Walls Symposium, San Antonio, Texas, 15-17 February 2009
Trinity University, San Antonio, TX   |   15-17 February, 2009   |   Free & Open to the Public


FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Songs About Walls

We've collected a few scraps of song lyrics about wall. Know of other? Let us know, at wallsymposium@gmail.com.

This Land Is Your Land

As I went walking
I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me.

Another Brick in the Wall, part 2
Pink Floyd

We don't need no education
We dont need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall. . .

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall
traditional

99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer.
Take one down and pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall.

98 bottles of beer on the wall, 98 bottles of beer.
Take one down and pass it around, 97 bottles of beer on the wall. . .

Don't Fence Me In
by Cole Porter

Oh , give me land, lots of land under starry skies above
Don't fence me in
Let me ride through the wild open country that I love
Don't fence me in

Let me be by myself in the evening breeze
Listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
Send me off forever, but I ask you please
Don't fence me in

Just turn me loose, let me straddle my old saddle
Underneath the western skies

On my cayuse, let me wander over yonder
Till I see the mountains rise

I want to ride to the ridge where the west commences
And gaze at the moon until I lose my senses
I can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences
Don't fence me in . . .

Walls
by Cara Dillon

Some walls are lined with gold
Some hearts stay safe and cold
Some walls are made of doubt
Holding in and keeping out

Chorus: If there's any hope for love at all
Some walls must fall

Some walls are built on pride
Some keep a child inside
Some walls are made in fear
That love let go will disappear
Chorus

How will you ever know what might be found
Until you let the walls come tumbling down
Chorus

Climbing the Walls
by They May be Giants

I got tired of pacing the floor
Sick of it all, I'm done with the floor
Walked away ever since I got a new job climbing the walls . . .

. . . Now I misunderstood,
Thought the wall was just good
For staring blankly at . . . .

. . . I got tired of pacing the floor
Sick of it all, I'm done with the floor
Walked away ever since I got a new job climbing the wqlls . . .

Do The Walls Come Down
Carly Simon

Do the walls come down
When you think of me
Do your eyes grow dim
Do the walls come down
When you think of me
Do you let me in

Walls to Climb
Cross Canadian Ragweed

'Cause I need my time it's not your time it's not their time
I got words to rhyme i've got the lines is it a crime
Hey i got walls to climb we've all got walls to climb

The Wall Song
David Crosby (Crosby, Stills & Nash)

. . . You are walking
You've always been walking
Stumbling half-blinded
And dry as the wind
That strafes you and leaves you
To lie in the sand
And the wall stretches endless
beside you to nowhere
This wall that you've been
trying to cross for years
This fence made of tears
No one hears . . .

The Walls Came Down
Call

Well they blew the horns
And the walls came down
Theyd all been warned
And the walls came down
They juststood there laughing
Theyre not laughing anymore
The walls came down
Sanctuary fades
Congregation splits
Nightly military raids
The congregation splits
Its a song of assassins
Ringin in your ears
We got terrorist thinking
Playing on fears
Well they blew the horns
And the walls came down
Theyd all been warned
But the walls came down
I dot think there are any russians
And there aint no yanks
Just corporate criminals
Playin with tanks

Through These Walls
by Phil Collins

. . .I can hear thru' these walls
I can hear it when they're foolin' around
I can hear thru' these walls
And I hear ev'ry sight, ev'ry sound
I can hear thru' these walls
In the dark with the shades pulled down

Ev'ry word that they say
Ev'ry noise they make feels it's coming my way

These Walls Have Ears
by the Bee Gees

. . . These walls have eyes
These walls have ears
The see the lies
That hide the fears
They watch us live
They watch us grow
What lies ahead
What lies below . . .

Behind the Wall
by Tracy Chapman

Last night I heard the screaming
Loud voices behind the wall
Another sleepless night for me
It wont do no good to call
The police
Always come late
If they come at all . . .

Paper Walls
by YellowCard

Let's burn a hole, so we can climb out.
Of these paper walls, and this empty house.
Don't listen too close, their words are like guns.
With bullets that fly and kill what you've won.. . .

