[ ]   [ ]   [ ]                        [ ]      [ ]   [ ]
Snow Patrol — The Lightning Strike
Album: A Hundred Million Suns
Avg rating:
7.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2947









Released: 2008
Length: 16:15
Plays (last 30 days): 0
(I) What If This Storm Ends?

What if this storm ends?
And I don't see you
As you are now
Ever again

The perfect halo
Of gold hair and lightning
Sets you off against
The planet's last dance

Just for a minute
The silver forked sky
Lit you up like a star
That I will follow

Now it's found us
Like I have found you
I don't want to run
Just overwhelm me

What if this storm ends?
And leaves us nothing
Except a memory
A distant echo

I want pinned down
I want unsettled
Rattle cage after cage
Until my blood boils

I want to see you
As you are now
Every single day
That I am living

Painted in flames
All peeling thunder
Be the lightning in me
That strikes relentless


(II) The Sunlight Through The Flags

From here the caravans are kids toys
And I can hold them all in my palm
I watch the sea creep round the corner
It connects the dots from here to you
The sunlight burning through the loose flags
Painted high on white church walls
I chase my blood from brain to thumped heart
Until I'm out of breath for trying

Worry not everything is sound
This is the safest place you've found
The only noise beating out is ours
Lacing our tea from honey jars

These accidents of faith and nature
They tend to stick in the spokes of you
But every now and then the trend bucks
And you're repaired by more than glue

Worry not everything is sound
This is the safest place you've found
The only noise beating out is ours
Lacing our tea from honey jars

Why don't you rest your fragile bones
A minute ago you looked alone
Stop waving your arms you're safe and dry
Breathe in and drink up the winter sky


(III) Daybreak

Slowly the day breaks apart in our hands
And soft hallelujahs flow in from the church
The one on the corner you said frightened you
It was too dark and too large to find your soul in

Something was bound to go right sometime today
All these broken pieces fit together to make a perfect picture of us
It got cold and then dark so suddenly and rained
It rained so hard the two of us were the only thing
That we could see for miles and miles

And in the middle of the flood I felt my worth
When you held onto me like I was your little life raft
Please know that you were mine as well
Drops of water hit the ground like God's own tears
And spread out into shapes like
Salad bowls and basins and buckets for bailing out the flood

As motionless cars rust on driveways and curbs
You take off your raincoat and stretch out your arms
We both laugh out loud and surrender to it
The sheer force of sky and the cold magnet Earth

Something was bound to go right sometime today
All these broken pieces fit together to make a perfect picture of us
It got cold and then dark so suddenly and rained
It rained so hard the two of us were the only thing
That we could see for miles and miles

And in the middle of the flood I felt my worth
When you held onto me like I was your little life raft
Please know that you were mine as well
Drops of water hit the ground like God's own tears
And spread out into shapes like
Salad bowls and basins and buckets for bailing out the flood
Comments (430)add comment
 Stephen_Phillips wrote:

Three world class artists from a little island off a bigger island which itself is off the continent of Europe - all of these artists played regularly on Radio Paradise.

Van Morrison, U2, Snow Patrol.

Not bad from a land the Romans named Hibernia - "Winter Land"  - and one they decided was not worth spending much time in.

Your loss Roman Empire - our gain! 


Cromwell didn't think that way. 
 Dog_Ear wrote:

I think I'll need a haircut by the time this ends




  i think this is my favorite song comment, ever.
 drwhy wrote:

Bill, only you would play the whole song!  Thank you!   Everyone else cuts off the song after 3:30mins.  The entire song deserves to be played.  Snow Patrol is my guilty pleasure. 



This is now 14 years old??  wow...this was on heavy RP rotation when it first came out.  most excellent to hear it again.  Go Bill! 

Someone, call the Simile Police.

"...spread out into shapes like salad bowls and basins and buckets..."

Seriously?

Love that RP plays the full 3 song suite, they flow together so well.
Damb.
Missed my floor . . . .
I can always count on you to play this whole song! 
 KickingUpDust wrote:

Stephen, you need to revise your geography of Ireland & Scotland a wee bit!


 
Nope he doesn't, Scotland was Caledonia and Ireland Hibernia.
I thought my browser was stuck; there's no way it could still be that Snow Patrol song, could it?!?

