Fender was a teenager when he began performing in pubs throughout North Shields, England. He was spotted in a pub by Ben Howard's manager, Owain Davies, who then got him to support for Willy Mason.
Fender has gone on to release 2 studio albums (Hypersonic Missiles, 2019) (Seventeen Going Under, 2021) and play on the main stages of Festivals such as Reading & Leeds, TRSNMT and Glastonbury.
The Borders
Sam Fender Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody said we looked the same
You a little taller and broader and bolder
We were afraid of your mother
Hell, she used to hit you so hard
And your dad took off when you were a baby
And you still hate me for my dad stuck around
You pinned me to the ground
Pushing in my skull saying
You're gonna kill me if I tell
Never did and I never will
That house was living hell
Come on
I remember my mother
When she found a new man
And your mother thought she found a partner
And father for you
No wonder you can't stand me
I can't stand me too
I can't stand me too
Oh, your godmother repaired the anger in me
Spoke to me like I was an adult
Didn't take sides and didn't turn me against my dad
Then she took those pills and now she's gone
See her in the night
There in the corner of my eye
And I see her in the night
Heard you glassed a boy back in The Borders
Some naughty family boys are after you
You pinned me to the wall and said my mother
Stole your inheritance from you
Oh yeah?
We ain't got a penny between us
Holding up this tin that we live in
You pinned me to the wall and smashed a bottle
Your eyes, the door to hell and all within
Ha
The lyrics of Sam Fender's song The Borders is a reflection of the relationship between the two individuals. The song is about two best friends or brothers, who face the turbulence in their friendship due to their respective family issues. The lyrics begin with Fender talking about the similarities between the two individuals, how everyone used to presume the two of them to be brothers, but in actuality, they were just friends. However, the differences soon become evident as Fender talks about the individual being taller and broader than him, and the two living in starkly different family households. Fender describes how the other individual's mother used to hit him hard, and his father left him when he was a baby. In contrast, Fender's father stayed behind, leading to resentment between the two of them.
Fender reminisces how his mother found a new partner, and the other individual's mother thought she found the perfect partner for her son. The individual, however, couldn't stand Fender for the same reason he hated himself. To overcome this anguish, Fender's godmother played a crucial role in his life, helping him deal with the anger brewing within him. However, she dies after consuming pills, leaving behind sadness and emptiness. The last verse talks about a confrontation in which the other individual pins Fender to the wall and accuses his mother of stealing his inheritance, sparking anger and resentment. Fender describes the fervor in the individual's eyes, making it seem like a portal to hell.
Overall, The Borders is a song that talks about the relationship between two individuals, who drift apart due to their individual family issues. The lyrics depict how the impact of family issues and the negative experiences one undergoes within the family manifests in one's personal relationships. Moreover, the song is Sam Fender's tribute to his hometown, North Shields, and his upbringing there.
Line by Line Meaning
We were like brothers
We were really close, probably closer than most brothers
Everybody said we looked the same
People often mistook us for each other
You a little taller and broader and bolder
You were bigger and more confident than me
We were afraid of your mother
Your mother was really scary and we were afraid of her
Hell, she used to hit you so hard
Your mother was physically abusive towards you
And your dad took off when you were a baby
Your dad abandoned you when you were born
And you still hate me for my dad stuck around
You resent the fact that my dad was there for me when yours wasn't
You pinned me to the ground
You had me trapped and couldn't move
Eight years old with a replica gun
I was a young child holding a fake gun
Pushing in my skull saying
You were pressing the barrel of the gun against my head
You're gonna kill me if I tell
You threatened me into silence
Never did and I never will
I never told anyone about what happened
That house was living hell
The house we grew up in was a terrible place to live
I remember my mother
I recall my own mother and her actions
When she found a new man
When my mother started dating someone new
And your mother thought she found a partner
Your mother also found someone new to date and thought he would be good for you
And father for you
She hoped this new person could fill the void left by your absent father
No wonder you can't stand me
It's understandable why you dislike me
I can't stand me too
I also have my own issues and don't like myself very much
Oh, your godmother repaired the anger in me
Your godmother helped me deal with my anger issues
Spoke to me like I was an adult
She treated me with respect and maturity
Didn't take sides and didn't turn me against my dad
She was impartial and didn't try to sway me against my father
Then she took those pills and now she's gone
Unfortunately, she passed away from an overdose
See her in the night
I still think about her, especially at night
There in the corner of my eye
I can almost see her presence in the shadows
Heard you glassed a boy back in The Borders
I heard that you got into a fight and hurt someone in your hometown
Some naughty family boys are after you
You are being sought after by some troublemaking individuals from your past
You pinned me to the wall and said my mother
You confronted me and accused my mother of stealing something from you
Stole your inheritance from you
You believe my mother took something that was rightfully yours
Oh yeah?
Is that so?
We ain't got a penny between us
Neither of us have any money to speak of
Holding up this tin that we live in
We are living in a run-down and poverty-stricken area
You pinned me to the wall and smashed a bottle
You got physical with me and used a bottle as a weapon
Your eyes, the door to hell and all within
Your eyes seem incredibly menacing and hold a darkness within them
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Sam Fender
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jackbrown4697
This guy will be considered a legend in the future, the most promising artist this country has seen for a very long time, I hope this guy continues to write great songs and keep amazing us
@21hazza
Definitely. This is timeless, unlike most of the crap which comes out today.
@jackbrown4697
@Harry Cox definitely agree with you, I'm becoming a massive Sam Fender fan at the moment, I hope he stays this good, he seems like the kind of guy that will write great songs no matter what is going on around him, the Bob Dylan of our time in that respect
@jackbrown4697
@Ossarian strongly disagree
@jackbrown4697
@Ossarian again your opinion, this happens to be mine, respect it or leave the comment section
@jackbrown4697
@Ossarian read the comment again, I said in terms of how he write his songs, he is a modern day Bob Dylan, I didnt say he was Bob Dylan
@nathantorode4871
Sam Fender is absolutely killing it right now. He’s without a doubt the best uk artist on the scene.
@finnpeters7867
Nathan Torode one of
@Fisky-ww6ee
Finn Lxke he is
@williamohman5469
I'd say it is hard to argue that anyone other than The 1975 is the best on the UK scene right now. But Fender is gonna be huge for sure