Brother
Madds Buckley Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh brother of mine
It's been a long, long time
Since I've seen my face in your eyes
Oh brother, I've returned
To my burn scars of birth
Charcoal and iron brought me back

And I left you alone
In a house, not a home
And I watched the burning grow as my hair filled with grey
From the ashes that fell
The mountains I knew so well
Burned with hellfire in the blue light of midnight

Brother I watched the sky burn
And all I learned was smoke fills the lungs like a disease

Oh brother, I see
You burn like me
It singes on our skin like a brand
Oh brother, I confess
There is little of me left that could care about dousing the wildfire

And I left you alone
In a house, not a home
And I watched the burning grow as my hair filled with grey
From the ashes that fell
The mountains I knew so well
Burned with hellfire in the blue light of midnight

Brother I watched the sky burn
And all I learned was smoke fills the lungs like a disease

Oh brother, did you know
You could just strike a match
Hear him scream my name one last time
Oh brother, I am home
In the fires of our youth
I could care less if it hurts you anymore

And I left you alone
In a house, not a home
And I watched the burning grow as my hair filled with grey
From the ashes that fell
The mountains I knew so well
Burned with hellfire in the blue light of midnight





Brother I watched the sky burn
And all I learned was smoke fills the lungs like a disease

Overall Meaning

In Madds Buckley's song Brother, the singer addresses their sibling, expressing their guilt and regret for leaving them alone in a house that was not a home. The singer witnesses the destruction of their childhood home and the burning of the mountains they knew so well. They acknowledge the pain their brother shares with them, caused by the same flames that leave burn scars on their skin. The singer confesses that they no longer care about stopping the wildfire, as they feel little of themselves is left to save.


The repetition of the line "And I left you alone, in a house not a home" suggests that the singer has committed a grave mistake in leaving their sibling behind. The burning and destruction serve as a metaphor for the singer's past mistakes catching up with them, as well as the general destruction and loss that comes with growing up. The poignant line "smoke fills the lungs like a disease" illustrates the toxic consequences of neglecting one's responsibilities.


The final lines of the song are particularly striking, as the singer seems to have given up hope of repairing the damage they have caused. The phrase "I could care less if it hurts you anymore" indicates that the singer's indifference towards their own pain has extended to their brother's pain as well. The singer's return home in the fires of their youth suggests that they are consumed by their past and unable to move forward.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh brother of mine
Addressing the singer's sibling in a respectful tone


It's been a long, long time
Implying that there has been a considerable gap in the brothers' relationship


Since I've seen my face in your eyes
Reflecting on how long it has been since the singer has truly connected with his brother


Oh brother, I've returned
Announcing the artist's re-entry into his brother's life


To my burn scars of birth
Acknowledging the artist's painful past experiences


Charcoal and iron brought me back
Picturing the singer's dramatic return


And I left you alone
Accepting responsibility for having abandoned his brother


In a house, not a home
Describing how the house lacked human warmth and familial intimacy


And I watched the burning grow as my hair filled with grey
Showing how time passed as the situation worsened


From the ashes that fell
Describing the destructive aftermath of the fire


The mountains I knew so well
Dissecting the loss of something familiar


Burned with hellfire in the blue light of midnight
Painting a harrowing picture of the destructive events


Brother I watched the sky burn
Expressing how the singer and his brother shared the same traumatic experience


And all I learned was smoke fills the lungs like a disease
Reflecting on the lasting physical and emotional effects of the fire


Oh brother, I see
Displaying a newfound understanding of his brother's pain


You burn like me
Comparing their shared trauma and the resulting damage


It singes on our skin like a brand
Describing the permanent, painful effects of their experience


Oh brother, I confess
Admitting to his brother his lack of care about the destruction


There is little of me left that could care about dousing the wildfire
Expressing the singer's apathy about stopping the fires


Oh brother, did you know
Asking his brother if he is aware of how little the artist cares


You could just strike a match
Suggesting that they could willingly create more damage


Hear him scream my name one last time
Displaying the artist's lack of sympathy towards the potential victims


Oh brother, I am home
Finding a new home within his trauma


In the fires of our youth
Reflecting on how the fire is symbolic of their shared history


I could care less if it hurts you anymore
Revealing the singer's callous intentions, regardless of his brother's feelings


Brother I watched the sky burn
Reiterating the shared trauma that has shaped the singer and his brother's relationship


And all I learned was smoke fills the lungs like a disease
Ending with the lasting devastation caused by the fire




Contributed by Avery N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@blueberry-ue8sv

Yeah!!! Like
Im not a bnha fan but im a fan of the days union
And despite not knowing the character this is about
I can put it with a character from my own fandom
And THATS the fan songs that are really the best
They can stand with any fandom
And they can stand alone
The character i put this with is realistic day,who left his one and only friend in a union that did not care about him
It hurt him so bad to turn from everything he had ever known
And he wishes every day it was different as he watched the union crumble and fall to war
But he knew he had to leave
Because his friend refused to.