Why yes; yes it could.
Love that RP plays the three songs in sequence
 kingart wrote:
A seque from Let the Day begin, a terrific song, to this, one of the more fascinating and enthralling pieces I have heard in a long time, Some here don't like it. I love it. Mystical. Highly allusive. Great images. A love story. And a revelation crescendo that gets me in that space where I live. 
The band assembled this from three different pieces they composed one rainy, drunken night in Dublin. What's in a bottle of booze and a storm at the windows?

 
 

 Stephen_Phillips wrote:
Three world class artists from a little island off a bigger island which itself is off the continent of Europe - all of these artists played regularly on Radio Paradise.

Van Morrison, U2, Snow Patrol.

Not bad from a land the Romans named Hibernia - "Winter Land"  - and one they decided was not worth spending much time in.

Your loss Roman Empire - our gain! 
 
Stephen, you need to revise your geography of Ireland & Scotland a wee bit!


 Stephen_Phillips wrote:
Three world class artists from a little island off a bigger island which itself is off the continent of Europe - all of these artists played regularly on Radio Paradise.

Van Morrison, U2, Snow Patrol.

Not bad from a land the Romans named Hibernia - "Winter Land"  - and one they decided was not worth spending much time in.

Your loss Roman Empire - our gain! 
 
Sir, you forgot the Cranberries!
now THAT's an entire album side
Saw Snow Patrol on my honeymoon in Austin TX 9 years ago.  Oh well, at least I still have Snow Patrol {#Roflol}
 
And I love this song & don't care how long it is.
Three world class artists from a little island off a bigger island which itself is off the continent of Europe - all of these artists played regularly on Radio Paradise.

Van Morrison, U2, Snow Patrol.

Not bad from a land the Romans named Hibernia - "Winter Land"  - and one they decided was not worth spending much time in.

Your loss Roman Empire - our gain! 
 Wardleader wrote
In a gadda da vida, honey 
Don't you know that I'm lovin' you 
 
       that's a guilty 10 pleasure right there! {#Cheers}
Bill, only you would play the whole song!  Thank you!   Everyone else cuts off the song after 3:30mins.  The entire song deserves to be played.  Snow Patrol is my guilty pleasure. 
 averybadcat wrote:

I wish I knew enough about contemporary music to be that offended. 

 
LOL!  I agree with Oldsaxon.  That has to be one of the better song comments I have read in a long time.  
But then I am just an ordinary piece of trash who enjoys Abba and Coldplay....... as well as this SP song.
I don't miss this song. Enough. I don't miss this song enough.
 moodfood wrote:

       don't forget Stairway to Heaven.. {#Lol}

In a gadda da vida, honey 
Don't you know that I'm lovin' you 
 dragon1952 wrote:
I like long songs :^  / ....unless we're talking Layla, Free Bird, which go to the point of ad nauseam.

 
       don't forget Stairway to Heaven.. {#Lol}
I like long songs :^  / ....unless we're talking Layla, Free Bird, which go to the point of ad nauseam.
It is long, indeed. It's so long that at first I thought that there was a glitch in RP's system, it sounded like it kept a portion of the song in a loop. 

 lily34 wrote:
so it's not just me. it is a really, really long song.

 


knock yourself out.
 

ncarus wrote:

I'd rather sniff their farts than have to listen to their gaseous excuse for "music"

 


 ncollingridge wrote:

I'm with Fred and crogers. There is no excitement in this - the beat is plodding, the vocals are expressionless (and why are the harmonies always robotically the same?) and it just doesn't feel to me like it goes anywhere. It's undeniably competent, but ultimately to me it's 16mins 18secs of largely forgettable vapour.

 
I'd rather sniff their farts than have to listen to their gaseous excuse for "music"
so it's not just me. it is a really, really long song.
 Webfoot wrote:
I vote for longer songs and series of songs/album sides that make sense together.
Michael_Dean wrote:

Yes, Please...  !

 
I'll third that request...YES PLEASE!  Especially for a Pink Floyd fan, the idea that an album has a concept is, well, a great concept.  And I really like how (continuing with PF as an example) all the PF albums are circles; they end as they begin. 


Wow! So many polarized comments. 

This is song is akin to a meal or lovemaking IMHO. Starts out with anticipation and progresses accordingly. Not hurried. Just expressive and flowing. Well worth making the time for.

Guess im a prog geek. Rings my bell.

Cheers! 
 Webfoot wrote:
I vote for longer songs and series of songs/album sides that make sense together.

