Learn English with Walls by Kings of Leon. Walls opens with a very somber vocal and guitar refrain that has the listener on the edge of their seat, waiting for the drums and grandness of the rest of the album to kick in, but this song opts for something different. It isn’t until the four-minute mark when vocalist Caleb Followill begins to belt out a heart-wrenching vocal melody.
Lyrics
Sing-Along
Now try to sing along with the piano cover of Kings of Leon’s Walls. Remember to press the Record button below so you can listen to your recording when you’ve finished.
Song Meaning
Our Interpretation
The song “Walls” by Kings of Leon is about the idea of breaking down the walls that can stand in the way of personal growth and change. The narrator is determined to get to where he wants to be in life on his own, and he knows that he has to fight for what he wants. He is frustrated with those who don’t understand what he’s trying to do and feel the need to get in his way. The chorus “When the walls come down” symbolizes the moment when the obstacles in his life are finally overcome.
In the second verse, the narrator mentions a “Western girl with Eastern eyes,” who has taken a wrong turn and found unexpected surprises along the way. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for someone who is breaking down their own personal walls and discovering new perspectives.
Overall, the song is about breaking down the barriers that keep people from achieving their goals and reaching their full potential. The chorus “When the walls come down” symbolizes the triumph of finally overcoming these obstacles and the freedom that comes with it.
Meaning 1
This is my interpretation. Love everyone’s interpretation and why I love Kings of Leon so much. This song to me is about a man who loves a woman but she doesn’t feel the same and is playing with his emotions. “When the walls came down” he’s a man who finally starts to express himself, we all have walls up to protect ourselves, and when someone starts to learn these things they either stay or leave. She decides to leave no matter how much he loves her you tore out my heart, you threw it away”. He also says if you know what’s right then you’ll walk away, to me it sounds like his begging her to stop using his love the wrong way. “I could never point you out” he loves her no matter what she has put him through and could never be angry with her because he loves her with all his heart but she is the same as everyone else faceless person in a faceless crowd. :\'( although I’ve experienced this so I guess that’s what it means to me).
Meaning 2
It’s fairly obvious to say this song is about loving someone and having all your walls come down but it’s a bit more than that.
I think he’s saying that the walls come down slowly and in pieces and with great force and explosions. Sometimes, you have to get your heart torn out before you realise that you have walls and that they are a detriment. Sometimes you need your heart dragged out of them like a king with his kingdom sacked and burnt to the ground before you can move forward.
Meaning 3
I think “Took a wrong turn” might mean that they chose a relationship that might not work, they got into a relationship in a surprise like a lot of relationships. Everything was nice and beautiful until the walls came down. The singer is trying to fight for the relationship because it’s what he believes in but it’s not working “Oh a man ain’t a man unless he fought the fight”. Although his efforts seem to go in vain and don’t seem to work he is still in love and this is why he is so hurt, the singer finds it hard to break up and he is trying to fight more, and blaming his attraction for the girl on nature – “Oh, a man ain’t a man unless he has a desire”.
I love the endings of “Oh a man ain’t a man unless…”.
Great song I wish they had more songs like that. The calmness and honesty in the song are just superb.
If anyone from Kings Of Leon is reading this – You made a very good song, thank you and I love it, keep the amazing songs going!
Meaning 4
This is someone who has been left. It’s a dual narrative – what he’s saying and what he’s thinking – the repetitive references to what it is to be a ‘man’- to hold one’s feelings inside, to push away, to pretend everything is alright, to downplay the pain and to fight against the wish to break down. He’s prepared to be cruel – ‘I could never point you out’ to get her to walk away and not pity him, but when ‘walls come down’ he’s as broken and vulnerable as anyone – ‘You tore out my heart’ is sung so bluntly and raggedly almost out of nowhere, and then the tone shifts to something really raw and magnetic. It’s part of the existential struggle to love and to lose and to try again anyway … well, that’s what I think, and I love it.
