Mumford & Sons: Roll Away Your Stone Meaning
Roll Away Your Stone Lyrics
Together we can see what we will find
Don’t leave me alone at this time,
For I am afraid of what I will discover inside
"Cause you told me that I would find a home,
Within the fragile substance of my...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:Roll Away Your Stone by Mumford &Sons lyric interpretations
ROLL AWAY YOUR STONE
I'LL ROLL AWAY MINE.
---take down your barriers with me
TOGETHER WE CAN SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND.
---and we can have a self-evaluation
DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE AT THIS TIME.
FOR IM AFRAID OF WHAT I WILL DISCOVER INSIDE.
---let's do it together because I don't want to face my demons alone (demons as in what troubles him about himself)
FOR YOU TOLD ME THAT I WOULD FIND A HOLE.
---"you" is God, who tells us in the Bible that without Him we are like a void, empty.
WITHIN THE FRAGILE SUBSTANCE OF MY SOUL.
AND I HAVE FILLED THIS VOID WITH THINGS UNREAL.
---without God to fill us up, we turn to useless, worldly things to try and bring us happiness
AND ALL THE WHILE MY CHARACTER IT STEALS.
---but we are deluding ourselves because only God can bring happiness
DARKNESS IS A HARSH TERM DON'T YOU THINK?
---the singer does not want to turn away from what he is used to
AND YET IT DOMINATES THE THINGS I SEE.
---but he realizes that change is needed
IT SEEMS THAT ALL MY BRIDGES HAVE BEEN BURNED.
---he realizes how it seems like God is the only real answer, even though it doesn't make sense that he would deserve God after all he's done
YOU SAY THAT'S EXACTLY HOW THIS GRACE THING WORKS.
---but grace isn't something you earn from God, He gives it freely, that's "how it works"
IT'S NOT THE LONG WALK HOME THAT WILL CHANGE THIS HEART.
---referring to the Bible story The Prodigal Son, which demonstrates that the journey home is long and hard and comes before the joy. The story is about a son who dishonors his father and takes his inheritance and moves out of the house. He ends up gambling away all his money and having to humble himself to go home and beg his father to take him back. His journey home is hard and he doesn't think his father will welcome him home
BUT THE WELCOME I RECIEVE AT THE RESTART.
---but his father does welcome him home, and they have a feast in honor of his return
DARKNESS IS A HARSH TERM DON'T YOU THINK?
AND YET IT DOMINATES THE THINGS I SEE.
-see above
*REPEAT
STARS HIDE YOUR FIRES.
--- reference to Macbeth: "Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires" showing that the singer is ashamed of his sins and does not want them seen in the light
THESE HERE ARE MY DESIRES.
---but he surrenders them
AND I WILL GIVE THEM UP TO YOU THIS TIME AROUND.
---and gives them to God
AND SO I'LL BE FOUND.
WITH MY STAKE STUCK IN THIS GROUND.
---the "ground" referred to Christianity. The singer is saying that he has taken part in it, stuck his stake in
MARKING THE TERRITORY OF THIS NEWLY EMPASSIONED SOUL.
---the territory gained is Christianity- and it was gained through the passion found in Christians for what we believe, which to the singer, is new passion that he did not have before
*REPEAT
AND YOU, YOU'VE GONE TO FAR THIS TIME.
---"you" is referring back to his old desires
YOU HAVE NEITHER REASON NOR RHYME.
---the singer is saying that his old desires have to right no his soul
WITH WHICH TO TAKE THIS SOUL THAT IS SO RIGHTFULY MINE.
---it's his to do with as he pleases, and his decision is to give his soul to the One who is really in control, no matter what. God. -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:This song is about the human condition we find ourselves in in contemporary western society, and the threat and damaging nature of the homogenization of people under the influence of our capitalist and consumer culture lifestyle. (becoming the samething as everyone else, losing ourself as someone unique and becoming no-one)
We have these stones that we hold on to and they keep us divided from each other as unique and true-selves. If we roll them away we could see what is the true nature of our relation with each other and who we should be in the world.
We are so used to this condition of not being our selves that we are scared of what any other possibility of life will be like. Our 'bridges' to other possibilities 'have been burned'. Because we never truely know what our meaning is in this world we hold on to these strategies of feeling meaningful like: 1) religious justification,2) having a career and make money, 3) suppress others to feel special... Etc. All these things 'steal' our character, we are just numbers and functions in a structure of production, which is supposed to serve us, instead we serve it.
And we fill this 'void' of not knowing the meaning of our existence with 'things unreal'. Such as money and material possessions like cars and clothes. Religion is our only sense of experiencing our soul, but in our society, religions have become institutionalized and corrupted away from it's divine presence. (frankly it's no coincidence that our societal system and patterns of organizing ourselves have been born from our religious institutions)
Because we hold on to these 'stones' we find safety in always falling back on tradition. But what we must realise is that we cannot fall back on them anymore. 'it's not the long walk home' and falling back on the past that will change the way we feel about ourselves and eachother, it won't 'change this heart'. But rather we have to look forward, not back. We should 'welcome' this move forward together, not just as a group of people homogenized as things, but as a collection of unique individuals as persons.