 
Yes, Please...  !
I vote for longer songs and series of songs/album sides that make sense together.
Snow Patrol is fantastic live.  I saw them at the 930 Club in DC a few years ago for my birthday and it was a phenomenal show. Deserves a dancing banana for sure{#Bananasplit}
Nice music from my favorite album from SP.
I agree; and well seems to come of it! I can listen to this band, especially this song, again and again, and find myself in good rapture...
———— 

nickshortie wrote:
What a great Scottish / Irish collaboration that band is!!! {#Yes}

What a great Scottish / Irish collaboration that band is!!! {#Yes}
What if nothing could stand on your way
And fair weather harm you ?
A tour*de-force.. Song lyrics with music a full power display of an understated band.
This is follows my criteria of good song.. it takes you very easly in a vogeage as you listen to it effortlesly
It rained so hard.
Epic song!!!!!!

10+ 
this song overstays it's welcome
I have always liked Classical and Classic Rock/Prog...ie Genesis, Yes, Camel etc. I really like this song because it does not follow a "POP" format...very imaginary voyage in this tune..me likey!!
I saw a live performance of Snow Patrol on TV. Man they we're boring. Ever since my appreciation for this band has significantly declined.
I thought I'd pressed repeat by accident or there was  temporal shift in the fabric of the universe. Sounds like SnowPatrol. But more. Sadly Apple have conspired to break the app with their latest OS update so I can't rate this 'acceptable' 
I call this "Green" music ... recycled garbage.
I have a lot of respect for Snow Patrol after I first heard this song in its full 16 minute form. A 3 song  mini-suite is typically unheard of in this genre, so consider me impressed.  I am a sucker for prog bands who record 15 - 20 minute songs, so why not a mainstream band?
Yes, Snow Patrol is able to tune out the world for me, too. Love it.
{#Whistle}
 eeke wrote:

yay.. great to know someone else in the field enjoys Bill and his pickins as much as I do.... Happy Friday!
 

 
And now it's a Monday, and unlike some of our compatriots on here, I'm still finding this a piece I can tune out the annoyances of the day.
 crogers wrote:

He'll correct me if I'm off the rails here, but I believe that Fred is referring more to the delivery of the lyrics than of the lyrics themselves.  (Spandau Ballet?!  LOL)   Part of what makes a good song GREAT is the magical melding of the music, the lyrics and the presentation in such a way that the appreciation of the sum exceeds that of the parts.  "Soul" may be found in any of the bits individually, but when it's truly felt from the piece in toto, it won't feel interminable — even at sixteen minutes.  

Personally, I think this is an interesting piece of work from Snow Patrol.  It has many of the components of a great short story — but it feels "flatter" to me than I wish it did. Seems to me the challenge of writing operatically is that you need to capture and hold your listeners through the whole story - the ups and downs, the louds and softs.  For me (and perhaps Fred) this just falls a bit short of that goal.

Now, Coldplay is another thing, altogether...

 
I'm with Fred and crogers. There is no excitement in this - the beat is plodding, the vocals are expressionless (and why are the harmonies always robotically the same?) and it just doesn't feel to me like it goes anywhere. It's undeniably competent, but ultimately to me it's 16mins 18secs of largely forgettable vapour.
Just as the third "movement" began it started to rain here, which was nice. It's not really a bad song. I'm just not sure I need to hear it again.

I have to say though, that I'm finding the constant sniping at Coldplay a little tiresome. I'm not a fan but they're not the worst band played on RP, by a long shot.

Frankly, if you are unable to like contemporary music because your parents also enjoy it, that speaks more about you than the music.
 Fiji5555 wrote:
fredriley wrote:
Often repeated playing of a song results in a higher rating, but in the case of Snow Patrol repeated listenings take them from 7 down to PSD level, and this is certainly the case with this interminable number. The more I hear SP, the more they sound like Coldplay, in the sense of being cold, efficient, technically proficient but soulless. The sort of music you can imagine being played in the lobbies and lifts of a corporate office building. The Spandau Ballet of the noughties.

 
Oh brother {#Roflol} Soulless?  If anything Snow Patrol and Coldplay have produced the MOST soulful lyrics I have heard in a long time. Have you really listened to the words or just jumping on the "me to" bandwagon of bashing?

Some one needs a refresher course in listening to their heart instead of their snobishness.

 
He'll correct me if I'm off the rails here, but I believe that Fred is referring more to the delivery of the lyrics than of the lyrics themselves.  (Spandau Ballet?!  LOL)   Part of what makes a good song GREAT is the magical melding of the music, the lyrics and the presentation in such a way that the appreciation of the sum exceeds that of the parts.  "Soul" may be found in any of the bits individually, but when it's truly felt from the piece in toto, it won't feel interminable — even at sixteen minutes.  

