The Brothel
Susanne Sundfør Lyrics


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Purple pavements
Crooked fingers knocking on windows without souls
Bodies are swinging from rooftops and poles
Howling through hollows
Restless nights in one night cheap hotels
Oh, I'm only drifting to always come back

And I search for something
Oh, whatever I don't really care
Driving with their lights off they can be anywhere
Rolling down their windows
Open car with open mouths
Golden teeth and golden cards

You cover your eyes, you cover your mouth, you cover your ears
Still you follow my trail
I'll do it all, I'll do whatever you say, God has left me anyway

Lava laden pavements
Stars with stains and the heaven and afterglow
Beneath the ashes our echoes are buried alive
They are howling through hollows
Once we've shared their temple of halls
Now our heads are hung up on walls

We are ruins within ruins
On every corner a gladiator is begging for another century
When no one cut your tongue to know nothing and to know it all
To be both the animal and god

You cover your eyes, you cover your mouth, you cover your ears
Still you follow our trail
We'll do it all, we'll do whatever you say, God has left us anyway
You cover your eyes, you cover your mouth, you cover your ears
Still you follow our trail
We'll do it all, we'll do whatever you say, God has left us anyway

There are echoes in the garden is anybody listening
There are echoes lost in the garden is anybody listening




They whisper:
The ones who are only living are the ones who are only dying

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the song The Brothel by Susanne Sundfør are haunting and poetic, painting a picture of a world that has been left behind by God, where the only things left are ruins and echoes. The name of the song is a metaphor for the world's degradation, comparing it to a place of prostitution and exploitation. The first two stanzas show us the nihilistic atmosphere of a world that has no meaning, where people live in one-night cheap hotels and drive with their lights off, living recklessly because they have no direction, and no reason not to.


In the third verse, the lyrics shift to a more introspective tone, where the singer acknowledges her own degradation, her own participation in the world's decay, and her own detachment from everything. She acknowledges her will to be someone's pawn, to do whatever someone else wants, even if it's the last thing God wants. The fourth verse continues in the same vein, with the lyrics describing a world of gladiators where the only thing that matters is to survive, no matter the cost. The chorus repeats the same mantra of covering eyes, mouth, and ears, signifying the denial of a world that is crumbling.


In summary, The Brothel is a powerful song that speaks to a world that has lost its way, where people live without meaning, and where everything is disposable. The lyrics are an indictment of our society's nihilistic tendencies, where we refuse to acknowledge the consequences of our actions and choose instead to live recklessly and without direction.


Line by Line Meaning

Purple pavements
The color purple on the streets represents the sadness and desperation of the people who walk them.


Crooked fingers knocking on windows without souls
People are knocking on windows with no one behind them, lost and alone trying to find a way out.


Bodies are swinging from rooftops and poles
Suicide has become common here, with life seeming too unbearable to keep living.


Howling through hollows
Screaming into a void which never answers back, feeling hopeless and abandoned.


Restless nights in one night cheap hotels
People are living in cheap hotels with no place to call home and nowhere to go - they move from place to place without ever feeling settled.


Oh, I'm only drifting to always come back
The sense that no matter where you go, you always seem to come back to this desperate and desolate state.


And I search for something
Hopelessness has driven people to search for something - anything - that will bring them peace.


Oh, whatever I don't really care
People feel so lost and hopeless that they don't really care anymore - they just want the pain to end.


Driving with their lights off they can be anywhere
People are driving blindly without direction or purpose, as long as it takes them away from their current state of being.


Rolling down their windows
Trying to hold on to some sense of freedom and escape from the despair all around them.


Open car with open mouths
People are screaming out into the night, hoping to find some echo of their pain in someone else's suffering.


Golden teeth and golden cards
People are trying to cling to any symbol of luxury or success, hoping that it might bring them some sense of worth or meaning.


You cover your eyes, you cover your mouth, you cover your ears
In the face of unbearable pain and suffering, sometimes all we can do is try to shut it all out.


Still you follow my trail
But even when we try to hide from the pain, it always seems to catch up to us in the end.


I'll do it all, I'll do whatever you say, God has left me anyway
When all hope is lost, sometimes the only thing we can do is give in to whatever forces might still be guiding us, even if we don't believe in them anymore.


Lava laden pavements
The ground is hot and dangerous, and it feels like anyone could be swallowed up by the earth at any moment.


Stars with stains and the heaven and afterglow
Even the stars in the sky seem to have lost their shine and become stained with the ugliness of the world below.


Beneath the ashes our echoes are buried alive
People's voices and cries for help are being buried under the weight of violence and despair.


Once we've shared their temple of halls
There was a time when people gathered together in harmony and connection, but that time has passed and will never return.


Now our heads are hung up on walls
People's bodies and lives have been destroyed, and their memories are now displayed like trophies.


