Fists Up
The Blow Lyrics
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My hopes have blossomed
And my hopes have fried
I tried to cut them all down,
But I found hopes were still living deep inside,
Like a team of renegade lovers
Working long hours, sneaking around
With a belief in the life of our love,
Of a long tunnel, a struggle
Fists up!
For all their faith in what they've seen in your face
They really do believe that if
They hang on long enough
That you'll come around
And finally let it show,
And all their hopes will be rewarded
For their impetus to grow
A Utopian peace could fall across the land
You'll reach over for my hand
You'll really want to hold my hand
And I don't want to come to the point of this song,
Because the point of this song
Would have to be "so long"
It gets hard
The vigilantes can't agree on who's in charge
They gave their souls for the cause,
But the love that they were after is still at large
See this faith in which they found allegiance
Ripping at the seams as hope is running it's course
The rebels just can't muster the force
To walk the thin line between belief and delusion
And fists up!
For all their faith in what they've seen in your face
They really did believe
That if they'd hung on long enough
That you'd come around
And finally let it show
And all their hopes would be rewarded
For their impetus to grow
Utopian peace would fall across the land
You'd reach over for my hand,
You'd have really wanted to hold my hand
And I don't want to come to the point of this song
because the point of this song
would have to be "so long" [long long long long long long long]
It was perfect, you know,
With just one little problem,
The fact that it turns out
You don't really want it
My love is a fortress,
My love is the Louvre,
But it can't ever thrive
If I'm forced to keep proving it
It was perfect, you know,
With just one little problem,
The fact that it turns out
You don't really want it
My love is a fortress,
My love is the Louvre,
But it can't ever thrive
If I'm forced to keep proving it
It was perfect, you know,
With just one little problem,
The fact that it turns out
You don't really want it
My love is a fortress,
My love is the Louvre,
But it can't ever thrive
If I'm forced to keep proving it
It was perfect, you know,
With just one little problem,
The fact that it turns out
You don't really want it
My love is a fortress,
My love is the Louvre,
But it can't ever thrive
If I'm forced to keep proving it
Ah, ah ah, ah ah-ah ah-ah, ah
Ah, ah ah, ah ah-ah, ah
Ah, ah ah, ah ah-ah ah-ah, ah
Ah, ah ah, ah ah-ah, ah
It was perfect, you know,
With just one little problem,
The fact that it turns out
You don't really want it
My love is a fortress,
My love is the Louvre,
But it can't ever thrive
If I'm forced to keep proving it
The Blow's song Fists Up is a powerful anthem about holding on to hope and fighting for love even in the face of challenges and disappointment. The opening lines describe the singer's struggles with hope: they have tried to cut it down, but it refuses to die, and is embodied in a "team of renegade lovers" who persist in their belief in their love's power to sustain them even in the midst of a struggle. The chorus calls for fists up in recognition of the struggle, and for the heroes who have faith in the love on which they hang their hopes.
In the second verse, however, the song shifts to describe the challenges of holding onto hope and love in the face of adversity. The "vigilantes" who have helped to build the love and hope have lost their way, unable to agree on how to make the dream a reality. The belief and allegiance they once felt in the cause is "ripping at the seams," and the rebels themselves cannot maintain the thin line between belief and delusion. The repetition of the chorus in this context takes on a more poignant tone, as it questions the possibility of ever realizing the utopian peace those with fists up so longed for. The final lines of the song return to the central message of the power of love, but with a tinge of sadness: the singer's love is a fortress, but it cannot thrive with the constant demand to prove it.
Overall, Fists Up is a song about persisting in hope, even when it seems impossible, and the necessity of collective action in order to create a better future. The song showcases The Blow's talent for both insightful lyrics and catchy, pop-infused melodies.
Line by Line Meaning
I have tried
I have put in effort
My hopes have blossomed
My expectations have developed and grown
And my hopes have fried
But my expectations have also been destroyed
I tried to cut them all down,
I attempted to remove those expectations
But I found hopes were still living deep inside,
But I discovered those expectations still exist within me
Like a team of renegade lovers
Like a group of rebellious romantics
Working long hours, sneaking around
Working hard while keeping their passion hidden
With a belief in the life of our love,
With faith in the future of their relationship
Like a light at the end at the end
Like a beacon of hope
Of a long tunnel, a struggle
In a difficult journey
Fists up!
Raise your hands in solidarity
For all their faith in what they've seen in your face
For all the trust they have in you based on your actions
They really do believe that if
They truly believe that when
They hang on long enough
They persist for a sufficient time
That you'll come around
You'll change your mind
And finally let it show,
And finally reveal your true feelings
And all their hopes will be rewarded
And all their expectations will come true
For their impetus to grow
For their drive to progress
A Utopian peace could fall across the land
A perfect society could become a reality
You'll reach over for my hand
You'll make a gesture of affection towards me
You'll really want to hold my hand
You'll genuinely desire to hold my hand
And I don't want to come to the point of this song,
And I don't want to reach the conclusion of this piece
Because the point of this song
Because the central message of this piece
Would have to be "so long"
Would signify that we have to part ways
It gets hard
It becomes difficult
The vigilantes can't agree on who's in charge
The rebels can't come to a consensus about leadership
They gave their souls for the cause,
They have sacrificed themselves for their beliefs
But the love that they were after is still at large
But the fulfillment they seek is still elusive
See this faith in which they found allegiance
Observe the trust in which they have placed their loyalty
Ripping at the seams as hope is running it's course
Beginning to unravel as hope takes its natural path
The rebels just can't muster the force
The insurgents can't gather the strength
To walk the thin line between belief and delusion
To balance their convictions with practicality
It was perfect, you know,
It seemed ideal, you understand,
With just one little problem,
Except for a small issue,
The fact that it turns out
The truth that surfaces
You don't really want it
You do not truly desire it
My love is a fortress,
My love is a stronghold,
My love is the Louvre,
My love is a cultural masterpiece,
But it can't ever thrive
But it cannot prosper
If I'm forced to keep proving it
If I am compelled to continue demonstrating it
Ah, ah ah, ah ah-ah ah-ah, ah
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Ah, ah ah, ah ah-ah, ah
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Ah, ah ah, ah ah-ah ah-ah, ah
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Ah, ah ah, ah ah-ah, ah
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Contributed by Abigail B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.