Personally, I think this is an interesting piece of work from Snow Patrol.  It has many of the components of a great short story — but it feels "flatter" to me than I wish it did. Seems to me the challenge of writing operatically is that you need to capture and hold your listeners through the whole story - the ups and downs, the louds and softs.  For me (and perhaps Fred) this just falls a bit short of that goal.

Now, Coldplay is another thing, altogether...
well, I will trade every War On Drugs for any Snow Patrol song {#Whistle}
"This is a very good song and I will personally stab anyone who says otherwise."
"This is a very bad song and I will personally stab anyone who says otherwise."
"This is a song and I will personally stab anyone who says otherwise."
"This is America, you have a right to threaten who you want, but they have a right to sue you."
*silence* 
What a load of cack!
 kcar wrote:

I started hearing this song mid-tune, and for a moment I thought it was a piece by Glass. On first listen, there really isn't anything to justify a 16+ minute length. 

 

It's call a bathroom break...
I enjoy this every time I hear it. I am less wowed and enthralled by it now, some 30 times later, but it is a most unusual piece. Kudos. Don't get the haters. Where is your sense of mystery and imagery and narrative and atmosphere? Bring it on. 
Very Very spiritual {#Sunny}I love it and Coldplay as well {#Notworthy}
fredriley wrote:
Often repeated playing of a song results in a higher rating, but in the case of Snow Patrol repeated listenings take them from 7 down to PSD level, and this is certainly the case with this interminable number. The more I hear SP, the more they sound like Coldplay, in the sense of being cold, efficient, technically proficient but soulless. The sort of music you can imagine being played in the lobbies and lifts of a corporate office building. The Spandau Ballet of the noughties.

 
Oh brother {#Roflol} Soulless?  If anything Snow Patrol and Coldplay have produced the MOST soulful lyrics I have heard in a long time. Have you really listened to the words or just jumping on the "me to" bandwagon of bashing?

Some one needs a refresher course in listening to their heart instead of their snobishness.
 WhiteWater wrote:

Steve Reich or Philip Glass is not for you, then.

 
I started hearing this song mid-tune, and for a moment I thought it was a piece by Glass. On first listen, there really isn't anything to justify a 16+ minute length. 
Kent — Den Döda Vinkeln
Thirteen Senses — Do No Wrong
Snow Patrol — The Lightning
Strike

What an excellent set - melancholy yet somehow hopeful too. I can't wait to hear what comes next.
Often repeated playing of a song results in a higher rating, but in the case of Snow Patrol repeated listenings take them from 7 down to PSD level, and this is certainly the case with this interminable number. The more I hear SP, the more they sound like Coldplay, in the sense of being cold, efficient, technically proficient but soulless. The sort of music you can imagine being played in the lobbies and lifts of a corporate office building. The Spandau Ballet of the noughties.
 ncarus wrote:
Repetitive, boring, pretentious, monotonous crud. All their music has much the same repetitive 4-chord structure and is a total slander on the definition of the word music. Much the same as Coldplay. Perfectly dreadful.  And I object to them preceding the totally brilliant Elbow. There ... 'nuff said.

 
You need to stop sugar coating it and tell us what you really think. BTW, I like Snow Patrol and particularly like this album. I also like Elbow. There you go.
It's called the "thud and drone" form of music. Boring, monotonic, souless, repititous, This describes 90% of today's RnR.

 

 
{#Good-vibes}{#Exclaim}
 DaidyBoy wrote:
My God, how many times can you repeat the same line?

 
Steve Reich or Philip Glass is not for you, then.
 LowPhreak wrote:
Put down your devices, kiddos. Step away from your schizoid, attention-span-of-a-gnat world for awhile...and just dig it.

 
Nailed it.

I don't much like their other suff, but this really is a good journey.

As above, just lay back and dig. 
 averybadcat wrote:

I wish I knew enough about contemporary music to be that offended. 

 
thank you..brilliant, really
 ncarus wrote:
Repetitive, boring, pretentious, monotonous crud. All their music has much the same repetitive 4-chord structure and is a total slander on the definition of the word music. Much the same as Coldplay. Perfectly dreadful.  And I object to them preceding the totally brilliant Elbow. There ... 'nuff said.