The agents that have tried to keep us apart throughout history and keep us divided and ignorant of our amazing love and uniqueness 'have come too far this time'. There is nothing that they can do or say to persuade us into becoming no-one's and denying ourselves from our true selves, 'they have neither reason nor rhyme'. They will not take this 'soul that is rightfully mine'. -
mumford and sons themselves claim thatthis song is hugely inspired by shakespeare's macbeth . the song makes more sense when youve read macbeth of course ..
'
roll away your stone , ill roll away mine.
Together we can see what we will find
Don't leave me alone at this time
For I am afraid of what I will discover inside'
i think this is macbeth speaking to lady macbeth in act 1 scene 5 . this is when she tells him to be a man and not succumb to foolishness, fear or cowardice. Being the weak character we see of macbeth , he seems that he's begging her to guide him because his conscience tells him assassinating the king is wrong , while he is greedy and overambitious for the throne.
'Cause you told me that I would find a hole
Within the fragile substance of my soul
And I have filled this void with things unreal
And all the while my character it steals'
again , it seems like he's continuing to hold onto lady macbeth's hand for help.he has a conflict inside him which he believes can be cleared at the moment ,by speaking to his wife.
'Darkness is a harsh term don't you think?
And yet it dominates the things I see'
as we know , immediately after the second scene in act 1 , he hasnt forgotten the oracles of the supernatural witches. i suppose the above two lines refer to when macbeth sees an imaginary dagger guiding him to kill duncan. hence he says darkness dominates the things i see. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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I am wondering if there is a relation to Macbeth. In the book page 16, line 50 it states "Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires." (Shakespeare, William.Macbeth.United States of America:Bantam Books, ?)
And in the song it says
"Stars hide your fires,
And these here are my desires
And I won't give them up to you this time around
And so, I’ll be found with my stake stuck in this ground
Marking its territory of this newly impassioned soul"
in addition to that, the last line of this quote from the song could asldo relate to Macbeths being awarded thane of Cawdor-recieving territory from the king for his action.
...wether it was meant to be or not, I do think there is a relation. -
I am wondering if there is a relation to Macbeth. In the book page 16, line 50 it states "Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires." (Shakespeare, William.Macbeth.United States of America:Bantam Books, ?)
And in the song it says
"Stars hide your fires,
And these here are my desires
And I won't give them up to you this time around
And so, I’ll be found with my stake stuck in this ground
Marking its territory of this newly impassioned soul"
in addition to that, the last line of this quote from the song could asldo relate to Macbeths being awarded thane of Cawdor-recieving territory from the king for his action.
...wether it was meant to be or not, I do think there is a relation. -
I can't stop listening to this song. Different sites have slightly different lyrics, and they change the meaning drastically. I think that the word 'home' above should actually be 'hole'. It makes more sense with the reference to 'void' later. That said, I was hearing 'home' first also.
I too wondered about the last three lines, but now I'm leaning toward the interpretation that 'you' is referring to 'the darkness'. It makes more sense with the rest of the song. Whether that darkness is addiction or something more religious could go either way. -
With the reference to Macbeth, "stars hide your fires, these here are my desires" I think this song is largely based on the same theme. That we all have a concience that cannot simply be ignored, we have to be able to listen to ourself and what we think is right deep down inside not just what we want on the surface. Its about knowing yourself before you give into temptation or ambition and listening to the person within, whether its yourself or a God of any description...
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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I actually think any religious undertones in roll away your stone are about the religion or belief in the self. The lyrics imply the singer is having an internal dialogue or debate ... Or in psychological terms what is called cognitive dissonance. He has been hurt or damaged and wants to heal and move on and trust again but knows that he has many obstacles to face before he reaches contentment and trust. The familiar battle between the devil you know or the devil you don't! This will speak to anybody who has been through addiction, loss, grief, pain, anger.
I think the last verse is the singer talking to his past self telling him he has moved on from the bad place he was in and doesn't want to return to it. He is showing belief and trust in the positive stronger version of himself.
Just my interpretation of a brilliant song. -
I see this the same with the idea that this could also be from the thought of a former addict who has cleaned up...as for the last line I think out refers back to his addiction, he says he's given everything up to god now and for some reason he's facing his struggle with it and that it has no right to hi soul he's done with and not going back
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I agree with anonymous - but why the last three lines? It seems more a refutation of God than an acceptance. Unless he's talking to himself.
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i've always taken this song to be about personal identity. and searching for something more than just who "you" are. specifically the line "i'm afraid of what i will discover inside". the idea that when we''re left with just our thoughts, we see who we really are. the next stanza about the "soul" and "void" is how we try to find joy and contentment in consumption. relating back to the end of the first verse, that still we what do we really have at the end of the day? a void that can't be filled that slowly eats away at who we are.
the third verse about grace reminds me of the parable of the prodigal son. "it's not the long walk home that will change this heart, but the welcome i receive at the restart." that the journey may break us, but the grace at the end of the journey is what truly changes one's heart. just a thought.
i'm not sure about the end. i love the line about his "newly empassioned soul." i guess it comes down to making a stand for who you are and what you believe. and that those things are left only for you.
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