Ruins
Mahood Lyrics
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Are we made of more
Because I've been watching us
All piece ourselves back together
Like we understand
Like we're kings of men
Like we wrote the rulebook and
Threw it out with the water
To blame the world on being broken
We will always lose
If we never choose
To kneel in the dust and
Remember where this all began
We will come to ruin
Once more return to dust
If the image of our maker
Should depart from us
Till we come to ruins
And let love build us up
Our brokenness will heal us
As we rise from dust
Will we feast on bread
Or richer things
To fill all the emptiness
We tried our hardest to cover
Run into the ground
Busy mutes the sound
That settles upon us when
We find ourselves in the silence
How many times is enough
To bury ourselves in the rubble
We could start again
But if we never change
Won't we just end up
Right where this all just began
Mahood's song "Ruins" is a reflective and introspective piece that explores the nature of humanity and our relationship with the world around us. The opening lines, "Are we made of dust / Are we made of more," serve to set the tone and pose a central question that the song will attempt to answer. The lyrics that follow describe the way that humans seem to be able to rebuild and recover after disasters, despite the fact that our world is often unpredictable and chaotic. The lines "Like we understand / Like we're kings of men / Like we wrote the rulebook and / Threw it out with the water" suggest a sense of arrogance and overconfidence on the part of humanity, which is contrasted in the later lyrics with a more humble and introspective perspective.
The refrain of the song emphasizes the idea that humanity is capable of being broken and reduced to ruins, but that there is hope for renewal and rebuilding. The lyrics "Till we come to ruins / And let love build us up / Our brokenness will heal us / As we rise from dust" suggest that the experience of being broken down is necessary for growth and transformation. The song emphasizes the importance of choosing to embrace our vulnerability rather than trying to control everything around us.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of tension between the desire for comfort and the need for growth. The lines "Will we feast on bread / Or richer things / To fill all the emptiness / We tried our hardest to cover" suggest that there is a temptation to seek out material comforts and distractions, rather than facing the difficult work of personal growth and transformation. This theme is echoed in the lines "We could start again / But if we never change / Won't we just end up / Right where this all just began." The message of the song is ultimately one of hope, but it acknowledges that growth requires a willingness to be honest with ourselves and confront our own flaws and limitations.
Line by Line Meaning
Are we made of dust
Questioning the origins of humanity
Are we made of more
Wondering if there's more to humanity than just dust
Because I've been watching us
Observing human behavior
All piece ourselves back together
Humans are resilient and can recover from difficult situations
Like we understand
Feeling confident and knowledgeable about what to do next
Like we're kings of men
Feeling powerful and in control
Like we wrote the rulebook and
Feeling like we've created the blueprint for how to handle things
Threw it out with the water
Abandoning old ways of doing things
How many times is enough
How many times will it take to learn from past mistakes
To blame the world on being broken
Assigning blame for the world's problems
We will always lose
We will fail if we don't change our ways
If we never choose
If we don't make a conscious decision to change
To kneel in the dust and
To humbly acknowledge our humble origins
Remember where this all began
Remembering our roots and our history
We will come to ruin
If we don't change, we will destroy ourselves
Once more return to dust
Returning to our origins
If the image of our maker
If we lose touch with our creator
Should depart from us
If we lose our connection to our creator
Till we come to ruins
Until we experience complete destruction
And let love build us up
Love can help us rebuild and heal
Our brokenness will heal us
Our vulnerabilities can help us grow and learn
As we rise from dust
We can grow and improve from humble beginnings
Will we feast on bread
Will we be content with simple pleasures
Or richer things
Or will we constantly strive for wealth and power
To fill all the emptiness
Trying to fill the void within ourselves
We tried our hardest to cover
Attempts to hide our flaws and weaknesses
Run into the ground
Running ourselves ragged
Busy mutes the sound
Being busy distracts us from the problems we face
That settles upon us when
The problems that arise when we're alone and quiet
We find ourselves in the silence
Reflecting on our own lives
To bury ourselves in the rubble
Covering ourselves in our own failures
We could start again
It's possible to change and rebuild
But if we never change
If we never learn from our past mistakes
Won't we just end up
We'll be stuck in the same cycle of destruction
Right where this all just began
Back where we started
Writer(s): Jennie Mahood
Contributed by Claire A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.