The Houses Of Healing
Howard Shore Lyrics


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With a sigh, you turn away
With a deepening heart,
No more words to say
You will find that the world has changed forever.

And the trees are now
Turning from green to gold
And the sun is now fading
I wish I could hold you closer.





Overall Meaning

The first stanza of Howard Shore's song 'The Houses of Healing' speaks of a deep sense of loss and despair. The singer seems to have given up on trying to find the right words to express his feelings as he watches something or someone that he deeply cared about slip away. The use of language in this stanza expertly conveys the singer's mental and emotional state. The repetition of "you turn away" and "no more words to say" highlights the sense of finality and resignation of the singer. Moreover, the use of "the world has changed forever" contextualizes the sense of loss as something that cannot be undone.


The second stanza of the song shifts slightly to a more visual imagery. The singer observes the world turning from green to gold as the sun sets, indicating that something is coming to a close. The use of the verb 'fading' to describe the sun's departure puts emphasis on the transience of time, and how everything eventually comes to an end. The final line "I wish I could hold you closer" ties both stanzas together, revealing that the sense of loss felt by the singer is rooted in a personal relationship that ended, which the singer wishes he could be able to salvage.


Line by Line Meaning

With a sigh, you turn away
You resign yourself with a heavy heart and leave the situation.


With a deepening heart
Your emotions are getting stronger and more intense.


No more words to say
There is nothing left to communicate, everything that needed to be said has been said.


You will find that the world has changed forever.
The world will never be the same as it once was.


And the trees are now
The leaves of trees are no longer green.


Turning from green to gold
The leaves of trees are turning from green to gold color.


And the sun is now fading
The sun is slowly disappearing from view.


I wish I could hold you closer.
I desire to be close to you physically.




Contributed by Mason V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@shrekthesimp8918

With a sigh you turn away
With a deepening heart
No more words to say
You will find that the world
Has changed forever
And the trees are now turning
From green to gold
And the sun is now fading
I wish I could hold you closer



@marvelfanatic9535

To Merry, the ascent seemed age long, a meaningless journey in a hateful dream, going on and on to some dim ending that memory cannot seize. Slowly the lights of the torches in front of him flickered in front of him and went out, and he was walking in a darkness; and he thought: ‘This is a tunnel leading to a tomb; there we shall stay forever.’ But suddenly into his dream there fell a loving voice. ‘Well, Merry! Thank goodness I have found you!’
He looked up and mist before his eyes cleared a little. There was Pippin! They were face to face in a narrow lane, but for themselves it was empty. He rubbed his face.
Where is the king?’ he said. ‘And Éowyn?’ Then he stumbled and sat on a doorstep and began to weep again.
‘They have gone up into the Citadel,’ Said Pippin. ‘I think you must have fallen asleep on your feet and taken the wrong turn. When we found that you were not with them, Gandalf sent me to look for you. Poor old Merry! How glad I am to see you again! But you are worn out, and I won’t bother you with any talk. But tell me, are you injured, or wounded?’
‘No,’ said Merry. ‘Well, no, I don’t think so. But I can’t use my right arm, Pippin, not since I stabbed him. And my sword burned all away like a piece of wood.’
Pippin’s face was anxious. ‘Well, you had better come with me as quick as you can,’ he said. ‘I wish I could carry you. You aren’t fit to walk any further. They shouldn’t have let you walk at all; but you must forgive them. So many dreadful things have happened in the City, Merry, that one poor Hobbit coming in from the battle is easily overlooked.’
‘It’s not always a misfortune being overlooked,’ said Merry. ‘I was overlooked just now by- no, no, I can’t speak of it. Help me, Pippin! It’s all going dark again, and my arm is so cold.’
‘Lean on me, Merry lad!’ said Pippin. ‘Come now! Foot by foot. It’s not far.’
‘Are you going to bury me?’ said Merry?
‘No, indeed!’ said Pippin, ‘No, we are going to the Houses of Healing.’



All comments from YouTube:

@dreamingblue3939

0:59 always gives me chills. "You will find that the world has changed forever.."

@grubbiechirp5695

Me too…

@WaelYasmina

01:15 - 02:10 I feel like a wave of energy goes through my entire body every single time I listen to this part

@Chazza_1201

Right? It’s like a warm feeling of a home that you’ve never been to

@jaimeleonguzman4328

Exactly what i feel. Power to that 🙌💪

@RyanSpike

Bro, was listening, decided to check comments.. yours was the first I seen and I read your comment WHILE I had that same head to toe tingly sensation, in the exact same timeframe you posted.. crazy s#it

@root6748

You are not alone

@Tiucaner

Never knew this was Liv Tyler singing. She's great.

@mdemers5574

Me either! She has a beautiful voice

@ericdelgado3829

She so beautiful

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