Rather Be
Rather Be Lyrics


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(Call the police! This whole place is gonna burn!)
Come on Holly, put the gun down for me
(Call the police! This whole place is gonna burn!)
You love money and the sex in your veins
(Call the police! This whole place is gonna burn!)
They're trying to take it from us
They're trying to take it from us
(Call the police! This whole place is gonna burn!)
You're so pretty when you dress for the grave

Love me as you lay
Dizzy and falling, your legs dangling
Although accidents happen
They happen to me
Try to forget the beginning and end

Forget the world
Without removing the glass from your lips

(Call the police! This whole place is gonna burn!)
You love money and the sex in your veins
(Call the police! This whole place is gonna burn!)
They're trying to take it from us
They're trying to take it from us
(Call the police! This whole place is gonna burn!)
The sun's coming up and we're still awake

Am I the trigger of your gun?
Your pretty eyes don't give me much choice but
I'll take them home
I've done some thinking of my own
And when I come home, I want to be done
Don't want to be famous no more

Leave that girl alone

My teenage heart-attack keeps talking back
Keeps talking back to her
And I can't pretend that off this balcony
We wouldn't want to jump off of it
And put an end to this

(Call the police! This whole place is gonna burn!)
You love money and the sex in your veins
(Call the police! This whole place is gonna burn!)

Yeah!
Doll up and sleep walk
Until we have some teeth marks
Narcotic sweet talk




Until we have some teeth marks
This whole place is gonna burn

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of “Rather Be” by The Verve are rich in imagery, conveying a sense of desperation, danger, and a yearning to escape from reality. The repeated chorus “Call the police! This whole place is gonna burn!” creates a sense of urgency and impending doom, as if the characters in the song are trapped and running out of time. The character of Holly, who is addressed in the second line, seems to be involved in something dangerous, perhaps something illegal, and the singer is urging her to put down the gun.


The lyrics of the song suggest that Holly is a complex character, torn between her love of money and sex, her desire to escape from the constraints of society, and her fear of losing everything she has. She is beautiful, but she is also dressed for the grave, suggesting that her beauty is tied to something destructive or dangerous. As the sun comes up and they are still awake, the characters in the song seem to be trapped in a never-ending cycle of danger and uncertainty.


To forget the world, they turn to drugs and alcohol, but this only heightens their paranoia and sense of danger. The singer wonders whether he is the trigger for Holly’s gun, and whether they are both trapped in a dangerous game that they no longer control. Overall, the lyrics of “Rather Be” suggest a sense of desperation and danger, as well as a longing to escape from reality.


Line by Line Meaning

(Call the police! This whole place is gonna burn!)
The situation is getting worse, and drastic action is needed to save ourselves.


Come on Holly, put the gun down for me
Stop fighting, and let's work together to find a solution.


You love money and the sex in your veins
You're driven by materialistic desires and physical pleasure.


They're trying to take it from us
Someone or something is trying to take away what's important to us.


You're so pretty when you dress for the grave
You look beautiful, but it's because you're trying to be something you're not.


Love me as you lay
Show me affection even in your vulnerable state.


Dizzy and falling, your legs dangling
You're losing control and falling apart.


Although accidents happen, they happen to me
I often find myself in unfortunate situations, even if it's not my fault.


Try to forget the beginning and end
Let's focus on the present moment and not worry about what happened before or what will happen after.


Forget the world
Let's escape reality and enjoy each other's company.


Without removing the glass from your lips
Don't let go of your drink, even if it's hindering your ability to communicate.


The sun's coming up and we're still awake
We've been up all night, and time is moving too quickly.


Am I the trigger of your gun?
Am I the one causing you pain or destruction?


Your pretty eyes don't give me much choice but I'll take them home
I'm entranced by your beauty and can't resist wanting to be with you.


I've done some thinking of my own
I've taken time to reflect and come to my own conclusions about things.


And when I come home, I want to be done
I want to be done with the chaos and drama that surrounds me.


Don't want to be famous no more
I'm tired of being under the spotlight and being judged all the time.


Leave that girl alone
Stop harassing or picking on that girl.


My teenage heart-attack keeps talking back
My youthful mistakes and emotions keep resurfacing and affecting me.


Keeps talking back to her
I can't help but continue to have feelings for this girl.


And I can't pretend that off this balcony
I can't ignore the fact that we're in a dangerous situation.


We wouldn't want to jump off of it
We might be tempted to take drastic measures to escape our problems.


And put an end to this
And end our pain and struggles.


Doll up and sleep walk
Make yourself look pretty and go through the motions of life without really thinking.


Until we have some teeth marks
Keep going until we face the consequences of our actions.


Narcotic sweet talk
Seductive words that are like a drug, but ultimately harmful.


Until we have some teeth marks
Keep going until we face the consequences of our actions.


This whole place is gonna burn
Our world is falling apart, and there's nothing we can do to stop it.




Contributed by Emily E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@7clouds

Would you rather be really tall or really short?

@aiyamhalover426

Really short because I'm really tall and well my boyfriend does not enjoying as much he's not a midget but all hiscall him that XD and by the way I love this song

@samjustsam8509

7clouds Short

@-Yoriichi-

Yahoo

@kristupehvlog7528

Really tall so That I can Dunk

@aiyamhalover426

@@-Yoriichi- XD

500 More Replies...

@syruptalk

when this song came out times were simpler

@aleximusmagnus

I know right 😭

@doyoustayuplate4949

I agree 🥺🥺

@eaglelol9236

Yeaa

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