What does Carry On mean?

Fun.: Carry On Meaning

Album cover for Carry On album cover

Song Released: 2012


Carry On Lyrics

Well I woke up to the sound of silence
The cars were cutting like knives in a fist fight
And I found you with a bottle of wine
Your head in the curtains
And heart like the Fourth of July

You swore and said
"We are not
We are not...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 18th 2013 !⃝

    This song is about being able to keep going/moving on when times get tough.

    "And I found you with a bottle of wine, your head in the curtains, and heart like the Fourth of July." Nate could be talking about seeing his friend/girlfriend upset and drinking to cope with it. He might also be talking about himself because he has said that he does sometimes drink to control his anxiety and nervousness.

    "You swore and said 'We are not, we are not shining stars.' This I know. I never said we are." The same person as before could be saying that they havent made it in the music industry, and Nate is simply agreeing with them.

    "Though I've never been throught ____ like that, I've closed enough windows to know you can never look back." Nate is saying here that he has been through some really bad times, and that sometimes you do things that 'close a window of opprotunity' and you have to keep your head up and keep looking forward, even if the situation your in really sucks.

    "If you're lost and alone, or you're sinking like a stone, carry on. May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground. Carry on." He's saying that if you think you're done and you cant keep going, you auctually can, and that your past is the past and that you can only grow from it.

    "So I met up with some friends at the edge of the night, at a bar off 75. And we talked and talked about how our parents will die, our neighbors and wifes." He is talking about how eventually everyone dies, no matter how much you love them.

    "But I like to think, I can cheat it all, to make up for the times I've been cheated on. And it's nice to know, when I was left for dead, I was found and now I don't haunt these streets, I am not the ghost you are to me." Nate might be talking about how he has been dropped by different recording agencies, and how FuledByRamen came, and picked them up after Nettwerk Music dropped them, and how Nettwerk Music is 'dead' to him.

    "Oh, my head is on fire, but my legs are fine, after all they are mine." He could be saying that he is just so confused and doesn't really know what to do, but he keeps going.

    "Lay your clothes on the floor. Close the door. Hold the phone. Show me how, no one's ever going to stop us now." Nate might be saying how he and some girl have liked eachother for a while, but no one approved of their relationship, so they now don't care about others, and they are going to do what they want because they love eachother.

    "'Cause we are, we are shining stars. We are invincible. We are who we are. On our darkest days,when we're miles away, the sun will come, we will find our way home." He now thinks that they have auctually made it in the music industry, and that they became succussful be being who they are. He is also saying that if they start forgetting who they are, something always pulls them back to reality.

    This meaning might be completely off, but this is what I think it means.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    ktysstrys
    click a star to vote
    Oct 11th 2014 !⃝

    I believe that this song is really about a man coming home to find that his love had committed suicide.
    The beginning of the song says that he found her with alcohol, her head in the curtains and her heart shot. He then recounts that she used to say she was not perfect.And then he says that he has never been through the pain she feels being suicidal and alone. But he has been through feeling hurt.
    The chorus is then inspirational saying to keep moving forward, running from it to start new.
    The second verse is about him looking his will to live without his love, but his friends pick him up and they have a conversation about mortality which makes him feel better in a sobering way, and how he's thankful that his friends picked him up when he was down.
    The third reason means one of two things to me.it is either that his mind is reaching but his legs are fine, because their his and he's alive, unlike his love. And he's then recounting something he misses about their passionate way of their love.Or he's letting loose with his friends, and appreciating his life, being invincible.
    Of course I could be wrong, but I've thought this for a while now and thought I would share it.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 20th 2013 !⃝

    I think it Just means No Matter How Hard Life can Get You Carry On No Matter What is said and done.

  4. anonymous
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    Aug 25th 2022 !⃝

    This song is amazing to me and came to me at a very critical point where I was I doubt if I could “Carry On”.

    To me the entire song is a story about two lovers and it seems that in the beginning of the song he finds his partner dead from suicide after a struggle with depression and it seems alcoholism. Then he seems to talk about an argument with her. Possibly pointing to the issue that led to her taking her life. This is where we hear the line about “we are not shining stars”. It seems to have been an ongoing issue where it seems they were struggling while he tried to make it. She would tell him in her depression over their situation that basically they are nothing.

    Here next we see him drop the line about “never being through hell like that” but “closing enough windows to know you can never go back”. This line to me is him talking about while he’s never been through what she’s been through. He’s lost enough loved ones to either suicide or substance abuse that he knows there’s no coming back from the ultimate end his partner faced. So early on this is already motivational. He telling us that we should get ourselves up because we’re headed for someplace there’s no coming back from.

    In the next verse he talks about the aftermath and his friends helping him get through it. And his musings on life and death. Possibly after the funeral? And then he discusses that he lives in a false sense that if he cheats now he can make up for how life has cheated him figuratively.

    Here the song takes a big turn for me. The next line is about him finding closure and peace with what’s happened and maybe even anger towards his partner for leaving him like they did. He talks about being found when he was left for dead and tells his partner that he will not let their loss take him down even though he feels miserable and he will not become like the “ghost” his partner is to him now.

    The section where he talks about his head being on fire but his legs being his to me is him dealing with the loss and his head is full of grief and conflict but once again he’s being defiant and telling us he will not get down and get past this. The part where he talks about laying your clothes down and holding the phone is figurative for getting ready to take life back on again after his loss.

    My favorite part of the song is the next one. He’s telling his partner about his new found strength and possible new found faith? “Cause we are, we are shining stars, we are invincible” he directly challenging his former partner telling them “You were wrong” and telling us to “Carry On” because WE ARE the opposite of what your depression made you think was the end. We all are special and we should all keep going no matter what anyone tells us and never stop! That in our darkest moments we should never give up because WE ALL ARE AMAZING and no matter how bad stuff gets their is “sun” or light at the end of the tunnel. And we should never ever give up. The song fades to the chant of “No one is ever going to stop us now” basically cementing the message that life is good and no matter what we should not let anything or anyone stop us.

