What does Ghosts That We Knew mean?

Mumford & Sons: Ghosts That We Knew Meaning

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Album cover for Ghosts That We Knew album cover

Ghosts That We Knew Lyrics

you saw my pain, washed out in the rain
broken glass, saw the blood run from my veins
but you saw no fault no crack in my heart
and you knelt beside my hope torn apart
but the ghosts that we knew will flicker from view
and we’ll live a long...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Oct 2nd 2012 !⃝

    The ghosts he speaks of are negatively referred to..."oh they gave me such a fright" and "the ghosts that we knew made us black and all blue". I think the ghosts are bad memories/painful memories during their relationship. He is hopeful that they will still be able to move on and live happily in spite of whatever loss, fears, or disgrace he speaks of.

    Whoever he is addressing in the song has seen him at his worst (Ex.) "but you saw no fault, no cracks in my heart" and "close my eyes to my disgrace"), and he hopes he can return to the light. "I will hold on with all of my might, just promise me we'll be alright". I think the song is his way of saying he will try to make the relationship work...he just needs someone to pull him from the darkness. Hope this makes sense!

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Jul 11th 2012 !⃝

    I believe this song is about a person saying that they will wait as long as is necessary for the one they love because for some reason they cannot be together in the present time.the darkness is their pain in longing for each other and the ghosts are the happy times they shared before they separated. It is a song of hopes dashed in the present but still holding on for the future.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Nov 5th 2012 !⃝

    Taken from previous input....

    (It is about religion. The "ghosts that we knew" are our beliefs. Once they "flicker from view" we will "live a long life" because we'll stop killing each other in their name(s).)

    ....not even so much 'religion'...it is the relationship with Christ/God...who knows our heart....he loves us even at our worst...he is the only TRUTH that will lead us out of darkness into the light/truth...we have to ask for this, hold on with all our might, and ask for Grace to cover our faults and cracks.....

    The album is titled Babel for a reason....take 'human person' out of of this and insert God to what they are singing about and it is deeper understanding...simply beautiful and real...

    Whoever he is addressing in the song has seen him at his worst (Ex.) "but you saw no fault, no cracks in my heart" and "close my eyes to my disgrace"), and he hopes he can return to the light. "I will hold on with all of my might, just promise me we'll be alright". I think the song is his way of saying he will try to make the relationship work...he just needs someone to pull him from the darkness. Hope this makes sense!

  4. anonymous
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    Apr 16th 2020 !⃝

    This is not an interpretation merely what this song pulled me through in my despair. You see we all carry ghosts. Whether it be religion, relationships, past experiences, etc. This song began my personal mending with my haunted past "ghost"...
    Horrible experiences with Jehovah and cult format....
    And the cracks in my heart allowed my trust in faith to fill my heart....
    The power of music is repeatability and what it means to you personally

  5. JP95
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    Nov 29th 2018 !⃝

    Okay, my interpretation is a bit of both. religious and love.

    "You saw my pain, washed out in the rain
    Broken glass, saw the blood run from my veins
    But you saw no fault no cracks in my heart
    And you knelt beside my hope torn apart."

    I think this point out of falling in love with someone. she saw his life and accepted his flaws.

    "But the ghosts that we knew"

    I think indeed the ghosts that we knew refers to religion and believe. I think it is about love between two people from another religion.

    "will flicker from you And we'll live a long life"

    We should let go of what we know to accept each other in order to make it work.

    "So give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light
    'Cause oh that gave me such a fright"

    All the opinions of the people around them, all the darkness you have to face, makes it almost impossible.

    "But I will hold as long as you like
    Just promise me we'll be alright"

    But he asks her to go for it together. fight for it.

    "So lead me back
    Turn south from that place
    And close my eyes from my recent disgrace
    'Cause you know my call"

    He knows its shameful for the people around him what is happening, "his disgrace" and she knows "his call" (religion)

  6. anonymous
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    Oct 22nd 2018 !⃝

    Does it matter what is it exactly about?
    That's the beauty of great lyrics you can apply them to whatever fits in your life!

