What does Set Fire to the Rain mean?

Adele: Set Fire to the Rain Meaning

Album cover for Set Fire to the Rain album cover

Song Released: 2011


Set Fire to the Rain Lyrics

Set Fire To The Rain lyrics

I let it fall, my heart,
And as it fell, you rose to claim it,
It was dark and I was over,
Until you kissed my lips and you saved me,
My hands, they were strong, but my knees were far too weak,
To stand in your...

  1. anonymous
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    Jan 12th 2012 !⃝

    Adele was lying by front door with a pack of cigs and lighter - easy!!!

  2. anonymous
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    Jan 10th 2012 !⃝

    The rain signifies their relationship: falling to the ground. Adele’s strength is the fire. The rain/fire symbolism seems impossible; how can one set fire to the rain? But Adele rose above, like the fire, despite her sadness.

  3. anonymous
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    Jan 9th 2012 !⃝

    she let her gaurd down and she fell for this man. HE changed her in a way that was amazing and yet it hurt in the end.

  4. anonymous
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    Dec 21st 2011 !⃝

    this is my interpretation of the song:
    she was in a relationship with this one guy who ended up breaking her heart. she describes herself as being unable to move on and says how she tries so hard not to fall for his lies again. he mended her heart back together by kissing her and making her believe everything he said. she says how there was a side of him she knew was there but was so blinded by love she never actually "saw" it and refused to accept it. everything he said was a lie, and everything he did he got away with it. she tries so hard to make a good decision and is maybe crying of frustration because her heart keeps telling her to stay. she remembers the good times she's shared with him but knows she has to do something before its too late so in the end she decided to leave him and felt a part of her die when she left but she says "it was the last time" probably referring to the last time falling for his tricks. she states that she sometimes wakes up and wants to go look for him since she's still in love with him and she can't help it but she knows shes doing the right thing by staying put. it's hard for her to resist the temptation of going back to him but she does her best. as for "setting fire to the rain" it may sound impossible to do but you never know until try.

  5. anonymous
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    Dec 10th 2011 !⃝

    Everyone says this about a love relationship - which it truly is because this entire album revolves around a breakup. But I think that the lyrics in this song are also able to fit the lost of just a friendship as well.

  6. anonymous
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    Dec 7th 2011 !⃝

    i think set fire to the rain means to me that she loves someone but she had to break up with him and it was as hard as setting fire to the rain which of course will burn and hurt.

  7. Yisrael_2011
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    Dec 7th 2011 !⃝

    Since you can't set fire to rain, this song is about doing something impossible. She apparently had be hurt before (Badly) and was planning to NEVER do that again. but, she got interested and fell for whomever and FELL HARD (since it was equal yet opposite to her pain) and would have NEVER expected for things to go tragically wrong. But, things started to change and she FELT IT. So, she again had to do the impossible and let this person go. She still cares, still loves whoever BUT, she knows you will NOT be with her again. So, its back to square one.

  8. anonymous
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    Dec 2nd 2011 !⃝

    The song is so powerful. I ahve two intepretations of this song.

    My first intepretation:

    To me rain symbolizes romance and in this song it also symbolizes the memory of her love relationship. This song is an expression of pain, the painful feeling of letting go of someone she still loves to death.


    "I set fire to the rain
    And I threw us into the flames..."

    Although she did not really throw her body and his into the flames but literally one would be in extreme pain being burnt and being destroyed in fire. She still chose to throw them into the flames because the pain's unbearable not to do so. She rather has everything in the relationship and all the memories being destroyed because not doing so would be worst than being dead.

    "Where I felt somethin' die
    'Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time"

    Part of her died, so was the relationship. And that it was the last time she saw him in her life.

    I have the impression that she implies that she would never be able to get over him and she would not start a new relationship again because part of her died. And he would have her heart forever especially "it" was screaming out his name.

    "Let it burn....let it burn...."

    emphasizes how painful she feels.


    My second intepretation:

    No one can stop the rain from falling. She set fire to the rain to destroy all the painful memories including herself. She rather destroyed everything than to live a life full of extreme pain. Her heart screamed out his name with her last breath.

  9. anonymous
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    Nov 26th 2011 !⃝

    i believe the song has more meaning to what is being perceived. We all know what fire and flames represent, and also the rain has a significant meaning. So setting the fire to the rain is absurd.
    I love d song but its weird.
    Thats my interpretation. Even if u blochide it

  10. anonymous
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    Nov 21st 2011 !⃝

    We can get into destructive relationships very deeply and sometimes we know/don't know/deny the real face of the partner we are with. This song is the "aha" moment where, no matter how much they may have helped us in the beginning, it is now destroying her and she absolutely ends it. No more compromising self. It's hard to tear down the image/relationship she had but it is the right thing to do. The feelings are still there but she is now in control.

  11. anonymous
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    Nov 3rd 2011 !⃝

    I think that by saying 'i set fire to the rain' is like throwing their relationship to an open fire

  12. anonymous
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    Oct 29th 2011 !⃝

    To me it's the perfect tragic description of abusive relationship and/or an individual who comes from such a past. She was broken to begin with, she "let her heart fall", either from another bad relationship, or bad parenting. Then she met a guy who seemed like an angel, who saved her. But people from such past have a tendency (usually because of never-ending spiral of dependence and submission, and cause they never actually experienced anything better) to run again into a similar thing. She was weak, she clung to him as if not to drown and slowly she realized he wasn't here to help her get on her feet and help her be stronger - give her genuine help and loving, but to "play games" with her, say bad things, make sure "he would always win", so basically he's trying to be dominant and she to be completely obedient and docile to him.

    And then comes the tipping point. One moment so huge and horrible and emotionally challenging that "set fire to rain" perfectly symbolizes it. She had to brake the chain, brake the addiction to him. And although she still loves him and needs him cause when she closes her eyes "laying besides him", "nothing gets better", she has to do the impossible, set fire to rain, burn the whole damn thing to ground with screaming and tears and fire, let "something die", start anew, free. But alone. And with broken (and/or missing) heart, cause "that heart he caught must be waiting for him". So the grim subtext could be that the cycle continues anew.
    Unless she reminds herself constantly she literally obliterated any possibility of turning back, she "let it burn".

  13. anonymous
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    Oct 25th 2011 !⃝

    This song is about Adele going through a tough relationship and end in a broken heart. When she let her heart fell, a man she thought she loved claimed it but didn't really love her.
    She trusted him but he told lies and played her.
    She want to burn him and herself so they oculd always be together. She gives him many chances because she loved him, seems to be more than he loved her.
    The song title "Set fire to the rain" meaning it's impossible and can't resist her anger to her tears. The tears wasn't for the right person.

  14. anonymous
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    Sep 27th 2011 !⃝

    i think she is trying to say she hates rain but loves fire like omg and she wants the fire to destroy the rain so she must have a fire place and no umbrella i love rain right she must hate rain like totally

    i spoke to her and this is what it means she told me she says this song is totally fired

  15. anonymous
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    Sep 25th 2011 !⃝

    It means she's angry.




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