Writing’s On The Wall by Sam Smith Lyrics Meaning – An Exploration of Vulnerability and Courage
Lyrics
But always hit the floor
I’ve spent a lifetime running
And I always get away
But with you I’m feeling something
That makes me want to stay
I’m prepared for this
I never shoot to miss
But I feel like a storm is coming
If I’m gonna make it through the day
Then there’s no more use in running
This is something I gotta face
If I risk it all
Could you break my fall?
How do I live? How do I breathe?
When you’re not here I’m suffocating
I want to feel love, run through my blood
Tell me is this where I give it all up?
For you I have to risk it all
‘Cause the writing’s on the wall
A million shards of glass
That haunt me from my past
As the stars begin to gather
And the light begins to fade
When all hope begins to shatter
Know that I won’t be afraid
If I risk it all
Could you break my fall?
How do I live? How do I breathe?
When you’re not here I’m suffocating
I want to feel love, run through my blood
Tell me is this where I give it all up?
For you I have to risk it all
‘Cause the writing’s on the wall
The writing’s on the wall
How do I live? How do I breathe?
When you’re not here I’m suffocating
I want to feel love, run through my blood
Tell me is this where I give it all up?
How do I live? How do I breathe?
When you’re not here I’m suffocating
I want to feel love, run through my blood
Tell me is this where I give it all up?
For you I have to risk it all
‘Cause the writing’s on the wall
Sam Smith’s hauntingly powerful anthem ‘Writing’s On The Wall’, the theme song for the James Bond movie Spectre, resonates with an air of poignant vulnerability married with an undercurrent of courageous resolve. The song, ripe with emotional depth, isn’t just a soundtrack for a suave spy—it’s a canvas where Smith paints the universal struggle against the specter of personal fears and the pursuit of love.
In the lyrics of ‘Writing’s On The Wall,’ there’s more than just the tale of a character coming to a stark realization, but also the reflection of the human condition. The song captures the sense of an impending crossroads, a moment of decision where everything one holds dear is at risk for something greater—the promise of love.
A Spy’s Heart Exposed: The Vulnerability Behind The Valor
The imagery conjured during the opening lines ‘I’ve been here before / But always hit the floor,’ immediately frames the narrative. The protagonist is familiar with failure and the art of escape. Unveiling a façade seldom seen in the stoic world of spies, Smith’s lyrics articulate a dramatic internal struggle—an admission of a lifelong run from vulnerability.
‘With you, I’m feeling something that makes me want to stay’ outlines the crossroads faced by the character, but it could be anyone teetering on the edge of romantic commitment. It’s a battle cry for all who have armored themselves against heartbreak only to find someone who makes them want to lay their weapons down.
The Heart’s Ultimatum: Love as the Ultimate Leap of Faith
Smith’s chorus is an emphatic crescendo, questioning the essence of existence without the one they love. ‘When you’re not here I’m suffocating’ isn’t just about romantic hyperbole—there’s a truth here about the intertwining of love and identity, and the existential dread that accompanies the absence of the beloved.
The questions posed by Smith – ‘How do I live? How do I breathe?’ – are far from rhetorical; they challenge the listener to consider their own relationships. Are we truly living, or merely existing without the transformative power of profound connections?
The Inevitability of Change: Reading the ‘Writing’s On The Wall’
When Smith belts, ‘For you, I have to risk it all / ‘Cause the writing’s on the wall’, we’re confronted with the moment of truth. The writing on the wall—an idiom about impending doom—is repurposed as a sign of inescapable change, signalling that risking everything might be the only path to real growth and love.
Smith isn’t merely speaking to the fear of taking chances; the lyrics whisper of an acceptance that love’s potential for wreckage comes hand-in-hand with its capacity to complete us. To ignore such signs would be folly; to act on them, divine.
The Glass Menagerie: Memories That Cut Deep
In the lines ‘A million shards of glass / That haunt me from my past’, Smith turns the rear-view mirror towards a landscape littered with the painful shards of previous experiences. These lyrics traverse beyond personal memoir, touching on the shared human experience of being haunted by our past mistakes.
Yet, even as ‘the light begins to fade’, there’s a resilience that refuses to succumb to despair. Here, Smith epitomizes the fighter aspect of love—acknowledging the torment without yielding to its paralyzing grip.
The Silence Speaks: The Song’s Hidden Meaning
Beneath the grand orchestral swells and Smith’s commanding vocals lies a fragile whisper—the hidden meaning of surrendering to love. While the song caters to the adrenaline of the Bond narrative, it is also a metaphor for open-heartedness in the face of life’s uncertainties.
The ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ is both warning and prophecy. It’s a silent acknowledgement that genuine connection demands not only the courage to confront our shadows but to embrace them in the presence of another.