We are ruins within ruins
Even the things that once were beautiful in this world have become broken and decaying, with no hope of repair.


On every corner a gladiator is begging for another century
Everyone is fighting to stay alive, but it feels like there may be no future left for them to hope for.


When no one cut your tongue to know nothing and to know it all
Ignorance can be both a blessing and a curse - sometimes not knowing the truth is easier, but it means you'll never be able to find a way out of the pain.


To be both the animal and god
People have become both savage and divine, with no clear way to reconcile these two halves of themselves.


There are echoes in the garden is anybody listening
Even in the midst of all this pain and despair, there are still whispers of hope and connection, if only someone would listen.


They whisper
A faint voice of hope that speaks to people's pain.


The ones who are only living are the ones who are only dying
The people who seem to be living their lives are often the ones who are actually just waiting to die, too proud or too broken to ask for help.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LARS HORNTVETH, SUSANNE SUNDFOR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@tamaralee6334

Purple pavements
Crooked fingers knocking on windows without souls
Bodies are swinging from rooftops and poles
Howling through hollows
Restless nights in one night cheap hotels
Oh, I'm only drifting to always come back

And I search for something
Oh, whatever I don't really care
Driving with their lights off they can be anywhere
Rolling down their windows
Open car with open mouths
Golden teeth and golden cards

You cover your eyes, you cover your mouth, you cover your ears
Still you follow my trail
I'll do it all, I'll do whatever you say, God has left me anyway

Lava laiden pavements
Stars with stains and the heaven and afterglow
Beneath the ashes our echoes are buried alive
They are howling through hollows
Once we've shared their temple of halls
Now our heads are hung up on walls

We are ruins within ruins
On every corner a gladiator is begging for another century
When no one cut your tongue to know nothing and to know it all
To be both the animal and god

You cover your eyes, you cover your mouth, you cover your ears
Still you follow our trail
We'll do it all, we'll do whatever you say, God has left us anyway
You cover your eyes, you cover your mouth, you cover your ears
Still you follow our trail
We'll do it all, we'll do whatever you say, God has left us anyway

There are echoes in the garden is anybody listening
There are echoes lost in the garden is anybody listening
They whisper:
The ones who are only living are the ones who are only dying



@Madsa86

Susanne Sundfør - The Brothel

Purple pavements
Crooked fingers knocking on windows without souls
Bodies are swinging
From rooftops and poles

Howling through hollows
Restless nights in one-night cheap hotels 
Oh, am I only drifting
To always come back

Now I search for something
Oh, whatever, I don't really care
Driving with their lights off
They can be anywhere

Rolling down their windows
Open cardoors, open mouths
Golden teeth and golden cards

(You cover your eyes
You cover your mouth
You cover your ears)
Still you follow my trail
(I'll do it all
I'll do whatever you say)
God has left me anyway

Lava-laden pavements
Stars with stains 
Heaven and afterglow
Beneath these ashes are echoes
Buried alive

They are howling through hollows
Once we shared their temple halls
Now our heads are 
Hung up on walls

We are ruins within ruins
On every corner a gladiator 
Is begging for another century

When no one cut your tounge
To know nothing and to know it all
To be both the animal and the God

(You cover your eyes
You cover your mouth
You cover your ears)
Still you follow our trail
(We'll do it all
We'll do whatever you say)
God has left us anyway

(You cover your eyes
You cover your mouth
You cover your ears)
Still you follow our trail
(We'll do it all
We'll do whatever you say)
God has left us anyway

There are echoes in the garden
Is anybody listening?
There are echoes lost in the garden
Is anybody listening?
They whisper:
"The ones who are only living
Are the ones who are only dying"



All comments from YouTube:

@lysy540

Wow, I was in Norway during the last week of July, in Stavanger, and one evening this song was played. I froze, it embraced me with all of its beauty. It felt celestial. I turned on my camera on the spot and started recording. It's been more than three months now and I've finally found it!!!

@wuwu01

And 11 years later I'm finding this comment. Cheers man!

@Netmould

Going here regularly since 2012, this song is truly timeless. Its hauntingly, impossibly, bitterly beautiful...

I really want YouTube algorithm to pick up this song and recommend it to people.

@leod2408

9 years since the release and still one of the most beautiful songs ever written!

@MatthewLee90

I know right... It's such a shame these sort songs aren't dominating the hits chart. Such a shame.

@NATY-vk6jw

10 years 😁

@leod2408

@@NATY-vk6jw yepp .. 9 when i wrote the comment ! Take care

@alexanderschafer9175

Yeah, think so, too ❤️🙏

@catspaw72

Ifeel it too... Timeless piece

6 More Replies...

@mariakinnunen2284

"The ones who are only living are the ones who are only dying."

Susanne, I love your music. What a poet you are!

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