The Killers: The Rising Tide Meaning

The Rising Tide Lyrics

The streets of persuasion
Are plated with gold
Your heart's in the right place,
But you travel down the wrong road
Like so many before you
The gates open wide
Here come the rising tide (rising tide)

Let's go out tonight
There's a...

1. anonymous

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   Jan 4th 2013 !⃝

   “The Rising Tide,” by The Killers, is a song that focuses on the perils of not being true to yourself and hanging with the wrong crowd. There is a lyric in the song that really gets to the heart of the meaning: “If you can't decipher just who's on your side,” sings Brandon Flowers in his intensely genuine tenor, “You will not escape the rising of the tide.”
   
   The symbol of the rising tide is repeated throughout the song, and it represents the imminence of a moment of truth—the time when the lies of a false life catch up to you and “there’s nowhere to hide.” For example, when the subject in the song begins down the wrong road, then sounds the warning refrain, “here comes the rising tide...” This is seen again when the subject becomes entrenched in their lies: “and you can’t escape the rising of the tide.” But what it all comes down to is the importance of having true friends that support the real you, not friends that will drag you down. “And the company you keep / Well they plan your crucifixion as we speak... If you can’t decipher just who’s on your side / You will not escape the rising of the tide.”
   
   I believe there is a deeper meaning to this song, and it lies in the personal life of songwriter and lead singer for The Killers, Brandon Flowers. Flowers was born the youngest of six children in an LDS family. He lived in Utah much of his life and married in the Laie, Hawaii LDS Temple. He even named his first son Ammon after a Book of Mormon missionary. However, it appears that the musician lifestyle absorbed him, and he dropped out of religious activity for the majority of his time with The Killers.
   
   Then in 2010, Flowers’ mother died after a two year battle with brain cancer. The band cancelled the rest of their tour dates and announced a hiatus. In the mean time, Flowers released a solo album entitled Flamingo. The songs on this album, particularly “Crossfire,” point to Flowers’ conflicting emotions between his worldly life and religious roots. During this time, he also appeared in a Mormon Message as a part of the LDS Church’s “And I’m a Mormon” advertisement campaign, asserting his boyhood faith. As he said, “there’s still a fire burning in there.”
   
   By 2012, The Killers had reconvened and released Battle Born, their newest album. The songs on this album, particularly the ones written solely by Brandon Flowers, suggest his newfound commitment to his religion and the perspective he’s gained from his time away. “The Rising Tide” is one of these songs. It represents Flowers’ rediscovery of his background and the realization that he just needs to be himself, along with the support of true friends.

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