Amazing Grace
Michael Silverman Lyrics


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I knew this girl when I was young
She took her spikes from everyone
One night she swallowed up the lake
That's how you sing amazing grace

Amazing grace
Amazing grace
It sounds like razors in my ears
That bell's been ringing now for years
Someday I'll give it all away
That's how you sing amazing grace

Amazing grace
Amazing grace

Oh, can you hear that sweet sweet sound
Yeah, I was lost but now I'm found
Sometimes there's nothing left to save
That's how you sing amazing grace

Amazing grace
Amazing grace





That's how you sing amazing grace

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Michael Silverman's Amazing Grace speak about a girl the singer knew in his youth who was promiscuous and probably had a drug problem. She "took her spikes from everyone" which could mean that she just slept around with anyone, or it could be a reference to a drug addiction. One night she "swallowed up the lake", which could mean she overdosed on drugs, drowned herself in a lake, or just lost herself in a destructive lifestyle. Despite all of this, the girl still had the ability to sing Amazing Grace, which is a hymn that speaks of salvation and redemption through God's grace.


The singer goes on to speak about the sound of the bell that he has been hearing for years, which could either refer to a physical bell or a metaphorical one, perhaps representing the sound of death or the tolling of the conscience. He speaks about the desire to eventually give everything away, which could also mean to let go of all his sinful ways and find redemption. The last stanza speaks of being lost but found by the sweet sound of Amazing Grace, and that sometimes there is nothing left to save except to sing that hymn. Overall, the lyrics are about the transformative power of grace and how it can save even the most lost and broken individuals from despair and destruction.


Line by Line Meaning

I knew this girl when I was young
I was once acquainted with a girl from my youth


She took her spikes from everyone
She appropriated the negative emotions of those around her


One night she swallowed up the lake
She consumed a vast amount of sadness or despair one night


That's how you sing amazing grace
Her pain is what gave her the ability to truly sing Amazing Grace


It sounds like razors in my ears
Hearing Amazing Grace is painful, like a sharp blade scraping my eardrums


That bell's been ringing now for years
A metaphor for a long-standing pain or sorrow that continuously echoes in me


Someday I'll give it all away
One day, I'll release all of the pain that I've held onto for years


Oh, can you hear that sweet sweet sound
Can you feel the deep, emotional resonance of the song?


Yeah, I was lost but now I'm found
I was once hopeless and wandering but I've been found and given new purpose through the song


Sometimes there's nothing left to save
Occasionally, there are people or situations that are beyond salvation or repair


That's how you sing amazing grace
The song Amazing Grace serves as a powerful outlet for pain and emotion, allowing us to find redemption and peace




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: ZACHARY MICHELETTI, MIMI J. PARKER, GEORGE ALAN SPARHAWK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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