Let's take what hurts, and write it all down.
On these paper walls, and this empty house.
And when our ink runs out, we'll burn it to the ground.

Do the Walls Come Down
by Carly Simon

Do the walls come down
When you think of me
Do your eyes grow dim
Do the walls come down
When you think of me
Do you let me in
Do the walls come down . . .

Hello Walls
by Willie Nelson

Hello walls, (Hello, hello.)
How'd things go for you today
Don't you miss her.
Since she up and walked away
And I'll bet you dread to spend another lonely night with me,
But lonely walls, I'll keep you company. . . .

Four Walls
sung by Miley Cyrus

These four walls
They whisper to me
They know a secret
I knew they would not keep It didn't take long
For the room to fill with dust
And these four walls came down around us . ..

When The Walls Came Tumbling Down
sung by Def Lepard

. . .On the first day of the first month
In some distant year
The whole sky froze golden
Some said it was the aftermath
Of the radium bomb
While others told of a final retribution
A terrible revenge of the gods
But we understood the grand finale
Fulfillment of a prophecy told many years before
So all that was left was:
All the women were captured and chained
And national suicide was proclaimed
And New America fell to the ground
And all the children lay crippled and lame
But all the nations came together
In fear of the thought of the end
No more would we fight in the streets
No courage had we to defend
When the walls came tumbling down
When the walls came tumbling down
Everybody ran as they screamed at the sound
When the walls came tumbling down
When the walls came tumbling down
When the walls came tumbling down

Walls
by Glen Campbell

. . . 'Cause you got a heart so big
It could crush this town
And I can't hold on forever
Even walls fall down

All around your island
There's a barricade
It keeps out the danger
It holds in the pain . . .

Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
traditional

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down . . .

. . . Up to the walls of Jericho
He marched with spear in hand
Go blow them ram horns, Joshua cried
'Cause the battle is in my hands . . .

Windows And Walls
by Dan Fogelberg

Up every morning
Long before day
Cooking her breakfast alone
She quietly dresses
And pulls up the shades
And sits in the chair by the phone.
But nobody ever comes by anymore
Nobody ever calls
Most days she sits and just stares
At the windows and walls
Windows and walls.

Off the Wall
by Rod Templeton

. . .So Tonight Gotta Leave That Nine To Five Upon The Shelf
And Just Enjoy Yourself
Groove, Let The Madness In The Music Get To You
Life Ain't So Bad At All
If You Live It Off The Wall
Life Ain't So Bad At All (Live Life Off The Wall)
Live Your Life Off The Wall (Live It Off The Wall) . . .

Writing on the Wall
by Hazel O'Connor

. . . Have you seen the writing on the wall?
Have you seen the writing on the wall?
Reaching out for you it calls
Have you seen the writing on the wall?
Did you look for your cause?
Have you seen the writing on the wall? . . .

Shadow on the Wall
sung by Brandi Carlile

. . . I don't wanna be nobody's fool
I've played that part so many times before
How I long to be a shadow on the wall
I would make no sound at all
And when the sun goes down
the shadow on the wall
It can not be seen at all, at all . . .

Walls and Fear
Haste The Day

We're gonna break these walls down
Come on baby
Let's bring them down
To the ground
Let's get outta here
Let's bring them down
No more fears
No more holding back
Let's be stronger
Than we were in the past
We're gonna break
These walls down . . .

Thru These Walls
Phil Collins

. . .Oo I'm feeling like I'm locked in a cage
No way in, no way out, and it gets so lonely
Am I really asking a lot
Just to reach out and touch somebody
'Cos when I look thru' my
windows or open my door
I can feel it all around me

I can hear thru' these walls
I can hear it when they're foolin' around
I can hear thru' these walls
And I hear ev'ry sight, ev'ry sound
I can hear thru' these walls
In the dark with the shades pulled down

Ev'ry word that they say
Ev'ry noise they make feels it's coming my way

Walls Fall Down
Bedouin Soundclash

When the walls fall down
On your old town
Then you begin
See I had these walls
Built up so strong
Built when I was young
In wars I've won

But if I'm alone
Stone upon stone
So tall I could not see
Beyond my wall

But your walls fall down
And your walls fall down
And when walls come down
On your old town
You begin