 
I wish I knew enough about contemporary music to be that offended. 
it's actually more reflective of the comments then it is of the song. sorry to you all but many of us like/love this.

ncarus wrote:
Repetitive, boring, pretentious, monotonous crud. All their music has much the same repetitive 4-chord structure and is a total slander on the definition of the word music. Much the same as Coldplay. Perfectly dreadful.  And I object to them preceding the totally brilliant Elbow. There ... 'nuff said.

 


I'm really missing something with this band. They seem so UNINTERESTING to me musically.

Wash, lather, repeat. And repeat, And repeat. And repeat.
Put down your devices, kiddos. Step away from your schizoid, attention-span-of-a-gnat world for awhile...and just dig it.
My God, how many times can you repeat the same line?
15 minutes of joy - who said prog is dead?

{#Clap}
 
 eeke wrote:

yay.. great to know someone else in the field enjoys Bill and his pickins as much as I do.... Happy Friday!
 

 
Yup, me too. Great song. 
PSD FOR ME 
oh the sheer joy and mad genius of it all.. {#Notworthy}
Repetitive, boring, pretentious, monotonous crud. All their music has much the same repetitive 4-chord structure and is a total slander on the definition of the word music. Much the same as Coldplay. Perfectly dreadful.  And I object to them preceding the totally brilliant Elbow. There ... 'nuff said.
 EdEastridge wrote:
I'm finding this brilliant with the moods I'm sorting through this morning. Thank you. It's much appreciated here at the IT/prepress desk.

 
yay.. great to know someone else in the field enjoys Bill and his pickins as much as I do.... Happy Friday!
 
I'm finding this brilliant with the moods I'm sorting through this morning. Thank you. It's much appreciated here at the IT/prepress desk.
Snow Patrol are very hit and miss for me.  This is one of their worst misses.

ps my PSD button isn't working again.  Bah
 coolpeople_rule wrote:


Innovation is the child of rambling thoughts.

 
Ah, thank you for that. There is hope for me, then!

Please no.

 govna wrote:
Rambling thoughts masquerading as innovation.  

 

Innovation is the child of rambling thoughts.
 molson wrote:
An amazing and epic masterpiece of sonic beauty!

 
I am always enraptured by this piece. Very evocative. Courageous, too. Pop music this ain't. 
Like it or loathe it guys, something successful coming out of Ireland (or part Irish in SP's case), Kodaline are doing it for us these days, there is a glimmer of hope for us....!
 molson wrote:
An amazing and epic masterpiece of sonic beauty!
 
Agree!
An amazing and epic masterpiece of sonic beauty!
Listens to Philip Glass, writes piano part.
 govna wrote:
Rambling thoughts masquerading as innovation.  

 
A bit harsh, perhaps? Methinks there's a thematic unity here. Easy 8 here in the caldera.
YEAH, SOMETTIMES IT HURTS.......
Rambling thoughts masquerading as innovation.  
 jimys wrote:
I like the story this tells both musically and vocally.  I don't understand why the length is an issue, the music changes with the moods of the lyrics and its a job well done.  An easy 9.
 
I agree with you. Bought this album last month and love it. I am not getting bored of it!
Awesoma-powah!
I keep trying to give SP a fair shake, but they bore the Hell out of me.
 unclehud wrote:

... and I think many people, myself included, tend to forgo rating songs if they would rate below, say, a 7.  (Although there are a dozen that I rated very low with the hope that Bill would stop playing them.  Silly me.)

 
I agree, but with 1100+ ratings, it's a pretty and only 218 under 7, that's a pretty strong indication that people like it.  There are plenty of songs on here where the ratings are an inverted bell curve.  Personally, this is my favorite song by the band and I was pretty disapointed when they didn't play it in '09 when opening for U2.
Always a big WOW. And WTF?
I went across the street to buy a beer, came back, and this started. I really enjoyed both. 
 
Gary Lightbody's cameo Game of Thrones
 fredriley wrote:
Not really. Musical tastes are subjective. Just because most folk like a song doesn't mean that an individual listener has to like it. Bleedin' obvious, really, but plainly a fact that needs restating continually on these boards.
 
... and I think many people, myself included, tend to forgo rating songs if they would rate below, say, a 7.  (Although there are a dozen that I rated very low with the hope that Bill would stop playing them.  Silly me.)
 Mike_Sneade wrote:
Is it over yet?

