Castle On The Hill
Ride Lyrics


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The king's been in his bedroom for weeks
In exile from the world, he never speaks
The queen is in the counting house, her fingers in the 'till
There's something happening to the castle on the hill

The jester's telling jokes to everyone
Says, "Now he's gone, well, ain't it fun"
There's whispers in the courtroom, "Is he crazy, is he ill?"
Nobody has an answer but they keep on asking still

And a friend of mine, one of the few
Has locked himself away like Howard Hughes
They're trying to replace him but they know they never will
It ain't the same without him on the castle on the hill

There's a wind of madness in the air
Since he's gone nobody seems to care

The court is disillusioned, everything is up for sale
And the castle on the hill is like a boat without a sail

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ride's song Castle On the Hill depict a picture of a monarchy that has crumbled under the weight of madness, corruption, and decay. The king has been holed up in his bedroom for weeks, refusing to speak to anyone, while the queen seems to be embezzling funds from the treasury. The jester, who usually provides comic relief, is also plagued by uncertainty, wondering if the kingdom's ruler is crazy or ill. Even the courtiers are confused, with nobody able to provide an answer.


Meanwhile, a friend of the singer has locked himself away, much like the reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. Although the monarchs are trying to replace him, the singer's friend is irreplaceable, leaving behind a gaping hole that nobody can fill. The kingdom is in disarray, with whispers of madness in the air. The court is disillusioned, while everything is up for sale. Without a captain to steer the ship, the castle on the hill is like a boat without a sail.


Overall, the lyrics of Castle On the Hill convey a sense of decay and decay, with the monarchy crumbling into ruins. The song speaks to the disruptive force of madness and corruption, and the emptiness that comes with the absence of a true leader.


Line by Line Meaning

The king's been in his bedroom for weeks
The king has been secluded in his bedroom for several weeks now.


In exile from the world, he never speaks
Being away from the world, he has not spoken to anyone.


The queen is in the counting house, her fingers in the 'till
The queen is busy counting the castle's wealth in the counting house.


There's something happening to the castle on the hill
Something unusual is happening to the castle on the hill.


The jester's telling jokes to everyone
The jester is trying to lighten the mood by telling jokes to all around.


Says, "Now he's gone, well, ain't it fun"
The jester is sarcastically saying how it is great fun that the king is gone.


There's whispers in the courtroom, "Is he crazy, is he ill?"
There are rumors and discussions in the courtroom regarding the king's condition.


Nobody has an answer but they keep on asking still
Although nobody knows, they keep on questioning.


And a friend of mine, one of the few
One of my very few friends


Has locked himself away like Howard Hughes
He has isolated himself like how Howard Hughes did.


They're trying to replace him but they know they never will
Although they are trying to replace him, they know they cannot get a substitute for him.


It ain't the same without him on the castle on the hill
The castle on the hill does not feel the same without him being there.


There's a wind of madness in the air
The castle's environment is mad and outrageous at the moment.


Since he's gone nobody seems to care
Since he is away, it does not seem like anyone cares anymore.


The court is disillusioned, everything is up for sale
The court is perplexed and unhappy, everything seems to be up for sale.


And the castle on the hill is like a boat without a sail
The castle on the hill resembles a ship without a sail which is directionless.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANDREW BELL, LAURENCE JOHN COLBERT, STEPHEN PAUL QUERALT, MARK STEPHEN GARDENER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@pennylane4083

The King's been in his bedroom for weeks
In exile from the world, he never speaks
The Queen is in the counting house, her fingers in the till
There's something happening to the Castle on the Hill

The jester's telling jokes to everyone
Says "Now he's gone, well ain't it fun"
There's whispers in the courtroom, "Is he crazy, is he ill?"
Nobody has an answer, but they keep on asking still

And a friend of mine, one of the few
Has locked himself away like Howard Hughes
They're trying to replace him but they know they never will
It ain't the same without him, on the Castle on the Hill

There's a wind of madness in the air
Since he's gone nobody seems to care
The court is disillusioned, everything is up for sale
And the Castle on the Hill is like a boat without a sail



All comments from YouTube:

@dylanmccaig5943

the real castle on the hill

@patrickmartens404

Probably the 2nd most emotional and sincere Ride song behind Vapor Trail...

@Babab.studio

thanks Ed Sheran for making me discover a good music like this!!!

@hernanquirozfrusciante

GRACIAS RIDE... GRACIAS ANDY BELL

@Santiago-me2df

i love it ! 💗

@pennylane4083

The King's been in his bedroom for weeks
In exile from the world, he never speaks
The Queen is in the counting house, her fingers in the till
There's something happening to the Castle on the Hill

The jester's telling jokes to everyone
Says "Now he's gone, well ain't it fun"
There's whispers in the courtroom, "Is he crazy, is he ill?"
Nobody has an answer, but they keep on asking still

And a friend of mine, one of the few
Has locked himself away like Howard Hughes
They're trying to replace him but they know they never will
It ain't the same without him, on the Castle on the Hill

There's a wind of madness in the air
Since he's gone nobody seems to care
The court is disillusioned, everything is up for sale
And the Castle on the Hill is like a boat without a sail

@jimihendrix6969

Thanks 2 U.

@bobthealien5169

SMOTH AS FUCK

@shrew972

a song for Alan?

@shoegazer93

Andy Bell wrote it about Mark I think

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