What does the song “Set Fire to the Rain” mean?
“Set Fire to the Rain” is a song by Adele from her second studio album, “21,” released in 2011. The lyrics of the song describe a tumultuous and emotional relationship. While the specific meaning can be interpreted in various ways, many listeners believe that the song portrays a sense of heartbreak and the intense emotions associated with the end of a romantic relationship.
The metaphor “setting fire to the rain” suggests a futile or impossible act, as rain is typically associated with extinguishing fire. This could symbolize the singer’s feeling of helplessness or the inability to control or change the situation in the relationship. The lyrics vividly describe the pain, regret, and longing that often accompanies the end of a love affair.
As with many songs, interpretations can be subjective, and listeners may connect with the lyrics differently based on their experiences and emotions. Adele’s powerful vocals and poignant lyrics contribute to the song’s emotional impact, making it a memorable and resonant piece for many listeners.
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What does the song “Set Fire to the Rain” mean?
This is a very emotional and lovely song. I have listened to it several times. She loved someone, and he hurt her, lied to her, etc., and she’s finally setting herself free while still acknowledging powerful feelings for him. A couple of things to point out:
“My hands, they were strong
but my knees were far too weak
to stand in your arms
without falling to your feet.”
She’s saying that she was weak and perhaps submissive while she was with him; she let him have power over her and do things to her that she shouldn’t have. She might be saying that she depended on him, but I could be reading my own situation into it too much there.
These other two parts of the song:
“when I lay with you, I could stay there close my eyes
Feel you here forever, you and me together, nothing is better”
and
“Sometimes I wake up by the door, that heart you caught must be waiting for ya
Even now, when we’re already over, I can’t help myself from looking for ya.”
They are painful to read. She’s acknowledging that he’s gone and it’s over, but she still loves him, thinks about how it felt with him and misses him.
Ultimately, the song is powerful because it’s about how, despite her weaknesses in a relationship and the power someone has/had over her, she was able to recognize that he was terrible for her and was, ultimately, able to “set fire to” what was between them, burn it down, and push him out of her life for good.
I wouldn’t have been able to listen to this song while I was going through it. Adele is a fantastic artist, and her voice with these lyrics is incredible; I hope she continues to make music for a long time.
What does Adele’s set fire to the rain mean?
The song is a paradox and its title since you can’t put fire to water scientifically, but she tends to project an array of conflicts with the term. It’s about a girl who was broken and feeble emotionally, and then, as she was about to resign her fate, a guy appeared as a savior and salvaged her, brooded over her, nourished her disbelief, and aided her mental bruises.
As a result, she came back on her feet, happily and zesty. Still, it was full of bubbles, as she unknowingly started to depend on the guy for her survival, breath, and life. Then she finds out the other form of the guy, hidden and unknown to her, the life that holds no spot for her, and no sooner did she grasp it was all a lie, the things, the words, were all fabricated, and the traps he set, were always compassed.
Now, when She takes a deep breath to get him out of her eyes, it gives her a jolt to rub down all the love he offered and all the games he played. But she stands up to end it all, to pass it all, well it hurts a lot as she discourses his every single memory, but she tries to blaze her love, although impossible, and wears down their memories as well, and standstill to get the ashes n screams let it burn. That’s all.
What are the lyrics to “Set Fire To The Rain” by Adele?
I let it fall, my heart,
And as it fell you rose to claim it
It was dark and I was over
Until you kissed my lips and you saved me
My hands, they’re strong
But my knees were far too weak
To stand in your arms
Without falling to your feet
But there’s a side to you
That I never knew, never knew
All the things you’d say
They were never true, never true
And the games you play
You would always win, always win
But I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Well, it burned while I cried
‘Cause I heard it screaming Out your name,
Your name
When I lay with you
I could stay there
Close my eyes
Feel you here forever
You and me together nothing gets better
‘Cause there’s a side to you
That I never knew, never knew
All the things you’d say
They were never true, never true
And the games you play
You would always win, always win
But I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Well, it burned while I cried
‘Cause I heard it screaming out your name,
Your name
I set fire to the rain
And I threw us into the flames
Well, it felt something died
‘Cause I knew that that was
The last time, the last time
Sometimes I wake up by the door,
That heart you caught must be waiting for you
Even now when we’re already over
I can’t help myself from looking for you
I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face
Well, it burned while I cried
‘Cause I heard it screaming Out your name,
Your name
I set fire to the rain,
And I threw us into the flames
Well, it felt something died
‘Cause I knew that, that was the last time
The last time
Let it burn
Let it burn
Let it burn
Songwriters: Adele Adkins / Fraser T Smith
What does Adele’s set fire to the rain mean?
When I hear this, I picture the impossible. I’ve seen it, though, in my backyard. It was pouring, and I mean POURING when the electrical line broke next to our back fence. I watched out the window as the rain continued and the wall caught fire from the arching wire.
It was unbelievable, but it was happening right in front of me. There was a ton more rain and a fire in the middle. This picture explains emotionally what an abuser produces in a human being. You can stay in the downpour or “set fire to the rain” and get out.
It takes at least this much for a woman to get out of an abusive relationship. She set fire to the rain, alright, and now has the whole world talking about it, and she’s not even 30 yet! God bless you richly, Adele, with the light you’ve shown the world.
