Burn Away
Foo Fighters Lyrics


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I have spent a lifetime
Waiting for the chance
To save you my confession
Save the one last dance
The same old superstition
Haunt us now and then
I'm begging for ignition
To start it all again

We'll burn away
Burn away, burn away my pride
We'll burn away
Burn away, burn away my pride
We'll burn away
From all the other flames that burn tonight
We'll burn away
Burn away, burn away my pride

Breathe for me from now on
Breathe for me when I'm gone
Burn out beyond
Out beyond the sun

Will you still remember
There behind the skies
Walking on the embers
Standing in their light
The hardest part is knowing
Everything must die
The hardest part is waiting here
Waiting to collide

We'll burn away
Burn away, burn away my pride
We'll burn away
Burn away, burn away my pride
We'll burn away
From all the other flames that burn tonight
We'll burn away
Burn away, burn away my pride

Breathe for me from now on
Breathe for me when I'm gone
Burn out beyond
Out beyond the sun

Burn on, burn on
Calling to you
Burn on, burn on
Calling to you
Burn on, burn on

I'll never burn again
Never burn again
Never burn again
Never burn again




We'll never burn again
Never burn again

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Burn Away" by Foo Fighters seem to be a soulful and emotional reflection on the passage of time and the inevitability of death. The song starts with the singer expressing a lifetime of waiting for an opportunity to unburden himself and save his confession, presumably to someone he cares about deeply. He wants to have one last dance or moment with them, but they are haunted by superstition and their time together is always short-lived. He longs for a fresh start, an ignition to restart their relationship.


The chorus talks about burning away the singer's pride. It seems as though the singer is acknowledging that his own pride or ego may have played a part in the difficulties that he and the other person have faced. He wants to let go of those negative feelings and start anew, free from the other "flames" that may be burning around them.


The second verse is even more poignant, as the singer wonders if the other person will remember him after he is gone. He talks about walking on embers, which could suggest that the relationship was passionate but also precarious. He knows that everything must die, and the hardest part is just waiting for the inevitable end. The chorus repeats, with the singer addressing the other person directly and asking them to breathe for him both now and after he is gone. The song ends with the repeated refrain "We'll never burn again," suggesting that while the relationship may have been fraught with difficulty in the past, they will try to move forward without getting burned.


Overall, "Burn Away" is a moving and introspective song that examines the complexities and challenges of love and relationships.


Line by Line Meaning

I have spent a lifetime
The author of the song has spent a long time waiting for something


Waiting for the chance
The author is waiting for an opportunity


To save you my confession
The author wishes to confess something to someone


Save the one last dance
The author wants to save the last chance they have to dance with someone


The same old superstition
The author is haunted by a superstition they have experienced before


Haunt us now and then
The superstition still affects the author from time to time


I'm begging for ignition
The author is asking for something to happen to start a new experience


To start it all again
The author wants to start anew


We'll burn away
The author will forget their pride


Burn away, burn away my pride
The author is willing to let go of their pride


From all the other flames that burn tonight
The author wants to separate themselves from others who are experiencing the same thing


Breathe for me from now on
The author wants someone to breathe for them in the future


Breathe for me when I'm gone
The author wants someone to breathe for them when they are gone


Burn out beyond
The author wants to go beyond burning out


Out beyond the sun
The author wants to travel far away from where they are


Will you still remember
The author wants to be remembered in the future


There behind the skies
The author wants to be remembered even when they are far away


Walking on the embers
The author is walking on hot coals


Standing in their light
The author is illuminated by the embers


The hardest part is knowing
The author knows the difficulty of something


Everything must die
The author understands that everything has a lifespan


The hardest part is waiting here
The author finds waiting difficult


Waiting to collide
The author is waiting for something to happen


Burn on, burn on
The author is calling for something to keep burning


Calling to you
The author is asking someone to do something


I'll never burn again
The author will never be consumed by something again


Never burn again
The author is emphasizing that they will never experience the same thing again


We'll never burn again
The group as a whole will never experience the same thing again




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Nate Mendel, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Chris Shiflett

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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