A bit unassured
A bit insecure
I climbed up
And saw the world I lacked
And my fist stone cracked
Foundations collapsed
Standing on the ground
In stone I found

That your walls fall down
And your walls fall down
And when walls come down
On your old town
You begin

Got herd off the land
From where you stand
Beneath a shelter built by many hands
There is a stone
And you've locked the door
Of people you once were
You came for war

And your walls fall down
Walls fall down
Walls fall down
Like a stone falls down
I'm no stone
I'm no stone
Its just a stone
Stone falls down
Says hes a stone
(Walls fall down
Walls fall down)
No man's a stone

Four Walls of Raiford
Lynard Skynard

Well them four walls of raiford, closing in on me
Doin’ three to five hard labor, for armed robbery
I had two years behind, but I could not wait the time
Everytime I thought about it, well I died some more inside

Tonight We're Gonna Tear Down The Walls
by Randy Travis / Jim Sales

Tonight we're gonna tear down the walls
We're gonna laugh and drink and dance and have a ball
The good times ain't over after all
And tonight we're gonna tear down the walls
It seems we let the hard times come between us
Like a wall around our hearts we couldn't see
Hard luck and trouble came rainin' down upon us
They almost got the best of you and me . . .

Sitting on the Fence
Mick Jagger / Keith Richards

. . . I'm just sittin' on a fence
You can say I got no sense
Trying to make up my mind
Really is too horrifying
So I'm sittin on a fence . . .

The Wall
sung by Kansas

I'm woven in a fantasy
I can't believe the things I see
The path that I have chosen now
Has led me to a wall
And with each passing day
I feel a little more like something dear was lost

It rises now before me
A dark and silent barrier between
All I am, and all that I would ever want be
It's just a travesty
Towering, marking off the boundaries
My spirit would erase
To pass beyond is what I seek

I fear that I may be too weak
And those are few who've seen it through
To glimpse the other side
The promised land is waiting
Like a maiden that is soon to be a bride . . .

A Poem On The Underground Wall
by Paul Simon

The last train is nearly due,
The underground is closing soon,
And in the dark deserted station,
Restless in anticipation,
A man waits in the shadows.

His restless eyes leap and snatch,
At all that they can touch or catch,
And hidden deep within his pocket,
Safe within its silent socket,
He holds a coloured crayon.

Now from the tunnel's stony womb,
The carriage rides to meet the groom,
And opens wide the welcome doors,
But he hesitates, then withdraws
Deeper in the shadows.

And the train is gone suddenly.
On wheels clicking silently
Like a gently tapping litany,
And he holds his crayon rosary
Tighter in his hand.

Now from his pocket quick he flashes,
The crayon on the wall he slashes,
Deep upon the advertising,
A single-worded poem comprising
Four letters.

And his heart is laughing, screaming, pounding,
The poem across the tracks resounding,
Shadowed by the exit light
His legs take their ascending flight
To seek the breast of darkness and be suckled by the night

The Walls of Red Wing
by Bob Dylan

Oh, the age of the inmates
I remember quite freely:
No younger than twelve,
No older 'n seventeen.
Thrown in like bandits
And cast off like criminals,
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.

From the dirty old mess hall
You march to the brick wall,
Too weary to talk
And too tired to sing.
Oh, it's all afternoon
You remember your home town,
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.

Oh, the gates are cast iron
And the walls are barbed wire.
Stay far from the fence
With the 'lectricity sting.
And it's keep down your head
And stay in your number,
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.

Oh, it's fare thee well
To the deep hollow dungeon,
Farewell to the boardwalk
That takes you to the screen.
And farewell to the minutes
They threaten you with it,
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.

It's many a guard
That stands around smilin',
Holdin' his club
Like he was a king.
Hopin' to get you
Behind a wood pilin',
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.

The night aimed shadows
Through the crossbar windows,
And the wind punched hard
To make the wall-siding sing.
It's many a night I pretended to be a-sleepin',
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.

As the rain rattled heavy
On the bunk-house shingles,
And the sounds in the night,
They made my ears ring.
'Til the keys of the guards
Clicked the tune of the morning,
Inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.

