Martyr
Rusted Root Lyrics


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Hey mister, can you help me sir
I plead, plead for your sympathy
Rains came, pounded us down again
Your horizons they crawled up to my chin.
I started to, drown in your visions
I looked through your windows
As they flew through the air
All I could find was a river in pieces

How long, shall we play the martyr
See your misery.

Rains came pounded us down well again.
Hey mister come down and see
Through your weakness I shed my skin.
Open wide to my spirit.

I looked through your windows
As they flew through the air
I was left swirling in your pool of aggression

How long, Shall we play the martyr.
Hey mister come down and see
See your misery.

How long, Shall we play the martyr.




Hey mister come down and see
See your misery.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Martyr" by Rusted Root present a plea for help from someone who has been pounded down by the rains of life. The singer is asking for sympathy from a person who seems to have a higher position in life as expressed through lines such as "Your horizons they crawled up to my chin." The singer admits to feeling drowned in the visions of the person they are speaking to and looks through their windows only to find "a river in pieces." This could potentially symbolize a broken and fragmented worldview that is now causing the person to reach out for help.


The chorus of the song repeats the question "How long, shall we play the martyr?" The use of the word martyr in this context suggests that the singer or someone they know has been suffering for too long, sacrificially bearing the weight of some problem or situation without anyone to turn to. The song challenges the idea of suffering needlessly and insists that it is time to address the situation and seek help. The song ends with a plea for the person being spoken to to see clearly their own misery and come down to help.


Line by Line Meaning

Hey mister, can you help me sir
The singer is asking someone for help.


I plead, plead for your sympathy
The singer is begging for the person's understanding.


Rains came, pounded us down again
The singer is referring to a difficult time, possibly a storm.


Your horizons they crawled up to my chin.
The difficult time has affected the person so much that it feels overwhelming.


I started to, drown in your visions
The person is being overwhelmed by another's perspective and is struggling to maintain their own sense of self.


I looked through your windows
The singer is observing the other person's life.


As they flew through the air
The other person's life is in a state of chaos or turmoil.


All I could find was a river in pieces
The artist cannot find anything positive in the other person's situation.


How long, shall we play the martyr
The artist is questioning how much longer they can endure a difficult situation before it becomes unbearable.


See your misery.
The artist is directing the other person to see the impact of their actions.


Rains came pounded us down well again.
The person is referring to a recurring difficult time or situation.


Hey mister come down and see
The artist is still asking for the other person's attention.


Through your weakness I shed my skin.
The singer has been forced to grow and change due to the other person's actions.


Open wide to my spirit.
The singer is asking the other person to be open and accepting of them.


I was left swirling in your pool of aggression
The other person's anger or negativity has affected the singer negatively.


See your misery.
The artist is again directing the other person to see the impact of their actions.


How long, Shall we play the martyr.
The artist is repeating their question about how much longer they can endure before they break.


Hey mister come down and see
The singer is still asking for the other person's attention.


See your misery.
The singer is again directing the other person to see the impact of their actions.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JENN WERTZ, JIM DISPIRITO, JIM DONOVAN, JOHN BUYNAK, LIZ BERLIN, MICHAEL GLABICKI, PATRICK NORMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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