Altar
Sir Sly Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Stars are just wishes come true
Yeah

I used to worship at your altar
Underneath the covers
I used to worship at your altar
I used to think I was your lover
So what did I do?
Was it my fault?
Could I have changed it?
And why did you go?
It's not like you're blameless
You should be ashamed of how you behaved
Making that thing some kind of game
Holding my hand, telling me meet me in five years
(I use to worship)
Five years
(At your altar, yeah)

But you're a different kind of person
Not the person that I once knew
Not the girl I fell in love with
Not the god I made you into

You do what you want
Sleep with who you want
I can't stop you
Even if I try, the whole time, you will lie
Then you give me one more line, about doing lines
You say that you're just living your life
That I should do my time, but I already did my time

I used to worship at your altar
I thought you'd wash away my pain
I thought your name made you a river
After all it's just a name

(So what did I do?)
(Was it my fault?)
I used to worship
(Could I have changed it?)
At your altar
(And why did you go?)
(It's not like you're blameless)

I used to worship
(So what did I do?)
(Was it my fault?)
At your altar
(Could I have changed it?)

You do what you want
Sleep with who you want
I can't stop you
Even if I try, the whole time, you will lie
Then you give me one more line about doing lines
You're on my mind

Oh, yeah, that's right, but I am fine
Yeah, I'm alive, I'm alive
I won't worship at your shrine again
And no I do not want to be your friend
I feel relieved to know that one day all of this will end
Such a weight off of my shoulders
Momma told us: Remember, you're not infinite
It's better not to speak and maybe you should get to listening
Don't you worry about the money, honey, or the internet
'Cause you're alive, 'cause you're alive
Baby, you're alive




No need to worship at an altar (crying)
No need to worship at an altar

Overall Meaning

The song Altar by Sir Sly seems to be about a toxic relationship that has ended, and the singer is grappling with the aftermath of it. The opening lines "Stars are just wishes come true" suggest that the singer had high hopes and romanticized the relationship as something magical in the beginning. However, as the song progresses, he realizes that things were not as they seemed. The lines "I used to worship at your altar" and "I used to think I was your lover" reveal the singer's intense devotion to his partner, almost as if he had put her on a pedestal and turned her into a god-like figure. He wonders what he could have done differently to save the relationship and feels hurt that she betrayed him. He also seems to be struggling with the idea of letting go of the relationship, as seen in the lines "No need to worship at an altar."


The song's bridge, "You do what you want, Sleep with who you want, I can't stop you," signifies the singer's acceptance of the situation and is a nod to the fact that he cannot control the other person's actions. The line "Then you give me one more line about doing lines" is an allusion to drug addiction and suggests that the singer's partner might have used it to cope with the stress of the relationship.


Overall, the song's theme seems to be about the consequences of investing too much in a relationship without considering the other person's imperfections. The singer realizes that putting someone on a pedestal is an unrealistic expectation and tries to move on from the toxic relationship.


Line by Line Meaning

Stars are just wishes come true
The singer starts off by emphasizing that many may see stars as something magical, but in reality, they're just distant balls of gas that people have attached meaning to.


I used to worship at your altar
The singer used to idolize someone they were in love with and saw them as a higher power.


Underneath the covers
The singer may have had a physical relationship with the person they used to worship.


I used to think I was your lover
The artist thought they were in a romantic relationship with someone they worshipped.


So what did I do?
The artist is asking themselves what they did to push away their former lover.


Could I have changed it?
The singer is questioning if they could've done anything differently to prevent the breakup.


And why did you go?
The singer is wondering why their former lover left them.


It's not like you're blameless
The artist believes their former lover is partially at fault for the end of the relationship.


You should be ashamed of how you behaved
The artist believes their former lover should feel guilty for their actions.


Making that thing some kind of game
The artist believes their former lover turned their relationship into a game instead of taking it seriously.


Holding my hand, telling me meet me in five years
The singer recalls a specific moment in the past where their former lover promised a future meeting, which never took place.


But you're a different kind of person
The artist admits that their former lover has changed into someone different from who they knew before.


Not the person that I once knew
The singer is saddened by the fact that their former lover is no longer the same person they fell in love with.


Not the girl I fell in love with
The singer specifically remembers their former lover as a girl and wishes they were still the same girl they fell for.


Not the god I made you into
The singer realizes they had elevated their former lover's status to something of a deity in their eyes, but is now disillusioned.


You do what you want
The artist acknowledges that they no longer have any control over their former lover's actions or decisions.


Sleep with who you want
The artist specifically brings up the fact that their former lover may have moved on and is now sleeping with other people.


Even if I try, the whole time, you will lie
The singer believes their former lover is untrustworthy and will continue to deceive them.


