Fortress
Rage Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The wall inside, he built to defend himself.
He needs to hide, to keep independency.

The race is on, it can't be won.

A fortress in you head
one step among the dead.
Security for fear,
a fortress, caging in
for what you're here.

The pain inside, disappoinments everyday.
To keep his pride he can't find a better way (than)
to lock his mind, though he'll lose life.

A fortress in you head
one step among the dead.
Security for fear,
a fortress, caging in
for what you're here.

A fortress in you head
one step among the dead.
Security for fear,
a fortress in you head, oh.
A fortress caging in,
unreal behind your grin.




Security is lie,
a fortress caging in until you die.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Rage's song "Fortress" talks about the walls that we build within ourselves as a defense mechanism. The singer in the song has built a wall inside himself to defend and hide, which ultimately leads to his loneliness and disconnectedness. He believes that he needs to keep himself hidden to maintain his independence, but this only causes him pain and disappointment in everyday life. Despite this, he continues to lock his mind because he fears losing his pride, thus leading to him living and eventually dying in his self-imprisonment.


The lyrics carry a deep message about self-preservation that is relatable to many people. Most of us have built walls around ourselves at some point in our lives to protect us emotionally, which ultimately leads to our isolation. By building such walls, we cage ourselves in unreal security, which stops us from experiencing the world around us fully.


Line by Line Meaning

The wall inside, he built to defend himself.
He constructed a barrier within himself to resist attacks from others.


He needs to hide, to keep independency.
He feels the need to conceal himself in order to maintain his autonomy.


The race is on, it can't be won.
He is in a competition that he knows cannot be won.


A fortress in you head one step among the dead. Security for fear, a fortress, caging in for what you're here.
He has created a mental stronghold that isolates him from others and makes him feel trapped in his own existence.


The pain inside, disappoinments everyday.
He is tormented by anguish and is continuously let down by life.


To keep his pride he can't find a better way (than) to lock his mind, though he'll lose life.
He believes that locking away his emotions is the only way to maintain his dignity, even if it means sacrificing his happiness.


A fortress in you head one step among the dead. Security for fear, a fortress, caging in for what you're here.
His mental fortress has become a part of him and he feels powerless to escape it.


A fortress in you head one step among the dead. Security for fear, a fortress in you head, oh.
The stronghold in his mind has become so ingrained that he feels like he is already dead.


A fortress caging in, unreal behind your grin.
He puts on a façade of happiness, but inside he feels trapped and disconnected from the world around him.


Security is lie, a fortress caging in until you die.
His mental fortress, designed to keep him safe, has become a suffocating prison that will be with him until he dies.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: PETER PEAVY-WAGNER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions