Brooks was a phenomenal musical force in the 1990s. He had his chart breakthrough in 1989, having come apparently from nowhere, and was an immediate commercial success. Lacking the tall and lanky physical appearance typical of some male country stars, he successfully integrated pop and rock elements into his recordings and live performances. He soon began to dominate the country singles and country albums charts and quickly crossed over into the mainstream pop arena, selling records like no one else in country music ever had and exposing country music to a larger audience than previously thought possible.
Brooks enjoyed one of the most successful careers in popular music history, with over 70 hit singles and 15 charted albums to his credit and over 115 million albums sold in the US alone, breaking records for both sales and concert attendance throughout the 1990s. Possibly dissatisfied and looking to expand his career boundaries, he then attempted an artistically ambitious (but uncompleted) multimedia project involving a fictitious alter ego.
Troubled by the conflicts between career and family, the year after the decade ended Garth Brooks announced his retirement from recording and performing, thereby disappearing from the music world as suddenly as he had come.
Recently he has announced his return to live performances by agreeing to a 5 year 15 show a year contract in Vegas. His plan is to finish this contract, write some new stuff, and wait for his youngest daughter to go off to school, and then he plans to return to touring with his wife.
Standing Outside the Fire
Garth Brooks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Those hearts that have no scars to show
The ones that never do let go
And risk it the tables being turned
We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
But you got to be tough when consumed by desire
'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire
We call them strong
Those who can face this world alone
Who seem to get by on their own
Those who will never take the fall
We call them weak
Who are unable to resist
The slightest chance love might exist
And for that forsake it all
They're so hell bent on giving, walking a wire
Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
There's this love that is burning
Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
The lyrics of “Standing Outside the Fire” by Garth Brooks depict the contrast between those who appear to live easier lives because they have never taken any risks, and those who are willing to dance within the flames of passion and love, even if it means getting hurt. The ones who take the risks are called “fools,” while the ones who choose to play it safe are called “cool.” However, the song insists that it is not enough to just avoid all risks and stay on the sidelines. The chorus states that “you've got to be tough when consumed by desire” and that it’s “not enough just to stand outside the fire.”
The song speaks about the courage and strength it takes to experience life fully and to take risks, even if it means getting hurt. The song acknowledges that there is a risk associated with loving deeply, and it takes courage to dive in and give all one's got. The chorus of the song reiterates that life is not worth living if one chooses to stay away from the fire and that the choice to stand outside the fire is equivalent to simply existing and surviving.
Overall, “Standing Outside the Fire” is a song about the importance of taking risks, diving into passion, love, and life with reckless abandon. It acknowledges that there is risk, but that the reward is a life fully lived.
Line by Line Meaning
We call them cool
We perceive those people to be cool
Those hearts that have no scars to show
Those individuals who appear to have never experienced emotional pain
The ones that never do let go
Those who refuse to move on from past events
And risk it the tables being turned
And also risk the possibility of their own emotional pain
We call them fools
We consider these individuals to be foolish
Who have to dance within the flame
Those who engage in risky behavior despite negative consequences
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
Those who take risks and are willing to endure negative outcomes as a result
That always come with getting burned
The inevitable negative consequences of taking risks
But you got to be tough when consumed by desire
In order to pursue one's desires, one must be emotionally resilient
'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire
Merely watching others pursue their desires is not fulfilling
We call them strong
We see these individuals as strong
Those who can face this world alone
Those who do not rely on others for emotional support
Who seem to get by on their own
Who appear able to emotionally cope alone
Those who will never take the fall
Those who never fail emotionally
We call them weak
We perceive these individuals as weak
Who are unable to resist
Who struggle with controlling their impulses
The slightest chance love might exist
The possibility of love is too alluring for them to resist
And for that forsake it all
They are willing to risk everything for love
They're so hell bent on giving, walking a wire
They are determined to do whatever it takes to have love and are willing to walk a tightrope to get it
Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire
Believing that a life without pursuing desires is not living at all
Standing outside the fire
Choosing not to pursue desires and enduring a life with little fulfillment
Life is not tried it is merely survived
Life is not worth living if you are simply enduring it rather than taking risks and pursuing your desires
If you're standing outside the fire
If you are not pursuing your desires and taking risks, you are not truly living
There's this love that is burning
There is a strong desire within
Deep in my soul
A desire that is at the core of who I am
Constantly yearning to get out of control
A desire that is always present and growing stronger
Wanting to fly higher and higher
The desire to take increasing risks and pursue greater fulfillment
I can't abide standing outside the fire
I cannot bear to endure a life without pursuing my desires
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Garth Brooks, Jenny L. Yates
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Keepingitkatie
We call them cool
Those hearts that have no scars to show
The ones that never do let go
And risk the tables being turned
We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
That always comes with getting burned
But you've got to be tough when consumed by desire
'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire
We call them strong
Those who can face this world alone
Who seem to get by on their own
Those who will never take the fall
We call them weak
Who are unable to resist
The slightest chance love might exist
And for that forsake it all
They're so hell-bent on giving, walking a wire
Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
There's this love that is burning, deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
debarshi das
Drums, percussion: Milton Sledge
Bass: Mike Chapman
Acoustic guitar: Mark Casstevens
Electric guitar: Chris Leuzinger
Keyboards: Bobby Wood
Fiddle: Rob Hajacos
Percussion: Sam Bacco and Ferrell Morris
Mandolin: Sam Bush
Harmony: Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks
Keepingitkatie
We call them cool
Those hearts that have no scars to show
The ones that never do let go
And risk the tables being turned
We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
That always comes with getting burned
But you've got to be tough when consumed by desire
'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire
We call them strong
Those who can face this world alone
Who seem to get by on their own
Those who will never take the fall
We call them weak
Who are unable to resist
The slightest chance love might exist
And for that forsake it all
They're so hell-bent on giving, walking a wire
Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
There's this love that is burning, deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
Jennifer Dijames
Good job Garth. I found out that you are coming back to Buffalo in the end of September . COME ON DOWN Garth. What about Trisha? She is a good artist and a good wife too.
Vector
@garth brooks ah yes your music definitely
Frank Crawford
I have the scars on my face from myriad of trials of my faith, but my clear eyes are some of the fruit of those fiery trials. We dont need to have any fruit others can see. Jesus preserved my life through the wilderness and he will preserve yours too. He will complete the good work he started til the day of Christ Jesus.
garth brooks
Thank you so much I sincerely hope you never stop listening to my music 🎶❤️
Ashley Horne
Sucks he isn’t on Spotify
Ian Robert Davies
He was accused of plagiarism on this song I heard.
JT Quicks ( Jesus Christ , Love & Heaven )
Very Nice !! ✨✨ Liked 😊😊 Thank you 😊😊
Garth Brooks
Hello, this is a random message to a few of my lucky fans which you're also among...Thanks to you all my fans for the love and support I do appreciate y'all, I'm using this great opportunity to say a very big thank you🙏messge on garthbrookslf@gmail.com
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH❤️❤️
Tim Norris
Double wide dream Casey donahew