I also put this with nick cult who left little 12 year old jack in an emotionally abusive household because nick just couldn’t stand being there anymore
And it hurt to leave
But he had to



@TheSphinxSiren

Oh brother of mine.
It's been a long, long time
Since I've seen my fave in your eyes
Oh brother, I've returned
To my burn scars at birth
Charcoal and iron
Brought me back
And I left you alone
In a house, and not a home
And I watched the burning grow
As my hair filled with gray
From the ashes that fell
The mountains I knew so well
Burned with hellfire in the
Blue light of midnight
Brother, I watched the sky burn
And all I learned was smoke fills the lungs
Like a disease
Brother, I see you burn like me
The Singes on our skin like a brand
Brother,I confess there is a little of me left
That could care about dousing the wildlfire
And I left u alone
In a house, not a home
And I watch the burning grow
As my hair filled with gray
From the ashes that fell
The mountains I knew so well
Burned with hellfire in the blue light of midnight
brother, I watched the sky
Burn
And all I learned was smoke
Fills the lungs like a disease
Brother, did you know you could just strike a match hear him scream my name
One last time
Brother, I am home in the fires of our youth
I could care less if it hurts you anymore
And I left you alone , in a house, not a home
And I watch the burning grow
As my hair filled with gray
From the ashes that fell
The mountains I knew so well
Burned with hellfire in the blue light of midnight
Brother, I watch the sky burn
And all I learned was smoke fills the lungs
Like a disease

Did I spend a long time doing this yes was it worth it also yes now I can send it to my friends because idk I'm bored I could send the song instead of the lyrics but it's funner to do both



@lizzieg.6871

Oh hermano mío
ha pasado mucho tiempo
Desde que he visto mi cara en tus ojos

Oh hermano, he regresado
A mis cicatrices de quemaduras de nacimiento
El carbón y el hierro me trajeron de vuelta

Y te dejé solo
En una casa, no un hogar
Y vi crecer la quema
Mientras mi cabello se llenaba de canas

De las cenizas que cayeron
Las montañas que conocía tan bien
Quemado con Hellfire en la luz azul de la medianoche

Hermano, vi arder el cielo
Y todo lo que aprendí fue
El humo llena los pulmones como una enfermedad

hermano ya veo
te quemas como yo
El canta en nuestra piel como una marca

hermano, lo confieso
Queda poco de mi
A eso podría importarle apagar el incendio forestal

Y te dejé solo
En una casa, no un hogar
Y vi crecer la quema
Mientras mi cabello se llenaba de canas

De las cenizas que cayeron
Las montañas que conocía tan bien
Quemado con Hellfire en la luz azul de la medianoche

Hermano vi arder el cielo
Y todo lo que aprendí fue
El humo llena los pulmones como una enfermedad

hermano sabias
Podrías simplemente encender un fósforo
Escúchalo gritar mi nombre por última vez

hermano estoy en casa
En los fuegos de nuestra juventud
No podría importarme menos si te duele más

Y te dejé solo
En una casa, no un hogar
Y vi crecer la quema
Mientras mi cabello se llenaba de canas

De las cenizas que caen
Las montañas que conocía tan bien
Quemado con Hellfire en la luz azul de la medianoche

Hermano vi arder el cielo
Y todo lo que aprendí fue
El humo llena los pulmones como una enfermedad



All comments from YouTube:

@RaeRuthless

The fact that this song is about an anime and not about a real older sibling who left home to find their happiness, leaving their younger siblings to survive their parents, absolutely astounds me.

@emilylee9568

Good writing should feel based in reality- at least, as far as the emotional components go. Horikoshi definitely put in his research. I'm just really, really hoping it's not from a personal friend who's struggled similarly.

@touya_todoroki974

​@@emilylee9568usually stuff like that is inspiration...so...

@alicechan6310

Bianca di Angelo y Nico di Angelo
For Percy Jackson

@BriaStar4u

@@alicechan6310Real

@cheydobbs2554

This song and the artist remind me of Madi Buckley and her brother Evan (Buck) Buckley from the show 9.1.1... this comment just clarified that but the roles were reversed... older sister madi left home to be a nurse leaving younger Evan to serving the strict parents so... yeee I love it

@luealie7521

THis hits when you consider this a song to the inner teenager or child you left behind to survive.

@Copper_Coins

Ow

@FatMacBig

Ouchhh

@maggiez3677

Don’t do this to me 🥲

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