Paper Wings Lyrics

Performed by Rise Against

One last thing I beg you please just before you go
I've watched you fly on paper wings halfway around the world
Until they burned up in the atmosphere and sent you spiraling down
Landing somewhere far from here with no one else around
To catch you falling down
And I'm looking at you now

And I can't tell if you're laughing
Between each smile there's a tear in your eye
There's a train leaving town in an hour
It's not waiting for you, and neither am I

"Swing for the fences, son" he must have told you once
But that was a conversation you took nothing from
So raise your glass now, lets celebrate exactly what you've done
Just put off another day of knowing where you're from
You can catch up with yourself if you run...

And I can't tell if you're laughing
Between each smile there's a tear in your eye
There's a train leaving town in an hour
It's not waiting for you, and neither am I

Is this the life that you lead,
Or the life that's lead for you?
Will you take the road that's been laid out before you?
Will we cross paths somewhere else tonight?
Somewhere else tonight...

And I can't tell if you're laughing
Between each smile there's a tear in your eye
There's a train leaving town in an hour
It's not waiting for you, and neither am I
[x2]


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Allusion in Paper Wings | Reviewer: Tim | 12/3/11

I have been contemplating the meaning and moral of this song for quite some time now, but so far I have had little success. I do, however, know that the lines in the chorus about "paper wings" that "burned up in the atmosphere and sent you spiraling down" are an allusion to the Greek myth "Icarus." Icarus' father, Daedalus, attached wax wings to Icarus so that he could fly, but warned him not too fly too high. Icarus either forgot or ignored his father's advice, and flew high enough for the sun to melt the wax wings and "send him spiraling down." To me, this allusion represents the foolishness of young people, and their constant desire for the things they can't have (I myself am a teenager, so I can speak for the truthfulness of this statement).

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Meaning? | Reviewer: Anonymous | 11/2/11

I think that this song is about a friend who lost touch with who he knew and where he came from to try to live a big life or follow a lover. When everything came crashing down on the friend they had nothing left because of everything they abandoned. Nothing fancy, just a way of saying,"you forgot about me and threw me under the bus in an attempt to be happy, but I thought I meant more than that."

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re: Song meaning, if you dont know, he often dont have anything that he makes it about, it just comes out | Reviewer: Simon | 1/4/11

, if you dont know, he often dont have anything that he makes it about, it just comes out. watch another station another mile, where tim for example tells that he built the entire song savior arond the frase "i dont hate you" cause he said it everytime, in the beginning he only sings gibberish to get to know the song, obviosly he could have had a meaning, and the songs are meaningful but he didnt always plan it.

LOVE RISE AGAINST, cant wait til march, live in stockholm :D

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Song Meaning | Reviewer: Shazzy Zang | 8/16/10

I think this song is about someone who made a choice to follow fame(or something else), instead of what he was 'destined to do', or what he enjoyed. It seemed to be a good choice, it seemed to be working
'I watched you fly on paper wings, half way around the world'

Then things changed, the person's life became a wreck because they weren't living life for the right reasons.
'Until they burned up in the atmosphere and sent you spiraling down'

On their search for fame they probably did whatever they could to further their goals of fame, excluding people from their lives.
'Landing somewhere far from here with no one else around'

Their is one last person, about to give up on them. They have watched their success and failures, and is now trying to help them one last time.
'And I'm looking at you now'
'There's a train leaving town in an hour
It's not waiting for you, and neither am I'

The next verse is that friend saying 'look at what you've done, are you happy now?'. The friend tells him that he still has time to fix his life, but times running out.
'So raise your glass now, lets celebrate exactly what you've done
Just put off another day of knowing where you're from
You can catch up with yourself if you run...'

The last part is him talking to his 'real' self. Asking him if he's doing this for him, or for someone else, or the world in general. Then asks him if he will continue you on this road that is not his destiny, or if he will meet up with the 'real him' somewhere before time runs out.
'Is this the life that you lead,
Or the life that's lead for you?
Will you take the road that's been laid out before you?
Will we cross paths somewhere else tonight? '

Of course, that's just my thoughts. It seems to mostly fit, though. Anyways, good music has multiple interpretations, this just happens to be mine.

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drums | Reviewer: jakblah | 6/25/10

anyone who says the drummer isnt good is ignorant. in a song you play the drums to keep a beat NOT to show off your talent. True the drums are very complex in this song but that DOSNT make him a bad drummer! To be in a band this famous im sure hes a god dam good drummer. He played a simple beat to keep the song in rythem, whitch work very well because alot of people like this song. dont say hes bad, you just look dumb.

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possible song meaning | Reviewer: i<3riseagainst | 6/4/10

personally i think this is about some one who once had every thing and lost it all and found them self lonely and a friend or person is trying to help them back to their feet.(iv watched you fly on paper wings until they burned up in the atmosphere sent you spiraling down) the person was living on false highs or had many material possessions and lost them all.

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drugs | Reviewer: rodrigo zanette | 5/11/10

i think this lyric talk about a person addcted on drugs, this person live in a fake world and other person want to help. in the chorus, he want to say something, but the person think drugs inst serious, but he know is a bad thing

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song meaning | Reviewer: Anonymous | 1/25/10

i think the song is about someone who he watched rise up (mabe a friend or significant other)and they ended up messing up and the part in the chorus *theres a train leaving town in an hour, its not waiting for you, and neither am i. he is giving this person one last chance. they make it or they dont.

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First Verse Meaning | Reviewer: Anonymous | 1/4/10

"i watched you fly on paper wings" is what i imagine to be treading a dangerous path. it went on for a while, "halfway around the world" i assume it got worse until it "sent you spiraling down." maybe that will help

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This song is Super! | Reviewer: Said Suleiman Juma | 12/15/09

To be honest, before i did not like rock music may be for the reason that i did not had enough time to listen to them, but now I swear, i like rock music and after short time I start to play burnout 3 take downs I heard this song, I liked it very much, then I decided to go to the internet to download it.

This is the best song ever to be honest.
Also i like the song:
Breathing - Yellow card
Saccharine Smile - Donots

Thanks Guys.

Said.

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