No Longer There
The Cat Empire Lyrics


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And though you'd like to hear a song
That sings everything's all right
The temperature is warm
The fire horses sleep
So gently comes the night

You close your eyes and stare
The ground they're on is bare
But once it was as deep
As wildest giants dreams
It's no longer there

And all of our desires
They mirror skies with flames
And smoke out heaven's halls
Who was that you called
They're no longer there

Here it goes again
Here it goes again
Here it goes again

What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead?
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept
What would you leave behind when those who bear your name
Are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?

Would you sail to distant shores?
And hide within the hills
And softly close your doors
Pretend the world is safe
And wait for heaven's call

Or would you turn and face the seas
And come beside your cave
There's chance but if you dare
And swift as honour's steeds
Before it's no longer there

Here it goes again
Here it goes agaaain
Here it goes aga .. ain!

What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead?
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept
What would you leave behind
When those who bear your name are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?

To deny or to despair
It's really just the same
Everything between
It means we have to change
Cos when a one forgets
The world begins to fade
And all the shapes and shades
That made the colours see




When they suddenly turned grey
That they're no longer there

Overall Meaning

The Cat Empire's song No Longer There uses metaphor and symbolic imagery throughout the lyrics to convey its message. The song starts with a desire to hear a song that reassures that everything is all right. The serene setting of the warm temperature and sleeping fire horses sets the mood. However, as the song progresses, the lyrics reveal a deeper theme of loss and regret. The “bare ground” represents the decay of something that was once magnificent. The “wildest giant’s dreams” imply the enormity of what was lost – not just something small but a significant part of society. The line "It's no longer there" is repeated, emphasizing the magnitude of the loss.


The second verse of the song suggests that our desires have led to destruction in the world. The “territories” and “cities” are dead and drowned because of our actions. The line "What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?" questions the legacy we leave behind once we've gone. The chorus repeats with "Here it goes again," signifying that it is never too late to make a change. The last verse challenges us to take a stand and face the problems, rather than hiding from them. The song ends with the line, "When they suddenly turned grey, that they're no longer there," emphasizing that the loss is final and cannot be undone.


Overall the song No Longer There by The Cat Empire presents a powerful message about the consequences of our actions and the importance of taking responsibility for our decisions. It encourages listeners to make a positive contribution to society before it is too late.


Line by Line Meaning

And though you'd like to hear a song
Although one desires to listen to a happy song


That sings everything's all right
Which assures that everything is fine


The temperature is warm
The weather is pleasant


The fire horses sleep
Even the furious things are calm and peaceful


So gently comes the night
Gradually, the darkness approaches


You close your eyes and stare
As you shut your eyes and look


The ground they're on is bare
The land they are standing on is barren


But once it was as deep
But it was once broad and deep


As wildest giants dreams
As grand as colossal creatures' fantasies


It's no longer there
It is now gone and lost forever


And all of our desires
Each one of our aspirations


They mirror skies with flames
Reflects the sky that is ablaze with fire


And smoke out heaven's halls
And smoke filled the corridors of heaven


Who was that you called
Who's that you were calling for?


They're no longer there
They are not present anymore


Here it goes again
Here it goes again


Here it goes again
Here it goes again


Here it goes again
Here it goes again


What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead?
When all your property is destroyed, what will you leave behind?


When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept
When your lands are arid, and your cities are submerged


What would you leave behind when those who bear your name
What will you give to the generations who will remember you?


Are born in that place that you wrecked?
Who belong to the area that you annihilated?


What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?
What will you be remembered for when you don't exist anymore?


Would you sail to distant shores?
Would you travel far to escape the situation?


And hide within the hills
Are you going to conceal yourself among the mountains?


And softly close your doors
Shut the door quietly


Pretend the world is safe
Act as if everything is protected


And wait for heaven's call
And wait for salvation


Or would you turn and face the seas
else will you confront the challenges?


