The Killers: All These Things That I've Done Meaning
Song Released: 2004
All These Things That I've Done Lyrics
Is there room for one more son
One more son
If you can hold on
If you can hold on, hold on
I wanna stand up, I wanna let go
You know, you know - no you don't, you don't
I wanna shine on in the hearts of...
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This is what I interpret
When there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
One more son
(he's asking God to accept I'm as a son and help him when
he feels alone)
If you can hold on
If you can hold on, hold on
(saying to himself to be patient and "hold on")
I wanna stand up, I wanna let go
(he want's to be happy)
You know, you know - no you don't, you don't
(saddened that people don't understand the feeling)
I wanna shine on in the hearts of men
I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand
(I want a reason or motive for what I've suffered)
Another head aches, another heart breaks
I'm so much older than I can take
(life is too hard)
And my affection, well it comes and goes
(he changes opinions frequently on what he thinks of life)
I need direction to perfection, no no no no
(I need guidance)
Help me out
(to God)
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the back burner
(dont send me to hell)
You know you got to help me out, yeah
And when there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
These changes ain't changing me
(nothing makes him happy)
The cold-hearted boy I used to be
(contradiction or changing opinion- he says nothing changed him butthen says he USED tu be cold-hearted, so he did change)
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the back burner
You know you got to help me out, yeah.
You're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down
(saying to himself he is gonna put himself in hell)
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier (X 10)
(he's strong and can handle some pain, but he's not that strong, he feels God is subestimating him)
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the back burner
You know you got to help me out, yeah.
You're gonna bring yourself down, yeah.
You're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the back burner
You're gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down
Over and in, last call for sin
(last moment on earth, last chance to clear sins)
While everyone's lost, the battle is won
(Earth's over, but he's going to heaven =))
With all these things that I've done
(With good acts and sins)
All these things that I've done
If you can hold on
If you can hold on
(if you can be patient-purgatory) -
The song is a plea from Christ to not let his battle and sacrifice against sin be in vain.
Christ, the "son" of God, asks that when you're at the end of your rope, find room in your life for him, "When there's nowhere else to run, is there room for one more son?" And pleads for you to not give up, "hold on" -- that he "wants to shine on in the hearts of men" and "wants a meaning from his broken hand" (his hands having been broken/pierced during his sacrificial crucifixion).
The second verse describes pain, "head aches" and "heart breaks" -- the speaker declaring "I am so much older than I can take", this could be Christ who is as old as time and has presumably seen eons of sin and pain; Christ asking God (the Father) for "direction to perfection" as he did in Gethsemane before being crucified. Alternately the speaker in the second stanza is the singer, in pain, and praying for spiritual "direction to perfection".
In the third verse, either Christ is asking the listener to "help him out" and asking the listener to not "put him on the backburner", meaning since he made such a sacrifice for mankind, he wants the listener to bring Christ into their life so the sacrifice will not be in vain; again evoking the message from the beginning as he's looking for "meaning from his broken hand". Alternately, the desperate singer is praying to God/Christ for help, "you know you got help me out". This alternative interpretation would be consistent with the next verses, "these changes ain't changing me, the cold-hearted boy I used to be" -- even at his most annoyed and angry, it wouldn't seem appropriate to describe Christ as "cold-hearted".
Then the singer pleads to Christ, "help me out ... you're gonna bring yourself down" -- perhaps referring to how Christ came down to earth in the form of a man. Alternately, if it is Christ that is asking the listener to help him out, "bringing yourself down" could refer to taking a submissive, reverent pose in the presence of God, kneeling in prayer, for example.
Then the portion that underlines the spiritual nature of the song, "I've got soul but I'm not soldier" repeats and grows quickly into a chorus of gospel singers. This is either the singer in prayer, feeling spiritually soulful, but confessing not having spirit enough to be a Christian "soldier". Alternately it could be the passivist Christ describing his basic nature.
The last verse is an exclamation point on the tale, as when Christ allowed himself to be sacrificed "the battle was won" against sin, and it is indeed the "last call for sin". Though mankind remains infected with sin ("everyone's lost") unless they repent.
Again Christ's message is repeated; "With all things things that I've done" (his sacrifice), "If you can hold on ... Hold on", allow him into your life and you can be saved.
-- boxlight@gmail.com -
I think this song has a religious theme. I think that the song is about a guy who wants to be a better man. He is asking for god's help. He knows he has done some bad things in the past and that he hasn't always had faith but he wants to change now. I think "I got soul, but I'm not a soldier" means that he finally has faith but he is not strong enough to change his life on his own....hence him asking god for help.
