Sit Down
James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A song from the darkest hour
Secrets I can't keep
In sight of the day
Swing from high to deep
Extremes of sweet and sour
Hope that God exists
I hope, I pray
Drawn by the undertow
My life is out of control
I believe this wave will bear my weight
So let it flow
Oh sit down (sit down)
Oh sit down (sit down, sit down)
Oh sit down (sit down)
Sit down next to me
Sit down, down (sit down, sit down)
Down, down, down (sit down, sit down)
In sympathy
Now I'm relieved to hear
That you've been to some far out places
It's hard to carry on
When you feel all alone
Now I've swung back down again
And it's worse than it was before
If I hadn't seen such riches
I could live with being poor
Oh sit down (sit down)
Oh sit down (sit down, sit down)
Oh sit down (sit down)
Sit down next to me
Sit down, down (sit down, sit down)
Down, down, down (sit down, sit down)
In sympathy
Those who feel the breath of sadness
Sit down next to me
Those who find they're touched by madness
Sit down next to me
Those who find themselves ridiculous
Sit down next to me
In love, in fear, in hate, in tears
In love, in fear, in hate, in tears
In love, in fear, in hate, in tears
In love, in fear, in hate
Down
Down
Oh sit down (sit down)
Oh sit down (sit down, sit down)
Oh sit down (sit down)
Sit down next to me
Sit down, down (sit down, sit down)
Down, down, down (sit down, sit down)
In sympathy
Oh sit down (sit down)
Oh sit down (sit down, sit down)
Oh sit down (sit down)
Sit down next to me
Sit down, down (sit down, sit down)
Down, down, down (sit down, sit down)
In sympathy
Down
The lyrics of James’s “Sit Down” reflect deep-seated emotions of hope and despair, and the need for connection in times of sadness. The opening lines, “I sing myself to sleep, a song from the darkest hour, secrets I can’t keep, in sight of the day,” allude to the depths of depression, anxiety and the inability to share one’s deepest fears and worries. The lines that follow, “Swing from high to deep, extremes of sweet and sour, hope that God exists,” are a vivid portrayal of the emotional rollercoaster that depression can be, where moments of happiness are quickly replaced by sadness and hopelessness.
The lines “Drawn by the undertow, my life is out of control, I believe this wave will bear my weight, so let it flow” are a powerful metaphor of the helplessness that many individuals experience when dealing with mental illness. The chorus lyrics, “Oh sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down next to me, sit down, down, down, down, down, in sympathy” convey a deep desire to connect with others and seek comfort in their presence.
The final verse opens with a hopeful message, “those who feel the breath of sadness, sit down next to me,” which is followed by “those who find they’re touched by madness, sit down next to me,” indicating that the song is not specific to depression but can apply to anyone dealing with mental illness. The lyrics, “in love, in fear, in hate, in tears,” remind us that everyone needs support, regardless of the form of mental illness or life struggle that they face.
Line by Line Meaning
I sing myself to sleep
I have trouble sleeping and I try to calm myself down by singing.
A song from the darkest hour
I sing a sad song because I am feeling down and it helps me cope.
Secrets I can't keep
I have things on my mind that I can't share with others.
In sight of the day
When daylight comes, I try to put on a brave face and hide my struggles.
Swing from high to deep
My moods are volatile, and I experience both happiness and sadness intensely.
Extremes of sweet and sour
My emotions fluctuate between positive and negative, like the taste of something sweet and sour.
Hope that God exists
I'm holding on to the possibility of a higher power or divine intervention to help me through my struggles.
I hope, I pray
I cling to the idea of something greater than myself that can help me.
Drawn by the undertow
I feel like I'm being pulled in different directions by uncontrollable forces.
My life is out of control
I feel like my life is in chaos, and I'm struggling to keep up with it.
I believe this wave will bear my weight
I have faith that I can withstand whatever challenges come my way, like riding a wave.
So let it flow
I surrender myself to fate and accept what comes my way.
Oh sit down (sit down)
I am asking someone to calm down and stay with me for a while.
Sit down next to me
I need someone's company and support to get me through my struggles.
Now I'm relieved to hear
I feel better now that I know I'm not the only one who goes through difficult times.
