Cover art for Take Back the City by Snow Patrol

Take Back the City

Producer

Oct. 5, 20081 viewer

Take Back the City Lyrics

[Verse I]
Take back the city for yourself tonight
I'll take back the city for me
Take back the city for yourself tonight
Whoa whoa whoa

[Verse II]
God knows you've put your life into its hands
And it's both cradled you and crushed
But now it's time to make your own demands
Whoa whoa whoa

[Verse III]
All these years later and it's killing me
Your broken records and words
Ten thousand craters where it all should be
Whoa whoa whoa

[Verse IV]
No need to put your words into my mouth
Don't need convincing at all
I love this place enough to have no doubt
Whoa whoa whoa

It's a mess
It's a start
It's a flawed work of art
Your city, your call
Every crack, every wall
Pick a side, pick a fight
But get your epitaph right
You can sing till you drop
'Cause the fun just never stops
I love this city tonight
I love this city always
It bares its teeth like a light
And spits me out after days
But we're all gluttons for it
We know it's wrong and it's right
For every time it's been hit
Take back the city tonight

[Verse V]
Tell me you never wanted more than this
And I will stop talking now
One perfect partner, one eternal kiss
Whoa whoa whoa

[Verse I]
Take back the city for yourself tonight
I'll take back the city for me
Take back the city for yourself tonight
Whoa whoa whoa

It's a mess
It's a start
It's a flawed work of art
Your city, your call
Every crack, every wall
Pick a side, pick a fight
But get your epitaph right
You can sing till you drop
'Cause the fun just never stops
I love this city tonight
I love this city always
It bares its teeth like a light
And spits me out after days
But we're all gluttons for it
We know it's wrong and it's right
For every time it's been hit
Take back the city tonight

I love this city tonight
I love this city always
It bares its teeth like a light
And spits me out after days
But we're all gluttons for it
We know it's wrong and it's right
For every time it's been hit
Take back the city tonight

I love this city tonight
I love this city always

I love this city tonight
I love this city always

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About

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Genius Annotation

Take Back the City" is a song from alternative rock band Snow Patrol’s fifth album A Hundred Million Suns. It was released as the lead single from the album on different dates in October 2008, depending on the region. The lyrics were written by Gary Lightbody and the music was composed by Snow Patrol. The song has positive lyrics, and is about Lightbody’s love for Belfast. The song has been officially remixed once, by Lillica Libertine, and it appeared as a b-side to the single.

The single received mixed reviews, and was generally not considered Snow Patrol’s return to form. Critics were generally displeased with how similar the song sounded to the songs on the band’s previous album Eyes Open, when the band was claiming that the new album was a departure from their earlier work. The lyrics, though, were praised for their depth. The single was quite successful in the charts, charting in the Top 5 in Ireland and Top 10 in the UK. The single also appeared in the Top 40 in a further five countries. Furthermore, it topped the Triple A chart in the United States, a feat which would later be achieved by “Crack the Shutters”.

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