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I think it's basically a whole bunch of fragmented thoughts that all come together into a common theme: He wants to improve himself, and he wants to feel like he is important to other people.
"Is there room for one more son?" He wants someone to take him under their wing and help him mature, like a mentor.
"You know, you know. No, you don't, you don't." People pretend they understand him, just to make him feel better, but they really don't know what's going on inside of him.
"I'm so much older than I can take." He's not quite ready to take on the responsibility of being an adult in the world.
"You've got to help me out...etc." He is asking for help in his self-fulfillment
"I've got soul but I'm not a soldier." He has the desire to improve his life, and to make a difference in the world, but his weak human nature and his fear are holding him back from actually putting his dreams into action.
Just a few snippets of lines that could lead to a conclusion. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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It sounds like a guy whos kind of depressed or having a mid-life crisis...at the end of his rope, so to speak.
I read "Is ther room for one more sun" as, S-U-N. Meaning another day, or in this case "one last 'hurah'"
He's basically saying that he needs meaning, or to accomplish something and want's the listener to help him back on his feet. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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Um...Sum of the song may not makes sense if you think about it this way, but I think it mite b about suicide or sumthing along these lines.
It could be a person that's trying to find a meaning in life and needs "direction", but can't find it. He expects it come form nowhere because he doesn't know where else to look.
He has "nowhere else to run" and doesn't know what to do, he needs help. ("you know you gotta help me out".)and he doesn't wanna hav to give up, "dont you put me on the blackburner"
"I got soul but I'm not a soldier" could mean that he has been fighting, but he isn't strong enough to keep going.
"you're gonna bring yourself down" could mean that he has to be careful with what he thinks about, because it might bring him down.
"last call for sin" -killing himself.
"when everyone's lost, the battle is won" - when you end your pain, then you win.
But, "if you can hold on" then hold on to life.
-sorry, that ran a bit long, hope you could b bothered reading it. -
The lyrics are "when there's nowhere else to run, is there room for one more son" not song or anything else! It seems as if this guy is really lost and confused - needs a father figure or something. Then it says the cold hearted boy I used to be - indicating he has matured/changed. Its really about a guy trying to figure out who he is and reflecting on all the good/bad things he's done. He needs help- needs attention.
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I've got soul but I'm not a soldier= literally I got soul, heart, desire... But not for war. I'm not a soldier, meaning I don't fight. But I do have soul
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Like a lot of The Killers' songs, these lyrics are really tricky to interpret - a few of them are quite cryptic, cite 'is there room for one more son' and 'a meaning from the back of my broken hand'. Also, due to the nature of the lead singer's voice on the track, and the absence of lyrics provided with the album, it's hard to pinpoint the exact lyrics. ('gold-hearted' or 'cold-hearted', for example.) I've trawled the Internet and haven't been able to find a definitive version of the lyrics.
In short, it's tricky to figure out just what they're on about. To me (and this is personal opinion, and supported by only a handful of the lyrics) it's the voice of a man who wants to achieve something, break away from the mundane ("I wanna stand up, I wanna let go") and perhaps get famous in the process. ("I wanna shine on / in the hearts of men.") However, he's unsure of how to achieve this, and is appealing to someone - a friend, perhaps, or even a parent (if one is to take the first few lines as 'one more son' rather than 'one more song' or 'one more sun'.)
He's also frustrated with his audience's apparent lack of understanding: "You know, you know, no - you don't, you don't." A frustrated artist, maybe - if you take the first lines as "is there time for one last song?" it could be seen as a young recording artist struggling to be successful, which is backed up by "I wanna shine on / in the hearts of men." Maybe he's even appealing to a - studio (my knowledge of music recording processes is hazy at best) to hold on, "help him out", and aid him in becoming a successfull recording artist. "Is there room for one more song/If you can hold on" and "I need direction to perfection."
This is all fine, but I don't know how to take "You're gonna bring yourself down." Perhaps in his heart of hearts he doubts whether or not his music actually will be successful. Whew, that went off on quite some tangent. And I rambled on, as I'm won't to do. Sorry.
Anyway, that's just what I think. The last few verses, the title, and the "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier' bridge totally lose me, so it's unlikely I've hit the real intended meaning here, but - this is how I like to think of it, anyway. -
I think this song is talking about him needing help from God, and that he made many mistakes in life and needs a direction to become "perfect"
"I got soul but I'm not a solider" -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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It is about the person running from the law, and can't find a place to hide. (When there's nowhere else to run) (which explains the cowboy suits) He also wants to be widely known and respected (I want to shine on, in the hearts of men), and at the same time he wants help from a friend, but the friend is reluctant to help him out. (don't you put me on the back burner)
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