Florence + the Machine - Dog Days Are Over Meaning

Song Released: 2008

Covered By: Glee Cast

Dog Days Are Over Lyrics

Happiness / hit her / like a train on a tra-ck
Coming towards her / stuck still / no turning ba-ck
She hid around corners / and she hid under beds /
She killed it with kisses and from it she fl-ed /
With e-very bubble she sank with a drink...

1. anonymous

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   Oct 27th 2019 !⃝

   I think it is about the apocalypse. First, of all it says that happiness hit her like a train but she couldn’t hide from it. If the world as we know it (full of hatred) wouldn’t you be happy to escape it. But you try to push this down because everyone else is afraid to die.
   
   Second, it mentions to leave all your love behind. This is often portrayed in post-apocalyptic movies where many characters seem cold and heartless. This is because if you show kindness to somebody by giving them a advantage to survive, then you most likely won’t.
   
   Lastly, it says that the horses are coming. I think this refers to the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. These are Death, Famine , War, and Conquest. These are all key traits of the apocalypse if you refer to books and movies.
2. anonymous

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   Dec 9th 2018 !⃝

   I think the song is about becoming sober after addiction either alcohol or drugs.
   Dog days are over being the realisation that happiness can exist without substances.
   The first verse is painting the picture that she could once only find happiness through alcohol or drugs and couldn’t see an alternative. And like most addicts hid alcohol under beds and around corners.
   The second verse where it says it took everything and more is what happens to most addicts where their whole world is taken from them by the addiction and then some more.
   Run fast for you mother etc is referring to once you get sober and start rebuilding your life you need to keep those relationships in the forefront of your mind and not go back to the addiction.
   The horses are coming refers to the four horseman of addiction. Terror. Bewilderment. Frustration and Despair.
   Leave all your love and your longing behind if you wanna survive refers to putting your sobriety before everything or the curse of addiction will take you once more.
   She warns of the horses coming as all addicts know that the disease of addiction is always working away in the brain waiting for a moment of vulnerability to take you back down the path to the dog days.
3. anonymous

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   Jul 24th 2018 !⃝

   I think this is about a woman going from a life where she’s poor, to getting a job and being happy, because the bad days are over.
   For example, “Run for your children, run for your sisters and brothers.” When she says that she can work hard and her children can have a good life.
   Maybe she got money very spontaneously, and became successful out of the blue. That’s why it implies that it ruthlessly came towards her.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
4. anonymous

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   Apr 22nd 2018 !⃝

   I think it talks about Harriet Tubman because when she talks about hiding and running that what Harriet did. And when she says about not carrying her love with her because she would go back.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
5. anonymous

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   Mar 1st 2018 !⃝

   This eludes a prediction from the author of the song "florence" about to what extent spousal abuse could lead someone to commit. Like when this certain someone had done a very bad crime.
   
   (If you get the gist of this meaning, hit me up). Here's a clue kkb vs gb. Nod yes if you know what I mean.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
6. anonymous

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   Oct 19th 2017 !⃝

   Mary Jane brought someone out of the funk of being alone. We now begin the Fall/Winter season with renewed vigor. Gonna do something everyday around here making progress, gonna play more music..

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
7. anonymous

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   Jun 10th 2017 !⃝

   *****
   
   I think it's set in Germany during the second world war. The person they're singing about is a German wife of a Nazi soldier, but she doesn't agree with the Nazi's way. The 'dog days' are the days of war. She is happy because the war is over and the Nazis are through and her husband can come home.
   The 'run fast for your mother...' bit means that she's running from authorities when people find out about her anti-Nazi mindset.
   Thus she is more happy when the war is over because it means that the Nazis have less influence over Germany and she will not be persecuted for her beliefs.
8. anonymous

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   Jun 6th 2017 !⃝

   I think that that the happiness was so unexpected and she was't used to having good things happen, but now the dog days are over (bad days). Now she can be happy, but she doesn't know how to deal with it.
9. anonymous

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   Jan 24th 2017 !⃝

   This song is 100% about a woman going through a midlife crisis. All she can think about is the negative things in her life and forgets the positive things. They just think that they missed out on something and it could all have been better.
   Ist about wanting to leave everything behind (many People having a midlife crisis leave theyre Partners for no reason at all) and they finally snapping out of it just in time.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
10. anonymous

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    Jan 8th 2017 !⃝

    i have read most of the interpretations on here, one thing that none has noticed is a reference in the bible. When she says: "leave all your love and your longings behind, you can't carry it with you if you want to survive", Jesus said the same thing when he tells us: leave everything and follow me, and maybe she found happiness in Jesus and faith. But i find it hard to match it with the rest of the song.
11. anonymous

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    Jan 3rd 2017 !⃝

    It's about the summer - the often joyful time, and the time of summer affairs. The time of laziness, blissfulness, dreams and uncertainty for what the end of the year brings. For many of us it's when we realize some truths about our lives. Bright mornings, scorching afternoons and ravishing nights with friends or among strangers. The magic of the memorable moments embraces us. Nevertheless, now it's over and we must chase the life. No one can help, no mom nor dad, not even that perfect lover you have just met during these sensational nights. Now you on your own, and you must 'run to survive', to prove the world that your life has some meaning. Will you mark your name on the cards of the history or shall it fall into oblivion?
12. anonymous

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    Nov 26th 2016 !⃝

    I actually thought this song was about the holocaust at first. From the lyrics "hid around corners and hid under beds" also "run fast for your mother and fast for your father, run for your children and your sister and brother" "you Cant carry it with you if you want to survive"
    
    
    I thought they were saying how the Holocaust was over and they were telling their stories.
    Also, all due respect for everyone who suffered in the holocaust and lived to tell their stories.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
13. anonymous

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    Nov 1st 2016 !⃝

    My Bestfriend was sick,she passed away a month ago.This song has always made me think of her.Her Dog days are over(pain,illness) happiness is what she has now. And when she was alive i would tell her to keep fighting. "Run fast for your mother run fast for your father".."Can you hear the horses cus here they come"..Gods horses taking her to heaven. This song helps me so much!
14. anonymous

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    Oct 25th 2016 !⃝

    Not sure, but i think the dog days reference the constellatuon sirus, the dog star from which the term dog days comes. Atleast three ancient cultures believe we come from that constellation or that it has significance to our history. I think the horses coming are the 4 horses of the revelation (in the bible). They are the bringers of mankinds destruction. I think this song symbolizes the upoming crumbling as civilization as we know it. Maybe not the end of the world, but the world we know is colapsing. Just a thought.
15. anonymous

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    Jul 17th 2016 !⃝

    was sent this song by a woman i loved to death, who had been physically and mentally abused in her previous relationships. we had a beautiful thing going until i had to work out of town, then within a couple weeks of me working out of town, trying to support her and her very sick young daughter she left for a cocaine dealing wannabe nazi midget that didn't need to work. i think it means that she is an idiot and would eat a poison pill before she thought twice. as long as she was the center of attention ;)at least i'm not bitter...

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway