Mumford & Sons – The Cave lyrics

Mumford & Sons – The Cave lyrics

It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind

The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I will find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

Cause I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind

So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
And know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I will find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's land

So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say

Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be

And I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I will find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

Lyrics taken from /lyrics/m/mumford_sons/the_cave.html

Songwriters: Benjamin Walter David Lovett, Edward James Milton Dwane, Marcus Oliver Johnstone Mumford, Winston Aubrey Aladar Marshall

The Cave lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Corrected by crimsonvipor

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The Cave meanings

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+ 7
Unregistered 2012-07-04 07:38:56

It's about someone who bleeds for others, who gives all they can for others to be okay. But they harbor a lot of fear and faults. They are empty inside because the pain has hallowed them out, so they focus on other people's pain. The singer is identifying with that and trying to tell them that he understands the struggle they go through within themselves, how guilty they feel when they can't really help someone. Then there are also references to jesus christ ("so tie me to a post and block my ears / i can see widows and orphans through my tears / so come out of your cave walking on your hands / and see the world hanging upside down / you can understand dependence / when you know the maker's hand") tie me to a post and come out of your cave could mean both jesus being crucified and rising again from the cave he was laid to rest in and also come out of your cave as in face your fears. Then it says "so make your siren's call" meaning you can lie and try to tell me false things, but I know your heart because you're just like me, like I was. I won't let you fool me and drag me down into evil, but i'll stay afloat and hope and pray that i'll find a way to save you too, like I was saved.
Hope this helps with your enjoyment of the song, it really is lovely.

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+ 6
Unregistered 2015-04-23 00:31:55

I have heard a lot of people say that this song is about Saint Francis' conversion to Catholicism. This make sense because in the line that says:
"So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's hand."

This describes when Francis went into the cave and came out. It is most likely based on this account of the story by G.K. Chesterton: "The man who went into the cave was not the man who came out again; in that sense he was almost as different as if he were dead, as if he were a ghost or a blessed spirit. And the effects of this on his attitude towards the actual world were really as extravagant as any parallel can make them. He looked at the world as differently from other men as if he had come out of that dark hole walking on his hands…"

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+ 2
t3np01nt54gr1ff1nd0r 2011-07-27 18:40:55

This song could be describing a divore/break-up. 1st stanza- the person is described as heartless, and they're leaving the mistakes that they made. 2nd stanza- There's no reason for them to stay anymore, nothing left for them. 3rd stanza - The singer is optimistic, they don't want the other person to kill themself over this. 4th - The singer has realized themself as a person, they're being optimistic again. 5th - They're going their seperate ways, but the singer's not going to forget what happened between them. 6th - The singer's upset about the situation, they fear death. 7th - same as before. 8th - same as before. 9th - The singer's looking at life in a new way, they know that you're dependent on someone if there's someone that's dependant on you. 10th - The singer's not going to change his mind, not for anything. 11th - He understands that he needs freedom and needs to learn how to be himself. 12th - same 13th - same. Now I could be completely wrong, but that's just what I think.

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- 1
Matthew Petrucci 2014-11-29 22:00:33

This song, for some reason, reminds me of the Biblical story of the Prodigal Son. It mentions there's no food, and discusses dependence which is the essence of the story from the son's point of view, then the chorus, "I will hold on hope" is the father saying that he'll wait and not let the son perish. Because he might have sinned but as long as he repents and comes home, he is welcome. I'm not saying that's what this song is about, especially with one of the last lines being, "and I need freedom now" but it's just a thought. It very much reminded me of that story. The sirens part didn't make a lot of sense either for that. But I like the comment about the Allegory of the Cave that someone posted on the lyrics. It could be about moving past ignorance and the faux things of the world and understanding the original concept or the plan of God, in a way.

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