope that we can't help but hold onto.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I guess you left me with some feathers in my hand
It seems like you left a small part of yourself with me before you left
Did it make it any easier to leave me where I stand?
I wonder if leaving me with just a small piece of you made it easier to go
I guess there might not be too many who would stand beside you now
I assume there aren't many people who would support you as you are now
Where'd you come from? Where am I going?
I'm not sure where you came from, but I'm feeling lost and not sure where I'm headed
Why'd you leave me till I'm only good for...
Waiting for you
It seems like you left me with nothing else to do but wait for you
All my sins, I said that I would pay for them if I could
Come back to you
All my innocence is wasted on the dead and dreaming
I would do anything to make up for my mistakes and be with you again, but everyone I've given my love to since then has been empty and lifeless
Every night these silhouettes appear above my head
Little angels of the silences that climb into my bed and whisper
Every time I fall asleep, every time I dream
"Did you come? Would you lie?
Why'd you leave us till we're only good for...
Waiting for you"
I keep seeing dreamlike images of you, and they whisper to me every time I drift off to sleep, asking if you're coming back and why you left us to just wait for you
I dream of Michelangelo when I'm lying in my bed
Little angels hang above my head and read me like an open book
And suck my blood, break my nerve, offer me their arms
Well, I will not be an enemy of anything
I'll only stand here
I often think of Michelangelo when I'm feeling low, and it's as if these angelic figures are reading and draining me of life, but I won't hold a grudge against anyone - I'll just stay here waiting for you
I'm gone, I'm gone
I'll leave today, I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone
Take me away, I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone
I'll leave today
I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone
I'm gone
I've decided to leave and disappear completely
Contributed by Cameron G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@TheElectricCentaur
Well, I guess you left me with some feathers in my hand
Did it make it any easier to leave me where I stand?
I guess there might not be too many
Who would stand beside you now
Where'd you come from? Where am I going?
Why'd you leave me 'til I'm only good for?
Waiting for you, all my sins
I said that I would pay for them
If I could come back to you
All my innocence is wasted on
The dead and dreaming
Every night, these silhouettes appear above my head
Little angels of the silences that climb into my bed and whisper
Every time I fall asleep, every time I dream
Did you come? Would you lie?
Why'd you leave us 'til we're only good for?
Waiting for you, all my sins
I said that I would pay for them
If I could come back to you
All my innocence is wasted on
The dead and dreaming
I dream of Michelangelo when I'm lying in my bed
Little angels hang above my head and read me like an open book
And suck my blood, break my nerve, offer me their arms
Well, I will not be an enemy of anything
I'll only stand here
Waiting for you, all my sins
I said that I would pay for them
If I could come back to you
All my innocence is wasted on
The dead and dreaming
I'm gone, I'm gone, I believe today I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone, take me away, I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone, gotta leave today
I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone
I'm gone
@erickleach7298
Well I guess you left me with some feathers in my hand,
Did it make it any easier to leave me where I stand?
I guess there might not be too many,
Who would stand beside you now,
Where'd you come from? Where am I going?
Why'd you leave me 'til I'm only good for.
Waiting for you, all my sins,
I said that I would pay for them,
If I could come back to you,
All my innocence is wasted on,
The dead and dreaming.
Every night these silhouettes appear above my head,
Little angels of the silences that climb into my bed and whisper,
Every time I fall asleep, every time I dream,
Did you come? Would you lie?
Why'd you leave us 'til we're only good for.
Waiting for you, all my sins,
I said that I would pay for them,
If I could come back to you,
All my innocence is wasted on,
The dead and dreaming.
I dream of Michelangelo when I'm lying in my bed,
Little angels hang above my head and read me like an open book,
And suck my blood, break my nerve, offer me their arms,
Well I will not be an enemy of anything,
I'll only stand here.
Waiting for you, all my sins,
I said that I would pay for them,
If I could come back to you,
All my innocence is wasted on,
The dead and dreaming.
I'm gone, I'm gone, I believe today I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone, take me away, I'm gone
I'm gone, I'm gone, gotta leave today
I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone
I'm gone
@SuperDuperFugwatz
This entire album is an absolute masterpiece.
@The2ndFirst
Agree. It was my life when I was in GE when I was in the Army.
@base06
I don’t normally wax nostalgic on the internet for strangers, but everyone ever has songs that they hear that gives them goosebumps immediately, no matter how frequently or under what conditions they hear it. This is one for me.
@nightkatlxx2748
I love the urgency in this song, such a great tune. Makes me miss the 90's
@The2ndFirst
The 80s were great. The 90s weren't bad. I'd love to have them both back.
@bjy2101
An under appreciated gem from a band at the height of their powers.
@ericlowman8103
This is by far the most rockin' Counting Crows song.
@rodrigodiasdafonseca
Or Have you seen me lately
@jaymueller2418
It’s such a good song. And the slowed down version was amazing on Across a Wire.
@dorothymckenzie9794
Agreed...