    The chorus is a message to everyone out there that may be dealing with either what his partner did that caused them to take their lives or the listener. That even though things get hard we should keep going. And not let our pasts haunt us.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 3rd 2020 !⃝

    I thought the song was about war. Countries fighting other countries.. And the soldier's opposite (enemies) & together are crossing each other and basically saying im trained and bred to do this. So you enemy soldier carry on. Im moving on.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 28th 2016 !⃝

    One of the band's members was about to commit suicide, and his roommate found him. That's where the part about the head in the curtains and the bottle of wine come in. He means that he's been close enough to death to know that you can't go back.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 20th 2015 !⃝

    I don't think any of the other interpretations are really on the mark. This is my take...

    His girlfriend or wife (I think wife since he later refers to "wives" as a point of discussion) was angry ("heart like the Fourth of July") threatening to leave him. ("We are not shining stars.") He admits they're not perfect ("never said we are"). He says it was hell but there's no point in looking back.

    Then, he says he had met up with some friends to console him, they reminisced and talked about parents, neighbors, and wives. Even though he had been "left for dead," his friends made him feel otherwise and he no longer feels as depressed. However, his love feels like a ghost to him--probably because she's gone or leaving.

    Although he feels confused (his head is "on fire"), he can still walk. "After all they are still mine" (meaning perhaps she's taking everything else).

    At this point, it switches to a plea to stay:

    "Lay your clothes down on the floor," (put the suitcases down)
    "Close the door, hold the phone," (stop calling for her ride?)
    "Show me how no one’s ever gonna stop us now."

    He's saying in the last verse and the chorus, that we can make it. Forget about the past....

    "'Cause here we are
    We are shining stars
    We are invincible
    We are who we are..."

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 26th 2015 !⃝

    It's about nothing (Seinfeld)

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 10th 2015 !⃝

    Fun.'s "Carry On" is clearly a moving on song. In the chorus, it says,"If you're lost & alone, & you're sinking like a stone, carry on. May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground. Carry on!"

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 12th 2014 !⃝

    Uh, no. Sorry guys but this song makes no sense whatsoever. Its full of contradictory statements and just flat out stupid lyrics.

    For one, "if you're sinking like a stone", it probably isn't the best idea to "carry on", unless of course your committing suicide by drowning of course.

    Who knew that cars could cut in a fist fight? Whatever the heck that means.

    Don't we all talk about how our parents will die, all our neighbors and wives?

    Gotta love those bagpipes too.

    Overall, just a terrible excuse for a song though, who ever wrote this had to be on some serious medication...

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 4th 2014 !⃝

    Well all it really means is in the line:
    "We talked and talked about our parents who'd died" And "If you're lost and alone or sinking like a stone Carry On." It means get past your deepest disappointments!

  12. anonymous
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    Aug 1st 2013 !⃝

    A failed relationship in the beginning leads to him finding someone that he was really meant to be with.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  13. anonymous
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    May 22nd 2013 !⃝

    Really people it's a about sex and getting drunk.....

  14. anonymous
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    Apr 25th 2013 !⃝

    I believe it is about letting someone go. Not that you meant to hold them back but you realize that they would be better off without you. Not to be selfish and keep them around because that would be easier for you but to make the sacrafice of losing them out of the love you have for them. It is one of the hardest things to do but sometimes you must let them "carry on". I love this song and this it what it means to me and it is painfully beautiful.

  15. iknowwhatitmeans
    click a star to vote
    Apr 1st 2013 !⃝

    Getting past deep disappointment

  16. eja0812
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    Mar 14th 2013 !⃝

    Well of course I could be wrong, but this song so clearly resembles my life right now - I lost my Father and my best friend. Anxiety makes your heart blow like the 4th of July with extreme grief. People give you poems and cards about your loved one being a star shining down. Then they talk about their parents dying and he says he hasn't been through hell like that. It is hell trying to carry on. Thank you for this song. Just cried all the way home listening to it and finally looking up the words.

  17. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 21st 2013 !⃝

    To me this song is about death. yet in the face of inevitable death we need to "carry on" and not let if affect the short amount time we have.

    It starts with someone staring out the window, looking out the window. Who's heart is on fire, perhaps with worry over an illness they has. He (the singer) has not been through "hell like that" because he has never been sick to the point of having to face his own mortality. Once the window is closed it cannot be opened again to me seems to say he has had people close to him die.

    The chorus lines about hoping that your past is merely the sound of your feet hitting the ground is more about living without regret and not being haunted by your past, so you can die in peace. Basically no matter what happens, we need to keep moving forward.

    The song then goes onto him meeting up with his friends at a bar, where they discuss death and how it will come to everyone they know eventually. He goes on to basically say that he will cope with this fact by telling himself that is it not going to happen, he and his loved ones are somehow immune to it and he can "cheat it all" simply because he has been cheated on, ie had close loved ones die on him thereby cheating him out of the experiences he would otherwise have had with them.

    His head is on fire with the thought of the character at the windows demise, but his legs are fine in that they are able to help him "carry on", he then goes on to tell the person to focus and enjoy the now. Lay your clothes on the floor, close the door and don't answer the phone. Presumably so they can enjoy each other and for a small time feel invincible and be stopped by nothing.

  18. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 16th 2013 !⃝

    I personally think this has to do with Nates sister, after his sisters husband either died or they got a devorse. It's Nates way of telling his sister that she should go forward in life and trying to tell her to be optomistic.

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