Lyrics · artist-supplied

I pace around the headstones of the ones I’ve believed in most
They vanish when I need them, but show up when they need a host
Now that I’m digging through the past maybe we’ll see them again
Or maybe I’ll just stay betrayed by them until the bitter end

It’s getting kinda hard to believe in ghosts
When those ghosts don’t believe in me
I used to call them friends, but they all disappear and they always seem to haunt me

I used to think I believed in ghosts
When those ghosts still believed in me
One day I’ll dig out of the tomb they assigned
Let the dead be the ones that lose sleep

Maybe I wasn’t made for this after all
Maybe I was never built to take such a fall
Maybe all the armor that I wield wasn’t strong enough to take so many direct hits to the shield
Maybe I’ve been waiting for a sign that isn’t clear
Maybe I just wanted to keep a friend near
Now I can barely trust the voice that’s giving me instructions in my ear

Like, ”Maybe you should just stay calm, keep moving on, man you won’t be here for too long
You’ve seen a lot of ghosts to get this far, so good news is you know where the graves are”

It’s getting kinda hard to believe in ghosts
When those ghosts don’t believe in me
I used to call them friends, but they all disappear and they always seem to haunt me

I used to think I believed in ghosts
When those ghosts still believed in me
One day I’ll dig out of the tomb they assigned
Let the dead be the ones that lose sleep

Misery, they call you life
We were surrounded by it
You promised us everything nice
Demanding a sacrifice

And now it’s got me up all night
Thinking if I just keep these ghosts in sight
Then I might finally make it alright
It just might, yeah right

Working interpretation · analysis

Interpretation note: This is analysis of the supplied lyrics, not an authoritative statement of authorial intent.

The narrator describes former friends who disappear when needed but return when they need a “host.” The refrain turns belief into something mutual: it becomes difficult to believe in ghosts that no longer believe in him. Images of headstones, a tomb assigned to him, and an untrustworthy voice giving instructions link betrayal to self-doubt. The promise to dig out of the tomb pushes against being defined by those relationships, while the final “yeah right” leaves open whether keeping the ghosts in sight can actually bring relief.

Themes

friendship, betrayal, self-doubt, ghosts, release

Ghosts Don’t Believe In Me