That you've been to some far out places
I find comfort in knowing that other people have had unique and challenging experiences too.
It's hard to carry on
I'm having a hard time coping with my struggles.
When you feel all alone
It's difficult to handle things by yourself without anyone else's support.
Now I've swung back down again
I'm back to feeling down again after a temporary improvement in my mood.
And it's worse than it was before
My current emotional state is even more intense and difficult to handle than before.
If I hadn't seen such riches
If I hadn't experienced happiness and success before, I could more easily accept my current situation.
I could live with being poor
If I hadn't experienced better times, I could more easily accept my current struggles.
Those who feel the breath of sadness
I am inviting anyone who is feeling sad to come and talk to me.
Those who find they're touched by madness
I am inviting anyone who feels overwhelmed or out of control to talk to me.
Those who find themselves ridiculous
I am inviting anyone who feels like they are struggling with something silly or petty to talk to me.
In love, in fear, in hate, in tears
No matter what emotions you're experiencing, I am here to listen and offer support.
Down
Things are tough right now, but I'll try to get through it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Gavan Michael Whelan, James Lawrence Gott, James Patrick Glennie, Timothy Booth
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sophieasha9069
I'll sing myself to sleep
A song from the darkest hour
Secrets I can't keep inside of the day
Swing from high to lean
Extremes of sweet and sour
Hope that God exists
I hope, I pray
Drawn by the undertow
My life is out of control
I believe this wave will bear my weight
So let it flow
Oh, sit down, oh, sit down, oh, sit down
Sit down next to me
Sit down, down, down, down, down
In sympathy
I'm relieved to hear
That you've been to some far out places
It's hard to carry on
When you feel all alone
Now I've swung back down again
It's worse than it was before
If I hadn't seen such riches
I could live with being poor
Oh, sit down, oh, sit down, oh, sit down
Sit down next to me
Sit down, down, down, down, down
In sympathy
Those who feel the breath of sadness
Sit down next to me
Those who find they're touched by madness
Sit down next to me
Those who find themselves ridiculous
Sit down next to me
In love and fear and hate and tears
In love and fear and hate and tears
In love and fear and hate and tears
In love and fear and hate...
Down
Down
Oh, sit down, oh, sit down, oh, sit down
Sit down next to me
Sit down, down, down, down, down
In sympathy
Oh, sit down, oh, sit down, oh, sit down
Sit down next to me
Sit down, down, down, down, down
In sympathy
Down
@Hollows1997
“If I hadn’t seen such riches, I could live with being poor.” What a line that is.
@davidmccormick4735
Saw a guy comment on this video years ago he caught his friend singing 'if I hadn't heard such Richards I could live with being Paul', best misheard lyric I've ever seen.
@angiepanjie
If I hadn’t seen the Internet I could live without it. Remember those days?
@bombousboy
Great line.
It's why people are risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean and English Channel in tiny dinghies.
The age of the Internet has opened the eyes of the poor, even in their remote African and Asian villages, to the illusion of great riches elsewhere. They can no longer live with being poor.
@angiepanjie
@@bombousboy and it’s why the younger kids are suffering so much poor mental health these days I’m convinced. It’s overwhelming and they see too much too young. Absolutely agree about all the migrants. No wonder they’re desperate to live this perceived perfect life we all supposedly have. It’s so sad really. It’s all mostly an illusion as well.
@Hollows1997
@@angiepanjie Totally agree with seeing too much too young. Sadly however, in a world of near instant communication and a video camera readily available to most people, it is sadly inevitable.
Comparatively to those migrants, even the poorest of our societies in the west live far better lives than they do. Not that that justifies illegal immigration, but it also highlights just how out of touch most people have become.
@1981nrs
Listening to James will never be the same. Yesterday I lost a dear friend to cancer. James was his favourite band and he wore his hair like Tim when he was at uni in the early 90s. RIP Marc Humphries.
@chrisw4997
So glad you have a way to remember a good friend. I bet he was a great lad!
@1981nrs
@@chrisw4997 Thanks Chris. Great friend, dad, husband and all round great guy.
@andrewwood5264
Utter classic from the days of 'Madchester' - long live James !!