Oh, some of us'll end up
In St. Cloud Prison,
And some of us'll wind up
To be lawyers and things,
And some of us'll stand up
To meet you on your crossroads,
From inside the walls,
The walls of Red Wing.

Wall Around Your Heart
by Mary Chapin Carpenter

. . . If you believe once more in the moon
And if you have faith again in the stars
You can go free 'cause someone broke through
The wall around your heart

There's walls made of steel
There was walls made of stone
But none are so strong
As the walls made of fear alone . . .

These Old Adobe Walls
by Michael Martin Murphey

. . . These walls have stood for ages
And now time still turns its pages
Hearts are still the same when night begins to fall
As sure as there are stars above
We're not the first to fall in love
That's the magic of these old adobe walls . . .

Tear Down the Walls
Jan Nigro

There are walls of concrete, walls of steel,
But the thickest ones you'll find,
Are the walls that people put up
In their hearts and in their minds.

Walls because of different skin
Or the features on a persons face,
Walls because of their religion,
Their language or native place.

The more walls you put around you,
The more walls are gonna block your view!

Chorus:
Tear down...tear down the walls!
Love flows freely when they fall.
In your heart can't you hear that call, To tear down, tear down the walls.

You may have heard of good old Joshua
At the battle of Jericho,
And how those walls did crumble
When the horns began to blow.

Well, we're all modern day Joshuas,
But we've got a different battleground
When we win the battle in our hearts,
The walls come a-tumbling down.

The battle over ignorance and fear,
Love can make them both disappear!
Chorus

Walls and Windows
by Judy Small & Pat Humphries

Did you sing your children lullabies to calm their fears at night?
Did you hold them gently till they went to sleep?
Did you plant in them the seeds of hope for new and better lives?
Did you make them promises you couldn't keep?

chorus :And do you think of me as "Enemy" and could you call me "Friend"?
Or will we let our differences destroy us in the end?
The wall that stands between us could be a window too.
When I look into the mirror, I see you.

Do you have sons that fight for peace, the way I'm told mine do?
Do they send you photographs of foreign lands?
Do you chill to see the missiles, and do they haunt your dreams?
Do you wonder, "Whose the power; whose the hands?"
chorus

Oh, may we live to see the day when walls of words and fear,
No longer stand between the truth and dreams.
The walls and windows rise into the darkness and we dare,
To look into the mirror and see Peace.

chorus

If These Walls Could Talk
by Vic Mignogna

. . . If these walls could talk (ooooh, if these walls could talk, what would they be sayin’?)
(what would they be sayin’?)
If these walls could talk (ooooh, if these walls could talk, what would they be sayin’?)
(what would they be sayin’?)
Maybe they’re the only ones (echoed)
(witnesses, done) Witnesses to what’s been done here
Maybe someone’s heart
Should be taking a walk
(maybe we would know)
And maybe we would know
If these walls could talk

A motionless square
Echoes the way we beat
Eavesdroppers, they’re closing around the heat
Either silence or crying
Something is dying
Did we mean all that we said (echoed)
Can we love outside the bed (echoed) . . .

Empty Walls
by Serj Tankian

Your empty walls...
Your empty walls...
Pretentious attention
Dismissive aprehension
Don't waste your time, on coffins today
When we decline, from the confines of our mind
Don't waste your time, on coffins today . . .

Back to the Wall
by Steve Earle

. . . I sit underneath the freeway with an old friend from the old days
And a bottle of wine
Well he used to call me "Big Time", and he knew someday that I'd shine
Said he'd seen all the signs
He said . .

"Keep yourself to yourself
Keep your bedroll dry
And boy you never can tell
What the shadows hide
Keep ene eve on the ground
Pick up whatever you find
'Cause you've got no place to fall
When your back's to the wall" . . .

Pizza Song
by Bouncing Souls

. . .And If these walls could sing they'd sing us a hundred songs
And if these walls could talk they'd say they'd seen it coming all along
All along, all along...

May all these walls we've made in our wasted years and days
not stand in our way that we may feel the winds of change . . .

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