Killing Floor
Emma Ruth Rundle feat. Thou Lyrics


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I saw the light fall
From your eyes and
Heard the last, the last call
From all your voices
A heart so hollow can still rise
Can rise up from your sin
Skin like tallow
Is turning

I feel like we have
Revived you once before
I ask that you make room
On the killing floor

Felt the last strike
From your hands and
Fists can open to make new
Your resting ends

For life so thoughtless
For dreams no one believed
The helm of sorrow
Is finally sinking

I'm sure that if we
Dragged you back to shore
You'd lay yourself down again
On some killing floor

Move your body from this place
Move your body to heaven
I can taste Elysium

Move your body from this place
Move your body to heaven
I can taste Elysium

Move your body from this place
Move your body to heaven
I can taste Elysium
I can taste Elysium

Move your body from this place
Move your body to heaven
I can taste Elysium

Move your body from this place
Move your body to heaven
I can taste Elysium

A heart so hollow
Rise up from your sin
Skin like tallow
A life so thoughtless
A dream no one believed




The helm of sorrow
Softly sinking

Overall Meaning

The song "Killing Floor" by Emma Ruth Rundle feat. Thou seems to be a plea to someone who is struggling with life and its challenges, possibly someone who is on the brink of self-destruction. The opening lines suggest that the person's spirit is broken, and their eyes and voices can no longer express hope or joy. However, the singer of the song (presumably Emma Ruth Rundle) is convinced that this person's heart, although hollow, can still rise up and be redeemed. The skin, which is a metaphor for the person's outer appearance, is turning and decaying, suggesting that their inner turmoil is manifesting itself physically.


The next lines suggest that this is not the first time that the singer has tried to help this person. She feels like she has "revived" them once before, and she is asking them to make room on the "killing floor". The term "killing floor" is a reference to the slaughterhouse where animals are killed, but it also has a metaphorical meaning. The killing floor represents the point of no-return, where a person's life is irreparably damaged or lost due to their actions or circumstances. The singer is asking the person to make room for themselves on the killing floor, implying that they should take action before it's too late.


Line by Line Meaning

I saw the light fall
I witnessed the brightness fade away


From your eyes and
From your eyes, the light diminished


Heard the last, the last call
I heard the final appeal


From all your voices
From all your vocal sounds


A heart so hollow can still rise
A soul so empty can still be reborn


Can rise up from your sin
Can be restored from your wrongdoing


Skin like tallow
Pale, fatty flesh


Is turning
Is changing


I feel like we have
I sense that we already


Revived you once before
Saved you from death in the past


I ask that you make room
I request that you make way


On the killing floor
In the place of death


Felt the last strike
Sensed the final blow


From your hands and
From your hands, the last hit


Fists can open to make new
Hands can unclench to create fresh starts


Your resting ends
Your peaceful rest is over


For life so thoughtless
For a life without purpose


For dreams no one believed
For aspirations that nobody trusted


The helm of sorrow
The steering wheel of pain


Is finally sinking
Is finally going down


I'm sure that if we
I'm confident that, if we


Dragged you back to shore
Rescued you from the edge


You'd lay yourself down again
You would sacrifice yourself again


On some killing floor
In some deadly place


Move your body from this place
Leave this location with your body


Move your body to heaven
Bring your body to paradise


I can taste Elysium
I can sense a divine paradise


Move your body from this place
Exit this spot with your body


I can taste Elysium
I can perceive a heavenly afterlife


A heart so hollow
A soul so empty


Rise up from your sin
Resurrect from your wrongdoing


Skin like tallow
Pale, fatty flesh


A life so thoughtless
A purposeless existence


A dream no one believed
An aspiration that no one trusted


The helm of sorrow
The steering wheel of pain


Softly sinking
Gradually descending


Move your body to heaven
Transport your body to paradise


I can taste Elysium
I can perceive a divine afterlife




Contributed by Jordyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@RP-uq3fm

At the heart of depression and anxiety is abuse and intergenerational trauma, which is why I think she also speaks in the end to overcoming:

"You see them?
All those who have fallen
Stacked up like stones in a pile

You see them?
A tower of failures
Get them out of my way"

As someone who has been doing trauma therapy for months now, that's how I read this song. Then I queue up the live version of "No Dog" by Esben and the Witch.



@yacid4392

✍Circle down to the mouth of the valley
Kneel now down at the face, at the gate
As every footfall crumbles so fast beneath me
Under the weight of this eternal shame

And to you who've given up in the valley
And to you who've given all to its wake
Just another endless night falls around thee
Just another grey landscape to face

I want to step into the armor of another, stronger
I want to look once through the eyes of someone good
So I can gather up the names of our mothers
And wash away the shame and lift them to sainthood

But if you have given up in the valley
And if you have given all to its wake
It's just another endless night fall around me
Just another fucked up thing I can't save

But always run forever miles, does it end?
Then another wall rises in the distance
Their horizon parts for none, where mothers failed
To carry all their weight, I will be brave
Yes, I will be brave

You feel them?
Those who have fallen
Stacked up like stones in a pile
I feel them
A tower of failures
So twisted and vile
You see them there?
Ancient and seething
Get them out of my way
You see them?
Those who have fallen
Get 'em out of my way

You see 'em?
Those who have fallen
Stacked up like stones in a pile
You see them?
A tower of failures
Get 'em out of my way
You see them?
Ancient and seething
Twisted and vile
You see them?
Those who have fallen
Get them out of my way
You see 'em there?
A tower of failures
Get 'em out of my way



All comments from YouTube:

@magusmaximmus2172

Who else has this gem on repeat? I swear I've heard this song like 30 times already. It's sooooo damn good.

@tsfreh

same, friend

@clinthill2853

I seriously can't stop listening to this.

@amandarowe2928

I've been listening for a whole week now. Can't wait for the album.

@DrewFrench

I hope they do a whole album together

@clinthill2853

@Drew French
They did.

19 More Replies...

@user-ii7hh8py4r

This song just confirms how depression and anxiety can be so perpetually crippling. And for some of us this internal turbulence becomes an entity in itself and you can't seem to rid it no matter how hard you try. So we befriend it. Embracing the darkness rather than running and hiding. There's no escaping this benign masochism. Emma said it best "Circle down to the mouth of the valley. Kneel now down at the face, at the gate. As every footfall crumbles so fast beneath me. Under the weight of this Eternal Shame. And to you who've given up in the Valley. And to you who've given all to its wake. Just another endless night falls around thee. Just another grey landscape to face. I want to step into the armor of another, stronger. I want to look once through the eyes of someone good.
So I can gather up the names of our mothers.
And wash away the shame and lift them to sainthood. But if you have given up in the valley. And if you have given all to its wake.
Just another endless nightfall around me.
Just another fucked up thing I can't save..."

@RP-uq3fm

At the heart of depression and anxiety is abuse and intergenerational trauma, which is why I think she also speaks in the end to overcoming:

"You see them?
All those who have fallen
Stacked up like stones in a pile

You see them?
A tower of failures
Get them out of my way"

As someone who has been doing trauma therapy for months now, that's how I read this song. Then I queue up the live version of "No Dog" by Esben and the Witch.

@beneaththesound

Perfect summation

@LuizMGRamos

You can't go wrong with Emma Ruth Rundle.

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