My mother divorced my father after 23 years of domestic VIOLENCE (look up the definition of violence), and she was in her 40s then. She lived alone at 80 years old and would still not open a window or draw a curtain; she was that afraid of him. God bless you, Adele. Keep going; whatever you do, keep going! ❤️
What does the song “Fire and the Flood” by Vance Joy mean?
The song is similarly upbeat in the way that is signature to Vance Joy’s music. This contrasts with the feelings of rage and fear in the video. Joy watches emotionlessly as the girl he loves rampages around their apartment, destroying everything in sight – but we see it all backward.
Because of this, the video ends with the camera slowly withdrawing from its close-up of Joy’s face to reveal that he is sitting on a couch, the girl settled peacefully across his lap, the apartment behind them fully intact.
This moment, however brief, paints Joy as a prophet and highlights the chasm between the lovers. Joy knows that the girl will snap, but his passivity, both in that scene and in the rest of the video, shows that he cannot stop her from doing so.
Just like the fire and the flood he sings about, this woman is an unstoppable force of nature, and he has no choice but to absorb any destruction she brings.
What do the words ‘fire’ and ‘rain’ symbolise/mean in the song Fire and Rain?
Back when I taught literature at a state university, I was constantly fighting against the notion that everything in a poem or story or script had to stand for something, that everything was a symbol or metaphor for something else. Students wanted everything nailed down. No ambiguity. “What does it mean?”
But some of the best literature avoids this. By refusing to nail things down, the writer leaves space for the audience to create meaning. And that, I believe, is at the heart of the joy of reading — making meaning.
I don’t see any reason to take fire and rain as symbolizing anything in particular. If they stand for anything, it’s the narrator’s experience in life, whatever that may be. The chorus plays with contrasts — as do the verses — first contrasting fire and water, then happiness and sadness, and then his hope with… well, the contrast to that is left out. Here are the lyrics:
I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain.
I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end.
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend.
But I always thought that I’d see you again.
Keep in mind that song lyrics are short. You don’t have a lot of space for expansive writing in a pop tune. Taylor sums up the notion of “I’ve been around and seen a lot of things in my day” with the line “I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain”. (Compare, by the way, Roy Batty’s death soliloquy in Blade Runner, as he speaks of ships on fire as he is drenched by rain.) It’s intentionally vague and sweeping, and we don’t get to know the details behind it.
From there, he leaps to another contrast, happy times and lonely times. Then comes the kicker — but through all of that, the highs and the lows, the narrator held onto the hope that one day, he would again see the person about whom he is singing. We don’t know who Suzanne is, just that she is “gone”.
The song is about the loss of that hope which had seen him through all those times. And what is left unsaid is part of what makes it so poignant. That’s what allows us to make the song our own. Regardless of what Taylor was thinking when he wrote “Fire and Rain”, my own version of it lives in my head. I have my own fire and rain, and my own Suzanne. And so do you. To nail down exactly what the fire and rain are supposed to “symbolize” would take it away from us.
What is the meaning of the song “The Angry River” by The Hat?
The emptiness that we confess
In the dimmest hour of day
In Automatown they make a sound
Like the low sad moan of prey
– The acknowledgement of our mortality and that all we are and do may ultimately mean nothing. Automatown is a reference to our careers and the hamster wheel we often find ourselves on.
The bitter taste the hidden face
Of the lost forgotten child
The darkest need the slowest speed
The debt unreconciled
– the hidden face of the forgotten child is a reference to the unfulfilled hopes and dreams we had as children, and how the fulfilling of the base needs of adult life assures we will never pay that debt to ourselves.
These photographs mean nothing
To the poison that they take
Before a moment’s glory
The light begins to fade
– the photos which we take of our happiest moments ultimately are a reminder that those moments are gone.
The awful cost of all we lost
As we looked the other way
We’ve paid the price of this cruel device
Till we’ve nothing left to pay
– The emotional cost of living a modern life consumes us until our last breath
The river goes where the current flows
The light we must destroy
Events conspire to set afire
The methods we employ
– This is a reference to the Uncertainty Principle. In essence, life doesn’t make sense, but we’re still responsible for it. The randomness of the universe never allows us to truly control our lives.
These dead men walk on water
Cold blood runs through their veins
The angry river rises
As we step into the rain
– Dead men walking on water is the story of Jesus or more accurately religious beliefs in general. “Cold blood runs through their veins”, is a reference to the inability to draw any real strength or sustenance from religion. The angry river is life and its uncertainty.
Conclusion
Adele is taking liberty with words, albeit tunefully/beautifully. It doesn’t mean anything specific. Nor does ‘rolling in the deep’ use your emotional imagination and let it tell what you want.
The song’s words and lyrics are actually about someone who’s in motorsport. One of the most challenging sports on the planet is Motocross Racing. The person would always win when it rained. Or at least do very well in the mud.
His love for the sport was so incredible that he dropped to his knees and cried after the first time he raced, especially when he realized that he had a talent for the mud and astonishing speed & balance. (It got this way from riding in New Jersey whenever it snowed on the streets with his dirt bike. He’d ride all night long under the street lights when he was a little kid true story)
The guy went far up the ladder in the pros but eventually got poorly hurt at one of the racing events and never raced again. But he could set fire to the rain.
Source: Google and some music sense.
What does the song “Set Fire to the Rain” mean?