The Wailin' Jennys is a Canadian folk music trio originating in Winnipeg, M… Read Full Bio ↴The Wailin' Jennys is a Canadian folk music trio originating in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Their name is a pun on country singer Waylon Jennings. Since forming in 2002 when a local music shop brought together three solo acts for a performance, the trio has released a series of albums, two of which have won Juno Awards, Canada's top music industry award. Their album "40 Days" won the "Roots and Traditional Album of the Year by a Group" in 2005, as did their album "Bright Morning Stars" in 2012. They were also nominated for the same award in 2007 for "Firecracker". Over the years, the group has featured regularly on Garrison Keillor's live radio variety show "A Prairie Home Companion".

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Take It Down
The Wailin' Jennys Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Take everything that we've had
Take it and burn it to the ground
Some things were never meant to last
Take it down down down
Take it down

I'm still married to it all
That ain't no place to hand around

My love is fifty feet tall
Take it down down down
Take it down

And I've grown accustomed to the way
You hurled us into space
I'll never make that trip
Tears all rusted on my face
I'm just an empty place
Where your love used to fit

South Carolina, where are you?
You were once lost, now are found
The war is over, the battle's through
Take it down down down
Take it down

Take it down down down
Take it down

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song Take It Down by The Wailin' Jennys talk about a painful separation or divorce where the singer has accepted that certain things are not meant to last forever. The opening line, "Take everything that we've had, Take it and burn it to the ground," sets the tone for the rest of the song, where the singer is asking their former lover to destroy all the memories and mementos they have shared. However, the singer acknowledges that not everything can be burned down, and some things will remain forever within them, saying, "I'm still married to it all, My love is fifty feet tall." They ask their former lover to take everything down, and in doing so, they heal and move on.

The next stanza describes the pain and emptiness that the singer feels after being hurt by their former lover. They speak of growing accustomed to the hurtful behavior and being thrown into space. They also say that they "will never make that trip," indicating that they will never allow themselves to be hurt again. The final stanza is a metaphor for leaving behind a painful past and moving forward. The singer mentions South Carolina, symbolizing a new beginning, and the end of the war, meaning the end of their relationship. They ask for everything to be taken down once and for all so that they can move forward with their lives.

Line by Line Meaning

Take everything that we've had
Remove all the physical items that represented our relationship

Take it and burn it to the ground
Destroy all of it without leaving a trace

Some things were never meant to last
Accept that some things are only temporary

Take it down down down
Completely dismantle everything related to us

I'm still married to it all
I still have a deep connection to everything that represented our relationship

That ain't no place to hand around
But it's not healthy to hold onto it forever

My love is fifty feet tall
The emotions I feel are overwhelming and larger than life

And I've grown accustomed to the way
I've become used to how you treated me, even if it wasn't good

You hurled us into space
You threw us into the unknown with no regards for our well-being

I'll never make that trip
I'll never let myself be hurt like that again

Tears all rusted on my face
I've cried so much that the tears have dried up