Set Fire To The Rain
British Pop All-Stars Lyrics
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House buried to the window sills in snow
In a prison yard at night
An Alsatian barking for the stars to go
In the attic of a house
In the slats of light which creep across the room
In a forest grove at dawn
On the 97th floor overlooking Tokyo
In Camden road in a second floor flat with
Dilworth down below
There is only one thing
There is only one thing
In a cancer ward where the patients sit
Waiting patiently to die
In an airplane high above the place
You finally left behind
In a cage where only one thing could be free
And it's not you and I
In a cage where only one thing could be free
And it's not you and I
In every single place that has ever, ever been
Hiroshima, Los Angeles and each town in between
There is only one thing
There is only one thing
One thing
In the darkest part of you that you have ever seen
In the smile of the child staring at the TV screen
In the diary of a priest, in the sheets that lie upon his bed
Out there amongst the waves and inside your lover's head
There is only one thing
There is only one thing
There is only one thing
There is only one thing
There is only one thing
There is only one thing
There is only one, thing
Twenty years asleep before we sleep, forever
Twenty years asleep before we sleep, forever
Ten years on the coast figuring out, the weather
Another decade getting high until you're free
There's nothing after that but you and I
Nothing after that but you and me
Twenty years asleep before we sleep, forever
Twenty years asleep before we sleep, forever
The lyrics of British Pop All-Stars' "Set Fire To The Rain" are a contemplation on the universality of human experience. The song describes various places, from a village buried in snow to a prison yard at night, highlighting that regardless of where we are, we all share something in common: there is only one thing. This one thing is left undefined, inviting the listener to reflect on what that one thing could be. The song suggests that the answer could be found in the darkest parts of ourselves, in the fleeting moments of joy, in the intimate spaces of our relationships, or even in the inevitability of death.
The chorus repeats the line "Twenty years asleep before we sleep, forever," suggesting that we have a finite amount of time on this earth, and we should make the most of it. The line "Ten years on the coast figuring out the weather" represents the passage of time, and the fact that no matter how much time we have, we will spend some of it searching for our place in the world.
Overall, "Set Fire To The Rain" is a poignant meditation on the shared human experience, encouraging the listener to reflect on what truly matters in life.
Line by Line Meaning
In a village in the hills
Referring to a specific location - a village situated on a hill
House buried to the window sills in snow
The amount of snowfall was so heavy that it had reached the height of the windows of the house
In a prison yard at night
The setting is a prison yard during nighttime
An Alsatian barking for the stars to go
An Alsatian dog is barking in the direction of the stars in the sky
In the attic of a house
The location is the uppermost room of a house
In the slats of light which creep across the room
Beams of light are slowly and slightly spreading across the room through the gaps in the slats of the attic
In a forest grove at dawn
At the time of the sunrise, in the woods
Where the animals sleep hidden in the gloom
The animals are sleeping in the darkness which engulfs the forest grove
On the 97th floor overlooking Tokyo
Looking out from the 97th floor of a building in Tokyo
In Camden road in a second floor flat with Dilworth down below
In a flat situated in the second floor in Camden road, and Dilworth is a known name in the context
There is only one thing
A repeated emphasis on the fact that there is something common in all these varying locations
In a cancer ward where the patients sit
Inside a hospital ward for cancer patients
Waiting patiently to die
The patients are waiting to pass away due to their illness
In an airplane high above the place
On an airplane flying over a certain location
You finally left behind
The place that you left behind
In a cage where only one thing could be free
Inside a cage where there is only one possibility of being free
And it's not you and I
Emphasizing that the individual trapped in the cage is not the same as the artist
In every single place that has ever, ever been
Stating the inclusivity of the song's message, that the 'one thing' exists in every location ever known to humanity
Hiroshima, Los Angeles and each town in between
Providing specific examples of the aforementioned locations
In the darkest part of you that you have ever seen
Referring to someone's darkest thoughts or emotions
In the smile of the child staring at the TV screen
A child's smile as they watch television
In the diary of a priest, in the sheets that lie upon his bed
In the diary of a religious figure and in their bedding
Out there amongst the waves and inside your lover's head
In the ocean waves and in a person's lover's thoughts
Twenty years asleep before we sleep, forever
One sleeps for 20 years before they die
Ten years on the coast figuring out, the weather
Ten years spent living on the coastline, trying to understand the weather patterns
Another decade getting high until you're free
10 years spend indulging in substances until one is unburdened
There's nothing after that but you and I
After these experiences, only the singer and the person being addressed will be left
Twenty years asleep before we sleep, forever
Reiterating the notion of a long, peaceful nap prior to death
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Amy E Millan, Torquil John Campbell, Christopher Allen Seligman, Evan Whitney Cranley, Patrick McGee
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind