Barns Courtney (born Barnaby George Courtney on 17 November 1990 in
Ayle… Read Full Bio ↴Barns Courtney (born Barnaby George Courtney on 17 November 1990 in
Aylesbury, England) is an English singer, songwriter and musician.

Courtney spent a large part of his childhood in Seattle,USA, before returning to home country UK as a 15-year-old. This change of scenery comes across as clearly in his eclectic mix of US blues-rock, hip-hop and grunge with British indie melodic sensibilities, as it does in his hybrid US-British twang.

Playing in various projects and bands growing up whilst developing his sound, Barns incarnation as a solo artist has been an unexpectedly fast paced one. At the end of 2015, his first track ‘Glitter & Gold’, with its rocking gospel-blues and Barns’ honey & sand delivery, soared to #1 on the UK Spotify Viral Chart, #2 on the iTunes Alternative Chart, was added to the BBC Introducing Playlist, clocked hundred of thousands of plays on YouTube, and was featured on the ITV Winter 2015 drama reel, all in the span of two months.

‘Goodbye John Smith’, a poignant piano ballad that channels ageless song-and-voice men such as Johnny Cash and Tom Waits, hit the radars of tastemakers online and further spread the word about Barns, earning him a spot as one of Channel 4’s Future Sounds artists that year.

Barns Courtney released his debut EP, ‘Hands’, a four-track collection, in 2016 on Virgin EMI.

Hellfire
Barns Courtney Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Cold as a valley
Where I lay my head
Cold as a woman
In another man's bed
Down in the forest
With the devil in me
I'll remember the looks on their faces
Through the sycamore trees

Ain't no chariots of fire
Come to take me home
I'm lost in the woods
And I wander on

Hellfire, hellfire
Take my soul
I've waited, waited
And I'm ready to go
(Yeah)
Mothers, children
Lock your doors
I'm waiting
And I'm ready to go
(Yeah)

Run in an alleyway
Through a dead end street
Murdering promises
That I just can't keep
We could sing pretty melodies
On the unmade bed
Slow-dancing to a silhouette
'Cause I ain't dead yet

Ain't no chariots of fire
Come to take me home
I'm lost in the woods
And I wander on

Hellfire, hellfire
Take my soul
I've waited, waited
And I'm ready to go
(Yeah)
Mothers, children
Lock your doors
I'm waiting
And I'm ready to go

Hellfire, hellfire
Take my soul
I've waited, waited
And I'm ready to go
(Yeah)
Mothers, children
Lock your doors
I'm waiting

And I'm ready to go
(Yeah)

Overall Meaning

Barns Courtney’s song “Hellfire” talks about the feeling of being lost and alone. The first verse describes the feeling of being in a cold lonely place, “Cold as a valley where I lay my head, Cold as a woman in another man's bed”. The second verse talks about running away from responsibility and not keeping promises, “Run in an alleyway through a dead-end street, Murdering promises that I just can’t keep”. The chorus is about being ready to go, taking his soul and being lost in the woods, “Hellfire, hellfire take my soul, I’ve waited, waited and I’m ready to go”.

The song indicates that the singer feels trapped in his own mind, emotions and surroundings, with no way out. He sings of memories that he cannot escape, as the trees seem to plot against him. He knows that his past is catching up with him, but he's unable to escape. He is asking for salvation, but it's not coming anytime soon. It's a powerful song that effectively conveys feelings of despair and hopelessness.

Line by Line Meaning

Cold as a valley
I am numb and emotionless, a barren wasteland of feelings

Where I lay my head
This is where I rest, but there is no comfort or solace to be found

Cold as a woman
Like a scorned lover or cheated partner, my coldness is palpable

In another man's bed
My heartache is amplified by the knowledge of someone else being with the one I love

Down in the forest
In the depths of my despair, the weight of every mistake presses in on me

With the devil in me
My darkness and sin are inextricably intertwined

I'll remember the looks on their faces
The scars of my pain will forever be etched in my mind

Through the sycamore trees
Even in the midst of my turmoil, the beauty of nature is not lost on me

Ain't no chariots of fire
I am not saved by any divine intervention or act of mercy

Come to take me home
Redemption is not on the horizon, I am left to my own devices

I'm lost in the woods
My path is unclear, and I am directionless

And I wander on
Despite my confusion, I continue to persevere

Hellfire, hellfire
The flames of my torment and anguish are all-consuming

Take my soul
If there is no hope of redemption, then let me be consumed by the fire

I've waited, waited
I have endured, persevered, and hoped for salvation, but it has not come

Mothers, children
The innocent and vulnerable must be warned of my malevolence

Lock your doors
Protect yourselves, I am a danger to others and myself

I'm waiting
My fate is sealed, and I am ready to face the consequences of my actions

Run in an alleyway
My desperation has pushed me to the fringes of society

Through a dead end street
There is no way out, no escape from my personal hell

Murdering promises
I have broken commitments, betrayed loved ones, and destroyed trust

That I just can't keep
My self-destructive tendencies have left me unable to follow through on my word

We could sing pretty melodies
Even in the midst of the chaos, there is a glimmer of beauty and hope

On the unmade bed
The remnants of my past failures and mistakes are still present, casting a shadow on the moment

Slow-dancing to a silhouette
In the midst of tragedy, there can still be moments of tenderness and intimacy

'Cause I ain't dead yet
Despite everything, I am still alive and fighting, refusing to give up on myself

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Sam Bartle, Barnaby Courtney

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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