Fifty on Our Foreheads
White Lies Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

On the cusp of Vessel 18
A look of terror in our eyes
The moonlight licked the face of danger
Innocence made us like soldiers
Untouchable and golden
The quilt of darkness dotted with our teardrops

I know you're sad I'm leaving
So this may hurt a little
But girl look from your window late tonight
You think my heart is frozen
While yours is slowly grieving
You'll see the boy you loved start burning in the sky

We were a dozen to the project
With a galaxy of questions
And all we heard was lies about the truth
No choice but be obedient
Like prisoners of war
Caught on the wrong side of morality and youth

We thought about our loved ones
Tallied fifty on our foreheads
With the pen your mother gave me in the Spring
The sun beat at the windows
Within an hour James had cracked
Left the ship and died still clinging to the wings

Start burning in the sky
Start burning in the sky
Start burning in the sky
Start burning in the sky




Start burning in the sky
Start burning in the sky

Overall Meaning

In the first verse of White Lies's song Fifty on Our Foreheads, the scene opens up on "the cusp of Vessel 18", which suggests a ship or spacecraft. The singer hints that there was danger in the air, as the "look of terror" was evident in everyone's eyes. The moonlight adds a sense of ominousness to the scene by highlighting the lurking peril. Though the crew might have been innocent and golden as children, their immersion into the project and the realities of their youth means that they are no longer invincible. The darkness that envelops the crew is reminiscent of a quilt dotted with their teardrops, which represents both the comfort of familiarity and the despair that haunts it.


In the second verse, the singer speaks directly to someone they love. The person they address seems to be unable to believe that the singer's heart is not frozen, and that they're not affected by the tragedy that they're about to experience. The singer encourages them to look out their window that night and see their spirit burning in the sky, which expresses a sense of sacrifice and martyrdom. The singer's ultimate hope is that the one they leave behind will understand that their love didn't die with them.


Line by Line Meaning

On the cusp of Vessel 18
We were at the brink of undertaking an important task


A look of terror in our eyes
We were scared but tried to hide it


The moonlight licked the face of danger
The moonlight highlighted the risks we were taking


Innocence made us like soldiers
Our lack of experience made us feel like we were soldiers


Untouchable and golden
We felt invincible and precious


The quilt of darkness dotted with our teardrops
We were crying, but the darkness helped to hide our tears


I know you're sad I'm leaving
I'm aware that you're upset that I'm departing


So this may hurt a little
Saying goodbye might be painful for both of us


But girl look from your window late tonight
Perhaps seeing a shooting star will give you some comfort


You think my heart is frozen
You believe that I don't have any feelings


While yours is slowly grieving
But you're the one that's really hurting


You'll see the boy you loved start burning in the sky
You'll see a glimmer of hope or a bright future without me


We were a dozen to the project
There were twelve of us involved in the mission


With a galaxy of questions
We had many questions and concerns


And all we heard was lies about the truth
We only received falsehoods regarding the facts


No choice but be obedient
We had no option but to follow orders


Like prisoners of war
We were trapped and unable to escape the situation


Caught on the wrong side of morality and youth
We realized we'd made poor choices due to our age and lack of wisdom


We thought about our loved ones
We reminisced about the people we cared about


Tallied fifty on our foreheads
We kept track of fifty significant individuals


With the pen your mother gave me in the Spring
We used a specific pen given to us by someone special


The sun beat at the windows
The sun's rays were harsh and unrelenting on the ship's windows


Within an hour James had cracked
One of our team members, James, lost his nerve quickly


Left the ship and died still clinging to the wings
James couldn't handle the mission and ultimately perished while attempting to flee


Start burning in the sky
We're reminding ourselves that we need to keep moving forward and keep hope alive


Start burning in the sky
We're reminding ourselves that we need to keep moving forward and keep hope alive


Start burning in the sky
We're reminding ourselves that we need to keep moving forward and keep hope alive


Start burning in the sky
We're reminding ourselves that we need to keep moving forward and keep hope alive


Start burning in the sky
We're reminding ourselves that we need to keep moving forward and keep hope alive


Start burning in the sky
We're reminding ourselves that we need to keep moving forward and keep hope alive




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHARLES CAVE, HARRY MCVEIGH, JACK BROWN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@saraeugenia3767

Thank you Netflix!!

@cosmoscoyote9084

Sara Eugenia me too after seeing badbatch I had to hear this song again

@gastonhoracioyoset173

Increíble.

@supertren

pensé lo mismo reina mora!....quiero spaguetti jeje

@1baby12bear

White Lies reminds me of the music I was listening to when I met her 30 years ago. Eco and the Bunnie Men, The Church. After 25 years of marriage, every morning I wake up and she inspires me to be a better man.

@cuffedhandscantcre8

This is the best comment on youtube

@mikecities8090

the bad batch brought me here

@AlanINChains

2

@marceloantonio8755

3

@fede2764

Me too jaja

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