Fading Away
Golden Slumbers Lyrics

The lyrics of Golden Slumber's "Fading Away" are filled with emotion and tell a story of a person who is facing tough times, seemingly alone. The opening line, "Hard times are coming while you helplessly fall asleep," sets the tone for the rest of the song. It suggests that even though the person is going through challenges, they are still unable to escape the pain, and sleep seems to be the only respite.

In the second line, "And all your friends tend to lose all compassion," the lyrics imply that with time, the person's friends have become unsympathetic to their problems, likely due to the length of time it has taken for the healing process to occur. The third line, "When the healing takes too long, expectations prove them wrong," touches on the fact that the person's situation might be more drawn out than what they or their friends initially thought, leading their friends to lose patience.

The fourth line, "There's nothing of comfort for you to fall on, since your careless days have blinded all your senses," suggests that because the person might have been reckless in the past, they may not have any support systems in place to help them when times are tough. Moreover, the person's past actions could have further impacted their current situation negatively. The line, "And my hands are tied because you choose your own path," highlights the feeling of helplessness expressed by the singer, as they watch their friend suffer but are unable to assist.

The lyrics, “Wish I cleaned them in the water; all my conscience would be clear,” suggests that the singer is struggling with feelings of guilt, perhaps indicating that they feel responsible for their friend's situation. The final repeated line of the song, "What have you done, and I'm fading away, the damage done and I'm fading away," captures the impact of all these emotions on the singer, culminating in a sense of helplessness and despair.