Sarah Dougher is an author, teacher, and singer-songwriter from Portland, O… Read Full Bio ↴Sarah Dougher is an author, teacher, and singer-songwriter from Portland, OR. Besides recording several solo albums, she has also played in The Lookers, The Crabs, and Cadallaca; she teaches a college course in ancient civilizations; she is the program manager of the Rock-n-Roll Summer Camp for Girls in Portland; is the author of Sent Out On the Tracks They Built: Sinophobia in Olympia, 1886, and the co-author of XXX: The Power of Sex in Contemporary Design, and 100 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers.

Her solo work includes Handmade Luck, Day One, and The Walls Ablaze. She also appears on several Crabs albums, and released an album and an EP in Cadallaca, a side project which includes Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker.

Fall Down
Sarah Dougher Lyrics

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Never heard it straight from you
I heard you done me wrong
Why am i the last to find out just what's going on?

Don't wanna know all your secrets
Just tell me one thing true
Just tell me what i meant
And what i mean to you

And now i just walk away
And leave you standin' there
It's not that i don't love you
And it's not that i don't care

And now i look over the rooftops
Of the houses in my new town
A hundred years to build up
And seconds to fall down
Fall down

Tell me the road of my life
Paved with bricks of gold
A hundred miles of walking
And hundred miles to go

Everything looks like a nail
With a hammer in your hand
Built this stupid crooked house
Upon the shifting sand

And now i just walk away
And leave you standing there
It's not that i don't love you
And it's not that i don't care

And now i look over the rooftops
Of the houses in my new town
A hundred years to build up

And seconds to fall down
Fall down

Overall Meaning

In Sarah Dougher's song "Fall Down", the lyrics explore a feeling of betrayal and confusion within a relationship. The singer has "never heard it straight" from their partner, and only learns through rumors and hearsay that they have been wronged. They plead with their partner to tell them "just one thing true", to give them some understanding of what they meant and mean to the other person. Yet despite their love and care for their partner, the singer ultimately decides to leave and walk away, watching the rooftops of their new town and contemplating the fleeting nature of life and relationships.

The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer feeling hurt and confused by their partner's actions. The use of the phrase "heard you done me wrong" suggests a lack of direct communication and an emphasis on gossip and rumors. The singer is frustrated that they are always the last to know, suggesting a lack of openness and honesty in their relationship. The second verse explores the singer's desire for some kind of truth or clarity, but also their understanding that they may not want to know everything - just the one thing that matters to them. The repetition of "it's not that I don't love you and it's not that I don't care" highlights the difficult decision to walk away despite their feelings.

Line by Line Meaning

Never heard it straight from you
I haven't heard the truth from you

I heard you done me wrong
I heard you betrayed me

Why am I the last to find out just what's going on?
Why wasn't I informed sooner about what happened?

Don't wanna know all your secrets
I don't want to know everything you've done

Just tell me one thing true
Tell me at least one truthful thing

Just tell me what I meant
Tell me what I meant to you

And what I mean to you
And what I continue to mean to you

And now I just walk away
I choose to leave and move on

And leave you standing there
And leave you behind

It's not that I don't love you
It's not that I don't have feelings for you

And it's not that I don't care
And it's not that I don't care about you