Church Bells
Escapists Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Can't you hear the church bells,
Coming through the windows?
Have they got to be so loud?
Nothing to shout about.

Can't you hear the church bell,
Like a choir of engines,
Rattling the frames,

Getting inside my brain.

It'll be alright,
Wish I could sleep tonight.
It'll be alright,
Wish it was a quiet night.

Can't you hear the last train,
Rattling the tracks again,
Going out of town,
Carrying the people out.

Can't you hear the last train?
Deep inside my brain,
Wanna be on board,
Take me to nicer shores.

It'll be alright,
Wish I could sleep tonight.
It'll be alright,
Wish it was a quiet night.
It'll be alright,
Just wish that I could sleep tonight.

It'll be alright,
Just wish that it was a quiet night.

Overall Meaning

The song "Church Bells" by Escapists is about the singer's struggle with the noise pollution that surrounds them. In the first verse, the sound of church bells is so loud that it is coming through the windows and is giving the singer a headache. They comment that there is "nothing to shout about" in regards to the church bells, perhaps highlighting the concept of unnecessary noise. In the second verse, the sound of a train is also an unwelcome intruder. The singer wishes they were on the train heading out of town, to a place where there's a quieter atmosphere.

The chorus features the singer trying to convince themselves that everything is going to be okay, but they seem to be struggling. The phrase "wish I could sleep tonight" is repeated twice, highlighting their inability to get rest due to the noise. The final line in the chorus "wish it was a quiet night" is also repeated, cementing the idea that the singer is struggling with the volume of their surroundings.

Overall, "Church Bells" paints a picture of a person desperately trying to find peace and quiet in a world where there is constant noise.

Line by Line Meaning

Can't you hear the church bells, Coming through the windows?
The sound of the church bells can be heard loudly through the windows.

Have they got to be so loud? Nothing to shout about.
The church bells are too loud and not worth making such a fuss about.

Can't you hear the church bell, Like a choir of engines, Rattling the frames, Getting inside my brain.
The sound of the church bell is inescapable and feels like a loud chorus of engines rattling one's mind.

It'll be alright, Wish I could sleep tonight.
Although the noise is distressing, the artist hopes to find peace in sleep.

Can't you hear the last train, Rattling the tracks again, Going out of town, Carrying the people out.
The last train is leaving town and the noise of its departure can be heard.

Can't you hear the last train? Deep inside my brain, Wanna be on board, Take me to nicer shores.
The train's sound is ingrained in the singer's mind and they long to escape on it to a better place.

It'll be alright, Wish I could sleep tonight.
Despite the distressing noise, the singer hopes to find solace in sleep.

It'll be alright, Wish it was a quiet night.
Although everything will eventually be okay, it would be nice to have a peaceful, quiet night.

It'll be alright, Just wish that I could sleep tonight.
The artist knows things will get better, but longs for the relief of sleep.

It'll be alright, Just wish that it was a quiet night.
Although the artist has hope for the future, they long for a peaceful night without any disturbances.

Contributed by Gabriella S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS