Birmingham
Snow Machine Lyrics

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All the efforts spent to fail
Made this place a living hell
Now the best years of our life
Are fading vapor trails

Think tonight I'll just sleep in
Pull the sheets up to my chin
Drop the needle in the groove

And watch the record spin

Your eyes are tired
You're not the boy I knew
Birmingham is slowly killing you

So tell her
I'm the one you left behind
And I'll be here
Just in case you change your mind

Goodbye

Now the cut is overgrown
The old highway carved in snow
And I walk through Holland park
Wondering where the birds flown

Think tonight I'll just sleep in
Pull the sheets up to my chin
Drop the needle in the groove
And watch the record spin

Your eyes are tired
You're not the boy I knew
Birmingham is slowly killing you

So tell her
I'm the one you left behind
And I'll be here
Just in case you change your mind

You're free
And from the wound I'll be
Just someone you use to know

Oh I lived here my whole life
And never had that much to show
So tell her I said hello

Your eyes are tired
You're not the boy I knew
Birmingham is slowly killing you

So tell her
I'm the one you left behind
And I'll be here
Just in case you change your mind

Goodbye

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Snow Machine's song "Birmingham" are filled with a sense of disillusionment and resignation in the face of a life that seems to have passed by without much to show for it. The opening lines suggest that the singer has expended a lot of effort on something that ultimately failed, leaving them in a living hell. The phrase "fading vapor trails" brings to mind the fleeting nature of success, and how quickly it can disappear.

The chorus of the song centers around the idea that Birmingham (perhaps a metaphor for the singer's experiences in life) is slowly killing the person the singer is addressing. The verses expand on this theme, with images of an overgrown cut and a highway carved in snow, hinting at the passage of time and the inevitable changes that come with it.

The final verse underscores the sense of resignation that runs throughout the song, as the singer reflects on their own lack of accomplishments and notes that they never had much to show for their life. The final lines of the song - "tell her I said hello" - suggest that this is a goodbye of sorts, but also imply that there is nothing left to say or do.

Overall, "Birmingham" is a poignant reflection on the passage of time and the ways in which our efforts and experiences can shape and define us, even as we struggle against the inevitability of change.

Line by Line Meaning

All the efforts spent to fail
Every attempt to succeed has failed, making this place unbearable.

Made this place a living hell
The constant failures have turned this place into a miserable place to live.

Now the best years of our life
We wasted our prime years trying to make it work here.

Are fading vapor trails
Our past is just a distant memory, fading away like vapor trails in the sky.

Think tonight I'll just sleep in
I'll skip going out tonight and just stay in bed.

Pull the sheets up to my chin
I'll get comfortable under the covers to escape reality.

Drop the needle in the groove
I'll play some music to keep me company.

And watch the record spin
I'll watch the vinyl record spinning around.

Your eyes are tired
You look exhausted.

You're not the boy I knew
You have changed, and I don't recognize you anymore.

Birmingham is slowly killing you
Living in Birmingham is taking a toll on you, physically and emotionally.

So tell her
Pass on this message to her.

I'm the one you left behind
I'm still here, even though you left.

And I'll be here
I'll still be here for you.

Just in case you change your mind
In case you want to come back, I'll still be here for you.

Goodbye
The conversation and the message is ending.

Now the cut is overgrown
The wound has healed, and the scar has been left untouched for too long.

The old highway carved in snow
The past is still visible, etched into the snow.

And I walk through Holland park
I stroll through the park, reflecting on everything.

Wondering where the birds flown
I'm wondering where everything has gone and what I have left behind.

You're free
You're no longer tied down.

And from the wound I'll be
From the scar, I'll be someone you used to know.

Just someone you use to know
I'll just be a distant memory, someone you used to know.

Oh I lived here my whole life
I have spent my whole life here.

And never had that much to show
I haven't accomplished much here.

So tell her I said hello
Just pass on a greeting from me.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Anthem Entertainment
Written by: Dean McTaggart, Gerald Neil O'brien, David Michael Tyson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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