 
For the record?  No.  It's.... still....  going....
 jimys wrote:
I like the story this tells both musically and vocally.  I don't understand why the length is an issue, the music changes with the moods of the lyrics and its a job well done.  An easy 9.

 
chapeau! Just raised it from 7 to 9 {#Clap}
 philbertr wrote:

Funny that over half the ratings are an 8 (outstanding) or more.   And 80% rate it a 7 (quite likeable) or higher.

 
Not really. Musical tastes are subjective. Just because most folk like a song doesn't mean that an individual listener has to like it. Bleedin' obvious, really, but plainly a fact that needs restating continually on these boards.
I like the story this tells both musically and vocally.  I don't understand why the length is an issue, the music changes with the moods of the lyrics and its a job well done.  An easy 9.
Care not what thee say - it's an epic alignment to mind, memory and moods - in a river of varied enticing rhythms.  Solid 8.
 ziakut wrote:
This song is basically saying .."F - you!"..."You ain't playing me in my entirety on any public radio!" ...unless of course...the DJ has long range fecal plans in the plumber's closet.

 
This is really three songs welded together....it takes about the same time span i spend on the crapper...oops ...tmi
Snow Patrol just released an edited version of this as a single that is only 4 minutes long (basically the good parts).  

Cough cough... Bill? 
 Aaargh, they're playing it again, less than three days since the last time!
Not my cup of tea - and it is tough to wait for the next song since since it sooo long.  Unfortunately, makes me want to switch stations (which hardly ever happens when I'm listening to RP).
I dunno, Yes used to do songs that took the whole side of an album and they would get played through once in a while. Granted that was in the late 70's when we still had attention spans. If I recall, Rainbow's live album had a version of Catch the Rainbow that took a whole side and it was fantastic. I can live with it.
This song is basically saying .."F - you!"..."You ain't playing me in my entirety on any public radio!" ...unless of course...the DJ has long range fecal plans in the plumber's closet.
Love it hate it love it hate it it's gotta beat and you can dance to it. Or do the dishes.
 fredriley wrote:

In the words of the immortal Joe Strummer: "f*ckin' long, innit?". I liked this the first, ooh, ten times I heard it, but it really has outstayed its welcome in my brain. Some songs, the more you hear them the more you like them, but with others familiarity breeds tedium, and I'm afraid that this is one of them. So, here goes the third press of PSD...
 
Funny that over half the ratings are an 8 (outstanding) or more.   And 80% rate it a 7 (quite likeable) or higher.
 hidey wrote:
Oh no - I hit PSD 3 TIMES! and STILL this mediocrity is playing!! {#Eyes}
 
In the words of the immortal Joe Strummer: "f*ckin' long, innit?". I liked this the first, ooh, ten times I heard it, but it really has outstayed its welcome in my brain. Some songs, the more you hear them the more you like them, but with others familiarity breeds tedium, and I'm afraid that this is one of them. So, here goes the third press of PSD...
What a terrific piece. I revel in it. Whatever it means — love story, end of the world, strange weather event, God's wrath, finding faith — few songs go where this one goes.  
Thanks, Bill. This programming takes a stroke of genius. 
 kingart wrote:
A seque from Let the Day begin, a terrific song, to this, one of the more fascinating and enthralling pieces I have heard in a long time, Some here don't like it. I love it. Mystical. Highly allusive. Great images. A love story. And a revelation crescendo that gets me in that space where I live. 
The band assembled this from three different pieces they composed one rainy, drunken night in Dublin. What's in a bottle of booze and a storm at the windows?

 
  love this.

i think it's a great song.


A seque from Let the Day begin, a terrific song, to this, one of the more fascinating and enthralling pieces I have heard in a long time, Some here don't like it. I love it. Mystical. Highly allusive. Great images. A love story. And a revelation crescendo that gets me in that space where I live. 
The band assembled this from three different pieces they composed one rainy, drunken night in Dublin. What's in a bottle of booze and a storm at the windows?

 
Amen to this comment and the other one that applauded hearing a long song in it's entirety. That was a novelty in the 70s, when album rock ascended and the masses-well, some of them, actually wanted the whole concept those artists had spent the time to develop. Right on, attention spans! And pass the Adderall...
 Flipmode wrote:

I feel the same way. Such a build up. I'm glad RP plays this whole song. Love It! 
 
yep!!
This man knows how to write a love song.... 
It grows and grows on my soul.. Stops me in my tracks and I must turn it up!!
I have spent good money on a couple of Snow Patrol albums and really like some of their stuff.  This is repetitive and dreadful.