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Heartlines Lyrics

Oh the river, oh the river, it's running free
And oh the joy, oh the joy it brings to me
But I know it'll have to drown me
Before it can breathe easy

And I've seen it in the flights of birds
I've seen it in you
The entrails of the animals
The blood running through

But in order to get to the heart,
Think sometimes you have to cut through
But you can
You can
You can

Just keep following the heart lines on your hand
Just keep following the heart lines on your hand
Keep it up, I know you can
Just keep following the heart lines on your hand
'Cause I am.

And I see you're not a sea and land over land
Creepin' and a-crawlin' like the sea over sand
Still I follow heart lines on your hand
This fantasy, this fallacy, this tumbling storm
Echoes of a city that's long overgrown
Your heart is the only place that I call home
Can I be returned?
You can
You can
We can

Just keep following the heart lines on your hand
Just keep following the heart lines on your hand
Keep it up, I know you can
Just keep following the heart lines on your hand

What a thing to do
Oh whoa oh
What a thing to choose
But no, in some way, I'm there with you
Against the wall on a Wednesday afternoon

Just keep following the heart lines on your hand
Just keep following the heart lines on your hand
Keep it up, I know you can
Just keep following the heart lines on your hand
'Cause I am
Song Info
Submitted by
valh1618 On Oct 19, 2011
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14 Meanings

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Cover art for Heartlines lyrics by Florence + the Machine

Such a beautiful song. Pretty obvious meaning with the palmistry reference, 'just keep following the heart lines on your hand' - follow your destiny, do what you're meant to do and what has to be done for you to be happy. At least, that's the meaning I take from it.

Florence is lovely as always.

Cover art for Heartlines lyrics by Florence + the Machine

prophetessofdoom, yes, and find your destiny not by making a plan and executing it, as that would be following your headlines, but find your destiny by following your "heartlines," which are your passions and your loves.

Heartlines drown you completely, unlike headlines, which would consider following your heart a bit reckless and dangerous.

Florence say embrace the danger, and she suggests a mutual destination between herself and the person she's singing to, as "your heart is the only place that I call home."

Maybe the passion "against the wall on a Wednesday afternoon" is one they once shared and one they may return to if they both follow their hearts.

Cover art for Heartlines lyrics by Florence + the Machine

My fiance killed himself 2 years ago. Whenever I hear this song, it's what I imagine he would say to me if he could because it matches his personality. From the beginning talking about drowning in the river to find peace, to the part where it says, "What a thing to do, what a thing to choose, but know that in someway I'm there with you.. up against the wall on a Wednesday afternoon" matches what I went through personally. I found out that he was dead on a Wednesday. The only thing I found comfort in was this overwhelming feeling that he was there with me. The things he said to me leading up to his death were basically all pointing to the fact that he wanted me to keep going and loving, and he would always stay with me in some way. I always sort of wondered if Florence Welch didn't write this song from the perspective of someone who killed themselves, and then their soul lingered on to watch over their loved ones.

Song Meaning

I actually got the same exact message from this song. The heartlines being an allusion to cutting, and being 'carried away' similar to Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" with Death-personified carrying away the woman in the narrative. It seems the song may be more about distance between someone and their loved one, however, or at least Florence seems to indicate as much. I personally would have liked the more morbid interpretation because of it's poetry. Thank you for sharing your story, though, and stay strong.

@OldBalance I too feel that this song is written from the perspective of someone who had killed themselves. I think the line where she says "sometimes you have to cut through" may allude to cutting their own life short. I'm sorry to hear that your story is so similar.

@OldBalance Your brought me to tears, what a story.

Cover art for Heartlines lyrics by Florence + the Machine

lyrics aren't "just keep following the heartlines on your head" Heartlines are on your palm. correct lyrics: "just keep following the heartlines on your hand"

Lyric Correction
Cover art for Heartlines lyrics by Florence + the Machine

some of the things are clearer in the acoustic version. i think at the beginning she says "and i'll join in the joy it brings to me," instead of "and oh the joy, oh the joy...."

and yeah with the Odyssey part she's saying "odyssey on odyssey, and land over land...."

Cover art for Heartlines lyrics by Florence + the Machine

I went to see her live and she played this, beforehand I hadn't listened to it much but she said she wrote it when she was on tour and missed her family and friends. After the gig I listened to it properly, and it has a beautiful message. I think that it's telling you to follow your heart and live your dreams, but don't forget your loved ones who helped your dreams become reality.

Cover art for Heartlines lyrics by Florence + the Machine

Such an inspiring song. I listen to this when I feel hopeless because it gives me a sense of meaning, a sense that if I keep going the way I'm going (the right direction) and have patience with my path. Things are going to be alright and I can do it ! i love florence!

My Interpretation
Cover art for Heartlines lyrics by Florence + the Machine

"Your heart is the only place that I call home."

That's beautiful.

Cover art for Heartlines lyrics by Florence + the Machine

Just like "cosmic love" and "never let me go" and "no light" this song is about being the other woman (mistress), but in this song she is ultimately telling him to do the right thing, and fulfill his destiny with his wife. But she will always love him, she will always be able to find him by following those heart lines on his hand. It was all just a fantasy that they would ever be together in the end... but things got rocky and now it's time to let go. She tells him to think about Wednesday's up against the wall. Wednesday's were probably the days they met to have sex and be together. So always parallels water and the ocean to being is his arms (arms of the ocean) so the river she talks about in the beginning of the song is the only place she feels free

Cover art for Heartlines lyrics by Florence + the Machine

I was not at all sure about the first line after the chorus. If anyone thinks they know it, please tell me. =]

This song is beautiful and probably my favorite from Ceremonials.