Violet Hill
Pendulum Lyrics
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From the rooftops I remember
There was snow
White snow
Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While we froze down below
When the future's architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show
You'd better lie low
If you love me
Won't you let me know?
Was a long and dark December
From the rooftops I remember
There was snow (there was snow)
White snow (white snow)
Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While we froze (while we froze)
Down below (down below)
When the future's architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show
You'd better lie low
If you love me
Won't you let me know?
Was a long and dark December
When the banks became cathedrals
And a fox (and a fox)
Became God (became God)
Priests clutched onto bibles
Hollowed out to fit their rifles
And the cross (and the cross)
Was held aloft (was held aloft)
Bury me in honour
When I'm dead and hit the ground
A love back home, it unfolds
If you love me
Won't you let me know?
I don't want to be a soldier
Who the captain of some sinking ship
Would stow (would stow)
Far below (far below)
So if you love me
Why'd you let me go?
I took my love down to violet hill
There we sat in snow
All that time she was silent still
So if you love me
Won't you let me know?
If you love me,
Won't you let me know?
The song begins with the singer recalling a long and dark December, with snow falling from the rooftops as they remember being watched from the windows up high as they were freezing below. The lyrics then progress to the future being shaped by a carnival of idiots on show and the need to lie low, asking the listener to let them know if they love them. The scene shifts to the banks becoming cathedrals and a fox becoming God, with priests clutching bibles hollowed out to fit their rifles, and the cross being held aloft. The singer then asks to be buried in honor when they die and return home to their love unfolding. The song concludes with the singer taking their love to Violet Hill and sitting in the snow, asking once more if they are loved and why they were let go if they were.
The lyrics to "Violet Hill" are vague enough to allow for multiple interpretations, but the song could be interpreted as a commentary on the state of the world at the time it was written (2008) and the fear and uncertainty that came with it. The carnival of idiots could be a reference to politicians and their followers, and the banks becoming cathedrals could symbolize the shift of power towards financial institutions.
Line by Line Meaning
Was a long and dark December
The month of December was bleak and uneventful.
From the rooftops I remember
Looking from above, I recall the events that occurred.
There was snow
The snow was present, indicating the cold winter weather.
White snow
The snow was white which is a common color for snow
Clearly I remember
I recall the events vividly.
From the windows they were watching
People were observing the events from the windows.
While we froze down below
While we were in the cold below the people who were watching us.
When the future's architectured
When the future is being planned,
By a carnival of idiots on show
By a group of foolish and incompetent people who are in the spotlight.
You'd better lie low
You should keep a low profile to avoid any unwanted attention.
If you love me
If you have feelings for me,
Won't you let me know?
Would you please express them openly?
When the banks became cathedrals
When the banking institutions took on a religious significance.
And a fox became God
When the fox, an animal, is given divine qualities and worshiped.
Priests clutched onto bibles
The clergymen hold or hold onto their sacred books.
Hollowed out to fit their rifles
The bibles were altered to hold rifles instead.
And the cross was held aloft
And the symbol of Christianity was raised high.
Bury me in honour
When I am deceased, honor me by burying me with respect.
When I'm dead and hit the ground
When I am deceased and my body touches the earth.
A love back home, it unfolds
A love story is unraveling back home.
I don't want to be a soldier
I have no desire to be a soldier.
Who the captain of some sinking ship
Who serves as the leader of a doomed endeavor.
Would stow
Would keep or store,
Far below
Deep down in the depths of the ship.
So if you love me
If you have feelings for me,
Why'd you let me go?
Why did you allow me to leave?
I took my love down to violet hill
I journeyed with my beloved to a place known as 'Violet Hill.'
There we sat in snow
We sat in the snow that was present there.
All that time she was silent still
During all that time, she remained quiet and still.
If you love me
If you have feelings for me,
Won't you let me know?
Would you please express them openly?
If you love me,
If you have feelings for me,
Won't you let me know?
Would you please express them openly?
Contributed by Adalyn D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tanvir
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
It was a long and dark December
From the rooftops I remember
There was snow, white snow
Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While we froze down below
When the future's architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show
You'd better lie low
If you love me, won't you let me know?
[Verse 2]
Was a long and dark December
When the banks became cathedrals
And a fox became God
Priests clutched onto bibles
Hollowed out to fit their rifles
And a cross was held aloft
Bury me in armor
When I'm dead and hit the ground
My nerves are poles that unfroze
And if you love me, won't you let me know?
[Verse 3]
I don't want to be a soldier
Who the captain of some sinking ship
Would stow, far below
So if you love me, why'd you let me go?
[Outro]
I took my love down to Violet Hill
There we sat in snow
All that time she was silent still
So if you love me, won't you let me know?
If you love me, won't you let me know?
Taifer
this one a huge diamond from Pendulum. hope they reunite soon and make more music like this. with love from Greece
Paul Hughes
Great cover but they need to thank Coldplay
Ri Zla
Huge fan of them also, gteetings orthodox brother, from Serbia!
FBI Federal Units
@Flowlee HAH True
Flowlee
You got what you wanted. ;)
pwndrumn00b
Well, THAT is a VERY different coldplay cover. I think that this is the best version of Violet I've heard ever...
Spookypyro
The reason this sounds so "muffled" or "badly mixed" is because it was performed live, nuff said
Kyle Bowles
@K - Doggy which CD is it on? I must have all the pendulum gems :)
bluerabbitvine
Lots of artists are terrible at intonation in their live performances. Not a problem here at all. Sounds pretty amazing for a live performance imo.
K - Doggy
I got this track on CD and it sounds sublime through a good sound system.