  7. anonymous
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    Mar 6th 2013 !⃝

    I agree the whole album or atleast most of it is got to do with religion as there is alot symbolism between dark & light good & evil Jesus and the devil. Falling to ones knees as to pray or show surrender, to the Lord. Theres alot of pain in all the songs if you listen to the tone and emotion in the artists voice. He has been in the clutchs of the devil and been raised by his Lord. The basic theme of the whole album is in the begining (of the songs or earier stages in his life) its dark he has cut himself or been down cold or has a heart of a stone but as we move to the middle he has met the Lord or a person has led him to the light and the end he is moving in the right direction. But the other side of the coin he also shows us that he is not perfect even if the Lord is leading him by the hand and repeatedly asks for help or mercy, finally music that moves the heart and soul not just the body.

  8. anonymous
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    Feb 9th 2013 !⃝

    Like others suggested i think its about loosing a loved one and its really hard for them to accept it, their in a dark spot and are asking for help, "the ghost that we knew will flicker from veiw" meaning someone will help you threw this tough time, you will move forward "and well live a long happy life" but they will always be in your heart, " just promise me will be alright" they need reassurance from the one who is helping them out of the darkness that it will be alright.
    I recently just lost someone who is important to me, i was very sad, a friend sent me this song trying to tell me that it will get easier and he's there to help me out of the darkness.

  9. anonymous
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    Jan 26th 2013 !⃝

    I dont think it is about losing a loved one. I think this song is about depression and cutting. As he says in the first stanza about the blood running from his veins and the broken glass and his hope torn apart. I think the ghosts that he sings about is the things in his past that have driven him to cutting and depression. He is singing this to a girl presumingly and asking her to stick it out with him and she will help him get over this hurdle.
    But I will hold as long as you like
    Just promise me we'll be alright

    A few of mumford and sons seem to have the hint that one of them cut at one stage in their lives.

  10. anonymous
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    Nov 1st 2012 !⃝

    I feel like he is sing to the person he loves. He is in a dark place maybe a horrible depression and cutting or some other mental illness. This place that he is at has changed him forever and thats what i think ghost that we knew means. He needs her to help pull him out of where he is in his head. The thought of being with her is what keeps him trying. Their relationship will be forever changed but he needs her to promise she will stick it out and be with him. My best guess def not fact.

  11. anonymous
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    Nov 1st 2012 !⃝

    It is about religion. The "ghosts that we knew" are our beliefs. Once they "flicker from view" we will "live a long life" because we'll stop killing each other in their name(s).

  12. anonymous
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    Oct 15th 2012 !⃝

    This song seems like it is a person that was is a really dark place. (Seemed liked he was cutting)
    Then a lover came along side and took them as they were, saw no fault.
    The singer was in a low part of life. And he is telling the person that came along side of him that he has a past (ghosts), and it is scary. Regardless, asked for encouragement knowing that he can have hope.
    The person that is going along with him is experiencing this with him by helping him out. Because of the ghost, he falls back into the darkness. But even in that darkness, this person is his hope of the light while he is in the darkness.
    he is asking for encouragement.
    The longer that they continue to work this out together, the ghosts get dimmer. They grow closer together.

  13. anonymous
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    Oct 2nd 2012 !⃝

    Basically, the ghost that they knew was really the ghost which dwells inside him. He is pleading with her to give him hope that they will "live a long life" together although he screams and breaks things in front of the children. She would take it before, but now he realizes she will not, hence his need for hope; hope that she will buckle and stay as the ghost flickers in and out of their lives. He obviously scares himself when the monster comes out.

  14. anonymous
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    Oct 2nd 2012 !⃝

    I think the line is actually: "but the ghosts that we knew will flicker from view (instead of 'you') and we’ll live a long life". This makes more sense with the "we'll live a long life" part of phrase. That line seems to be the hopeful statement reflecting his longing to return to the light/move on, as someone already said.

  15. anonymous
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    Nov 21st 2011 !⃝

    i think that this song means that someone had a loss, and their trying to get over it, but they cant. They cant move forward, they jsut say in the past and mourn. So it says "but the ghosts that we knew will flicker from you and we’ll live a long life" meaning that the person you once knew, will still be in your heart, but you will have the strength to move forward. this person is in the darkness and is asking to be shown the light. He wants to be in the light, he doesn't want to be sad any loonger, so he is asking for help.

  16. anonymous
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    Nov 21st 2011 !⃝

    i think that its about someone who lost an important person in their life, and theeir trying to get over it, but they keep looking back at the memories they shared.


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