Little Lion Man
Mumford & Sons Lyrics
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You'll never be what is in your heart
Weep Little Lion Man
You're not as brave as you were at the start
Rate yourself and rake yourself
Take all the courage you have left
And waste it on fixing all the problems
That you made in your own head
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my
Tremble for yourself, my man
You know that you have seen this all before
Tremble Little Lion Man
You'll never settle any of your scores
Your grace is wasted in your face
Your boldness stands alone among the wreck
Now learn from your mother
Or else spend your days biting your own neck
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?
Ha
Ha
Ha
Ha
Ha
Ha
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?
The lyrics in Mumford & Sons’ “Little Lion Man” speaks about a man who weeps for his own shortcomings, who cannot live up to the expectations of his heart. He once was brave and valiant, but as he grew older, the trials of life have taken their toll. The man is now filled with regrets and repeatedly rakes himself over the coals. He realizes his courage has been depleted as he attempts to fix the problems he created in his head. However, the song lets us know that the writer provides grace and support to the man, offering that he is not perfect and did not live up to his expectations either. The writer offers the advice to “learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck.” This verse offers that the man needs to look inward and realize that he can make better choices by learning from past experiences.
The chorus declares that it was not the man’s fault that he fell short of his aspirations. The fault of those failures was solely the writer’s responsibility, and he takes full responsibility for it. The writer admits his mistakes and owns the consequences of his failures, reassuring Little Lion Man that forgiveness is granted. The writer realizes that true strength comes from admitting faults and that bravery is inherent in vulnerability. The repeated verse of "didn't I, my dear?" brings the reader full circle back to the beginning of the song, reminding their counterpart that they are in this flawed existence together.
Line by Line Meaning
Weep for yourself, my man
Feel sorry for yourself, man, because you're not living up to your true potential.
You'll never be what is in your heart
You will never fulfill your deepest desires if you continue on this path.
Weep Little Lion Man
Cry over your lack of bravery and strength.
You're not as brave as you were at the start
You're not as courageous as you once were.
Rate yourself and rake yourself
Evaluate yourself honestly and harshly.
Take all the courage you have left
Use all the bravery you still possess.
And waste it on fixing all the problems
Spend it all on trying to solve issues that only exist in your mind.
That you made in your own head
That you created through your own thoughts and perceptions.
But it was not your fault but mine
It's not your fault, it's my fault.
And it was your heart on the line
You were vulnerable and exposed.
I really fucked it up this time
I made a huge mistake and caused damage.
Didn't I, my dear?
Isn't it true, my love?
Tremble for yourself, my man
Be fearful of yourself and your own actions.
You know that you have seen this all before
You've been through similar situations in the past.
Tremble Little Lion Man
Shake with fear, even though you see yourself as a strong lion.
You'll never settle any of your scores
You'll never resolve any of the issues you have with yourself.
Your grace is wasted in your face
Your elegance and poise is meaningless when you're not true to yourself.
Your boldness stands alone among the wreck
Your confidence is the only thing keeping you strong amidst the destruction of your inner turmoil.
Now learn from your mother
Take advice from your parents, especially your mother.
Or else spend your days biting your own neck
Otherwise, you'll spend your time harming yourself and making matters worse.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Benjamin Walter David Lovett, Edward James Milton Dwane, Marcus Oliver Johnstone Mumford, Winston Aubrey Aladar Marshall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LionTroy
This song saved my life.
I left the love of my life because I didn't think I was enough for her. I left her in another country. I came back... absolutely nothing for me here. I sat in the city, no food or money, just waiting to die.
A few days passed and this this song came on. A construction crew just a door down had this playing.
I cried. Cried unlike I ever have or would again. It reached me like no song ever could.
I got up. I came home. I could move on.
Thank you. I think you saved my life.
Ro Bahaa
Weep for yourself, my man,
You'll never be what is in your heart
Weep little lion man,
You're not as brave as you were at the start
Rate yourself and rake yourself,
Take all the courage you have left
Wasted on fixing all the problems that you made in your own head
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?
Tremble for yourself, my man,
You know that you have seen this all before
Tremble little lion man,
You'll never settle any of your scores
Your grace is wasted in your face,
Your boldness stands alone among the wreck
Now learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
Didn't I, my dear?
Kurt H
8 years without my little brother. We played this at his funeral. His son has loved this song his whole life.
Euan
I'm so sorry for your Loss 🙏 Bless you
Gay_Jayden
I'm so sorry for your loss...
Craig Johnson
Sorry for loss
Richard J
Sorry for your loss brother x
Albert Einstein
all my love
Carlos Limmer
I would just like to take a quick moment to appreciate how hard they played those instruments.
David 1 Hubble
Agreed
Dominique Fulton
You hear me went in!
all because she liked a boy
@Secretadmirer you look phony