Then you give me one more line, about doing lines
The singer is frustrated by their former lover's drug use and feels like it's just another line of excuses.


You say that you're just living your life
The artist feels like their former lover is justifying their actions and not taking any responsibility for their behavior.


That I should do my time, but I already did my time
The artist believes they've already suffered enough from the pain of the breakup and shouldn't have to deal with any more consequences.


I thought you'd wash away my pain
The artist believed their former lover would help them cope with their emotional pain and heal their wounds.


I thought your name made you a river
The singer associated their former lover's name with a source of emotional healing and rejuvenation, like a river.


Such a weight off of my shoulders
The artist is relieved to finally let go of their former lover and the emotional burden they've been carrying around.


No need to worship at an altar
The singer realizes that they no longer need to idolize anyone and can free themselves from the emotional attachment they had to their former lover.




Writer(s): Hayden Coplen, Peter Yorke, Jason Suwito, Landon Jacobs

Contributed by Leo T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Oz Alice

tars are just wishes come true
Yeah

I used to worship at your altar
Underneath the covers
I used to worship at your altar
I used to think I was your lover

So what did I do?
Was it my fault?
Could I have changed it?
And why did you go?
It's not like you're blameless
You should be ashamed of how you behaved
Making that thing some kind of game
Holding my hand, telling me meet me in five years
(I use to worship, at your altar)
Five years

But you're a different kind of person
Not the person that I once knew
Not the girl I fell in love with
Not the god I made you into

You do what you want
Sleep with who you want
I can't stop you
Even if I try, the whole time, you will lie
Then you give me one more line about doing lines
You say that you're just living your life
That I should do my time, but I already did my time

I used to worship at your altar
I thought you'd wash away my pain
Thought your name made you a river
After all it's just a name

So what did I do?
Was it my fault?
Could I have changed it?
And why did you go?
It's not like you're blameless
Was it my fault?
Could I have changed it?

You do what you want
Sleep with who you want
I can't stop you
Even if I try, the whole time, you will lie
Then you give me one more line about doing lines
You're on my mind

Oh, yeah, that's right, but I am fine
Yeah, I'm alive, I'm alive
I won't worship at your shrine again
And no I do not want to be your friend
I feel relieved to know that one day all of this will end
Such a weight off of my shoulders
Momma told us, "Remember, you're not infinite
It's better not to speak and maybe you should get to listening
Don't you worry about the money, honey, or the internet
Cause you're alive, cause you're alive
Baby, you're alive."
No need to worship at an altar
No need to worship at an altar



Fabian Koz

Oh, yeah, that's right, but I am fine (GLOOOOORYYYY)
Yeah, I'm alive, I'm alive (GLOOOOORYYYYYYYYY)

We have experience.
We know who to not let into our hearts, gentlemen.
The world removes people from our lives because it has heard conversations that we have not heard.

After a year of breaking up, I feel free, despite the fact that every old place that I visit alone for the first time evokes memory and attempts to idealize that person, so fate took matters into their own hands and did not allow me to defend and support someone who never reciprocated at the end abandoning my big heart for a guy she does not love and who is only a bridge to the realization of her cold existential and status plans .... But only in this situation I found out who she is .... Without that, I would not know who I live with. .. Sometimes painful experiences can bring us a message that we did not want to accept from other people or situations close to us.

This song just reminds me that I won something, something that can't be put around your neck like a medal, can't be won in a competition.

Contrary to first impression, heartbreak is one of the greatest lessons for our lives.
They repeat until we learn what mathematical operation we are and what number will create with us an infinite series of love results.



You are the most important person in your own story, not "she", or someone else but you.

Ty Sir Sly for this song.

<3



All comments from YouTube:

Podsixia

Such amazing versatility from these guys. And purely incredible songwriting. If this song came out from a well-known R&B artist, it would get radio play and be on the charts.

orangejewsify

The vocal performance on this song along with the production is top notch.

Apple Guy

Thank you for making me realize that I am alive and the girl who I fell for doesn’t need an altar. I am alive, and everything will be okay. Shit sucks getting your hopes up, but it’ll be fine

Rowan Metztli

His voice will always be enough for me <3

Vripiat Buzoi

Wow.. this is at another level. Never heard anything like this. So unique, free flowing, and awesome.

Paulo

I can't compare with anything I heard before, It's original and great.

Margeaux Duke

This is definitely different from a typical song of theirs, but I'm not complaining. I think it's a nice sound

James Acret

Real
?

Imagin.e.ternity

typical? nothing they make is typical LOL

rafael

I just can't express how proud I am about you guys, I mean, it's just amazing what this band has been doing since the past years, and this song... DAMN! Sorry, Sir Sly, but I worship at your altar. Keep doing this awesome work!!

More Comments

More Versions