The Moon
Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Cut the bonds with the moon
And let the dogs gather
Burn the gauze in the spoon
And suck the poison up
And bleed
Shut the door to the moon
And let the birds gather
Play no more with the fool
And let the souls wander
And bleed
From the soul
A slow hurt, and it breaks us
And so down, down, down, down and so plain
So down
When you play some more it seems so
And my friends are past this game, of breakdowns
And our friends that are lost at sea, throw down
And I'll break the wasted space
Slow down, slow down
If you don't slow down, slow down
If you don't slow down, slow




Cut the bonds with the moon
And watch the dogs gather

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Glen Hansard and Marketa's song 'The Moon' are infused with multiple layers of symbolism, metaphor and imagery that reflect human emotions of pain, loss, and longing for the release from the shackles of despair. The opening line "Cut the bonds with the moon" talks about breaking free from emotional ties and letting the dogs gather, which can be interpreted as a sense of aggression or howling from within that's trying to be unleashed. The image of burning gauze in the spoon and sucking the poison up represents desperation to alleviate the pain, both emotional and physical, which also aligns with the overall tone of the song.


As the song progresses, the singer urges to shut the door to the moon and let the birds gather, which might symbolize a longing for peace and solace away from the harshness of the world. The song's chorus, "And bleed from the soul, A slow hurt, and it breaks us, And so down, down, down, down and so plain, So down" evokes a sense of hopelessness, acknowledging the slow pain that lies deep within and how it can lead to breakdowns.


Towards the end, the lyrics take a more positive turn with the singer wanting to break the wasted space and slow down, which can be seen as an acceptance of being present in the moment and taking things one step at a time. However, the final line "Cut the bonds with the moon and watch the dogs gather" is reminiscent of the opening line, implying that the emotions are still raw and waiting to be unleashed, but there's a growing acceptance of one's feelings and a desire to move forward.


Line by Line Meaning

Cut the bonds with the moon
Break free from the emotional ties that bind you to negativity and hold you back from moving forward


And let the dogs gather
Let the negative emotions and influences that have been released roam free


Burn the gauze in the spoon
Remove the temporary soothing agent that masks your pain and face your emotions head-on


And suck the poison up
Confront and overcome the source of your pain rather than trying to avoid it


And bleed
Feel the pain and let it flow out of you, releasing it for good


Shut the door to the moon
Close off the negative influence that the moon represents, symbolizing the emotions and memories that hold you down


And let the birds gather
Allow the positive influences to surround you, symbolized by the freedom that the birds represent


Play no more with the fool
Stop playing games with yourself and wasting time on things that do not matter


And let the souls wander
Allow yourself and others to be free and explore new things without being held back by negativity


From the soul
All of this comes from within, deep within the soul


A slow hurt, and it breaks us
Pain that is slow and unrelenting can over time break us down, both physically and emotionally


And so down, down, down, down and so plain
As the pain continues, it drags us further and further down until it becomes painfully obvious to ourselves and others


So down
We reach a low point where we feel trapped and unable to break free from our pain


When you play some more it seems so
Sometimes we try to distract ourselves with things that seem satisfying but ultimately only provide temporary relief from our pain


And my friends are past this game, of breakdowns
Those close to us have moved on from this self-destructive cycle and do not have time for such things anymore


And our friends that are lost at sea, throw down
But there are still those who are lost and struggling, and it is up to us to help them find their way back to shore


And I'll break the wasted space
We must take action to break free from the constraints that have been holding us down and wasting our time and potential


Slow down, slow down
We must take time to slow down and reflect on our lives, our pain, and our relationships with ourselves and others


If you don't slow down, slow down
If we do not slow down and take time for introspection, we will continue to be weighed down by our pain, unable to move forward


If you don't slow down, slow
Continuing on this path without slowing down means we will only continue to suffer and fall deeper into pain


Cut the bonds with the moon
Once again, we must break free from the negative emotions and memories that hold us back


And watch the dogs gather
But this time, we must watch out for those negative influences and not let them take control over our lives again




Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLEN HANSARD, GLEN JAMES HANSARD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@goodnessadeyemii

Great song... From Dear John...

The music is so intense. ❤️

@HT-kv1xp

this song is way too underrated oml this made me legit cry

@KE-ow2jg

Dear John is a sad ,amazing movie and i'm glad i watched it cause it brought me here

@tamiresgranja5375

Um cantor, que canta com a alma. Não há outro.🖤🇧🇷

@nikkicoleman2046

This song hits all the feels...🖤

@Meganmc1016

This song haunts my soul. It weaves into you!

@KD921A

Jay, if you watch this, know that I am thinking of you.  I thought you might like this.  It is from the movie Dear John.

@coloneljwallace7523

EXCELLENT lyric creation of this one. I'm wondering out of the 76,862 views, and the 5 "thumbs down" turds realize this song is about Heroin use.
This one is Dedicated to my girl. You live in my Heart forever, and may you never return to that hard to escape, but highly seductive poison.

@reneprins2577

Thank you for telling us. This herion-use item gives an extra dimension to this song. Like someone has given up living happely. This message I feel now in the melody and lyrics.

@Sunny25611

Absolutely the most seductive drug in the world my distant friend.. I too don’t understand how anyone could misinterpret the meaning behind this haunting song. However, I understand the lyrics intimately and completely. May you find peace in this, your profoundly harrowing and painful journey with your precious daughter. 🫂

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