And come beside your cave
Return to your shelter


There's chance but if you dare
You may have a chance, but it requires courage


And swift as honour's steeds
And as quickly as righteous horses


Before it's no longer there
Before it disappears forever


To deny or to despair
To refuse to believe or be unhappy


It's really just the same
It is precisely the same


Everything between
Everything in this range


It means we have to change
This necessitates us to alter and transform


Cos when a one forgets
Because when we forget


The world begins to fade
This world begins to fade away


And all the shapes and shades
And all the tones and colors


That made the colours see
That made all the colors visible


When they suddenly turned grey
When they promptly became dull


That they're no longer there
When all of those colors disappear




Contributed by Julia D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Jeffery Mistich

And though you'd like to hear a song
That sings everything's all right
The temperature is warm
The fire horses sleep
So gently comes the night
Now close your eyes and stare
The ground they're on is bare
But once it was as deep
And wild as giants' dreams
It's no longer there
And all of our desires
Could mirror skies with flames
And smoke out heaven's halls
Who was that you called?
They're no longer there
Here it goes again
Here it goes again
Here it goes again
What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept?
What would you leave behind when those who bear your name
Are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?
Would you sail to distant shores
And hide within the haze?
Softly close your door
Pretend the world was saved
And wait for heaven's call?
Or would you turn and face the sea
And calm decide you care?
There's chance but if you dare
And swift as honour's steeds
Before it's no longer there
Here it goes again
Here it goes agaaain
Here it goes aga . ain!
What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept?
What would you leave behind when those who bear your name
Are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?
To deny or to despair
They're really just the same
And everything between
It means we have to change
Cos when a one forgets
Their world begins to fade
And all the shapes and shades
That made their colours see
Well they suddenly turn grey
Then they're no longer there



All comments from YouTube:

JubJubtheWonderHippo

"To deny or to despair, they're really just the same, but everything between, it means we have to change." Such an amazing line, love it.

Kenneth Cooper

One of the very best and talented group of musicians ever to have come out of Australia. very underrated and one of the nicest group of guys you could ever imagine.

Briannah Riordan

The Cat Empire is such a special band to me and in my books go own in history as one of the best bands in the world. One of my favourite memories is flying in Peru and the whole sky was covered with the most beautiful flat white cloud so thick you couldn't see anything under it except some mountains towards the end of the flight and the sunlight reflected off of the clouds like something I had never seen, I don't know if heaven is real but if it is I saw the pathway that day with no longer there playing in my headphones i cannot describe the feeling or how precious this moment was and what it still means to me to this day, these guys made something special and I'm sad I never had the chance to see them live. I wish I could add a picture with this comment to show the beauty I saw.

Eva Gockowski

I'm in love with The Cat Empire.

TeamSkulte

Agree 100%, they are also even better when performing live. Cat Empire, come back to London!

Jasmine White

So beautiful, I love all your work Cat Empire. Inspiring <3

Bouwn

I love all of you guys, and I just got here from a random fan animation I saw. Crazy good sound, and so unique!

Anna Torres

Amo este grupo musical...

Jeffery Mistich

And though you'd like to hear a song
That sings everything's all right
The temperature is warm
The fire horses sleep
So gently comes the night
Now close your eyes and stare
The ground they're on is bare
But once it was as deep
And wild as giants' dreams
It's no longer there
And all of our desires
Could mirror skies with flames
And smoke out heaven's halls
Who was that you called?
They're no longer there
Here it goes again
Here it goes again
Here it goes again
What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept?
What would you leave behind when those who bear your name
Are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?
Would you sail to distant shores
And hide within the haze?
Softly close your door
Pretend the world was saved
And wait for heaven's call?
Or would you turn and face the sea
And calm decide you care?
There's chance but if you dare
And swift as honour's steeds
Before it's no longer there
Here it goes again
Here it goes agaaain
Here it goes aga . ain!
What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept?
What would you leave behind when those who bear your name
Are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?
To deny or to despair
They're really just the same
And everything between
It means we have to change
Cos when a one forgets
Their world begins to fade
And all the shapes and shades
That made their colours see
Well they suddenly turn grey
Then they're no longer there

mirandy28

I was up front during their last hour tonight. It was amazing.

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