I love the feeling when we lift off
Watching the world so small below
I love the dreaming when I think of
The safety in the clouds out my window
I wonder what keeps us so high up?
Could there be a love beneath these wings?
If we suddenly fall should I scream out?
Or keep very quiet and cling to
My mouth as I'm crying?
So frightened of dying
Relax, yes, I'm trying
But fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
I love the quiet of the night time
When the sun is drowned in the deathly sea
I can feel my heart beating as I speed from
The sense of time catching up with me
The sky's set out like a pathway
But who decides which route we take?
As people drift into a dreamworld
I close my eyes as my hands shake
And when I see a new day
Who's driving this anyway?
I picture my own grave
'Cause fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Floating neither up or down
I wonder when I'll hit the ground
Will the earth beneath my body shake
And cast your sleeping hearts awake?
Could it tremble stars from moonlit skies?
Could it drag a tear from your cold eyes?
I live on the right side, I sleep in the left
That's why everything's got to be love or death
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on...
About This Song
"Death" by White Lies is a haunting exploration of mortality anxiety disguised as a meditation on flight, using airplane imagery as an extended metaphor for life's precarious nature. The lyrics capture the duality of exhilaration and terror that comes with being suspended between earth and sky, reflecting deeper fears about our vulnerability and lack of control over fate. Musically, the track showcases White Lies' signature post-punk revival sound with atmospheric synths, driving rhythms, and Harry McVeigh's distinctive soaring vocals that mirror the song's themes of elevation and descent. The juxtaposition of the peaceful "safety in the clouds" against the raw terror of potential falling creates a powerful emotional tension that speaks to the human condition of finding beauty and fear intertwined. This track stands out for its ability to transform a common experience-flying-into a profound meditation on existence, making it both deeply personal and universally relatable.
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