The end of the game lyrics meaning

The “game” which is mentioned in the title (“The End of the Game”) is actually an allusion to the romance the narrator is in. Apparently his girlfriend is more or less on the verge of dumping him. Thus he recognizes this current moment as “the end of the game”. And basically, the sentiment he is expressing throughout is one tantamount to being afraid of losing his partner.

Table of Contents Show

Music Video
Date of Release of “The End of the Game”
Writing Credits
Add your thoughts

Indeed ‘all he wants’ out of life is for this lady to desire him. But obviously such is not the case. In fact he doesn’t come off as if he is making an attempt to salvage the relationship per se. Rather, it’s more along the lines of him coming to the hard realization that the woman he loves is indeed gone out of his life.

Music Video

The music video to “The End of the Game”, which was directed by Danilo Parra, features American rock band Cherry Glazerr.

Date of Release of “The End of the Game”

“The End of the Game”, which was released by Atlantic Records on 10 September 2019, is the lead single from Weezer’s forthcoming “Van Weezer” album.

The song also served the purpose of helping to announce 2020’s “Hella Mega Tour”. This is a tour Weezer will be headlining along with Green Day and Fall Out Boy. And more interestingly, Weezer released this tune on the same day Green Day released their single “Father of All…“. And on that same day, Fall Out Boy also released their single “Dear Future Self (Hands Up)“.

Writing Credits

This song was written by Weezer’s lead singer Rivers Cuomo along with Tim Pagnotta.

And the track was produced by Suzy Shinn. Interestingly enough, Suzy happens to be the name of the song’s addressee.

The fox had done running
And the beast is at bay
He'd run them in circles
By the end of the day

They chased him through bramble
They chased him through the fields
They could chase him forever
But the fox would not yield

And some saw her shadow
On the crest of a hill
And the hounds were distracted
Away from the kill

One day we'll reach a great ocean
At the end of a pale afternoon
And we lay down our heads just like we were sleeping
Controlled by the drag of the moon

We ran through the forests
And we ran through the streams
We ran through the heather
Though we ran in our dreams

And you were my lover
And I was your beau
We ran like the river
What else did we know?

One day we'll reach a great ocean
At the end of a pale afternoon

And the dogs are all worn out
And the horses all lame
Oh the hunters they're hunted
At the end of the game

Our love was a river
A wild mountain stream
In a tumbling fury
On the edge of a dream

And they chased us through the brambles
And they chased us through the fields
They'd chased us forever
But the heart would not yield

When the fox has done running
At the end of the day
I'm ready to answer
I'm ready to pay

And this river's done running
And my time will come soon
Carried to the great ocean
By the drag of the moon

Lyrics submitted by effington

End of the Game Lyrics as written by Gordon Sumner

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Add your thoughts

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

So I’m trying something new today: music analysis. This is totally new territory for me, as my musical knowledge literally borders on absolutely nothing. If it isn’t an anime theme or from one of the Transformers albums, I probably don’t know it. And if you think that’s an exaggeration, you’d be wrong.

In my mind, music has always had no purpose outside of being related to another form of media that it’s been connected to. However, lately I’m coming to accept the idea of music as a type of literature that may have some meaning or value to be found within it. And while my musical background is non-existent, if it’s literature, then I should be able to analyze and understand it. At least, that’s the idea…

Jen gave me approximately 130 Sting songs, which I am slowly working my way through. Thus far I’m having a really hard time deriving meaning from most of the songs besides what’s obvious from the surface. (And that’s not me trying to say there’s nothing deeper there–I’m a novice at this, remember.) I wasn’t really sure I’d connect with any of the songs, but one finally resonated with my soul. The one true gem I’ve come across thus far is “The End of the Game” from the “Symphonicities” album, which I first heard at the Sting concert I took Jen to back in July.

Commentary:I went into studying this song pretty wary and biased against it, as I was horrified at the live concert when Sting introduced this song’s plot as being about a pair of foxes who are at the end of their lives and fail to escape being hunted and killed by dogs. Having listened to it and spent some time interpreting the lyrics, I understand it better now…

Lyrics:

The fox had done running
And the beast is at bay
He’d run them in circles
By the end of the dayThey chased him through bramble
They chased him through the fields
They could chase him forever
But the fox would not yieldAnd some saw her shadow
On the crest of a hill
And the hounds were distracted
Away from the killOne day we’ll reach a great ocean
At the end of a pale afternoon
And we lay down our heads just like we were sleeping
Controlled by the drag of the moonWe ran through the forests
And we ran through the streams
We ran through the heather
Though we ran in our dreamsAnd you were my lover
And I was your beau
We ran like the river
What else did we know?One day we’ll reach a great ocean
At the end of a pale afternoonAnd the dogs are all worn out
And the horses all lame
Oh the hunters they’re hunted
At the end of the gameOur love was a river
A wild mountain stream
In a tumbling fury
On the edge of a dreamAnd they chased us through the brambles
And they chased us through the fields
They’d chased us forever
But the heart would not yieldWhen the fox has done running
At the end of the day
I’m ready to answer
I’m ready to payAnd this river’s done running
And my time will come soon
Carried to the great ocean
By the drag of the moon

Summary: A pair of foxes (lovers) are being hunted throughout their lives by hunters and dogs, and spend their lives together surviving by escaping on a day-to-day basis. Though they know the inevitability of eventual death, they continue to run and persevere until they are finally caught and killed, reaching “the end of the game”.

Analysis: After spending some time with this piece,I think it’s certainly the most compelling of the couple dozen Sting songs I’ve gone through thus far. As advertised, it is a song about death, but it’s written in such a touching, poignant way that it’s actually inspirational, not tragic.

I love that the foxes are aware that they must–and will–lose “the game” one day, but refuse to yield over and over again in spite of the certainty of eventual death. Even with a fatalistic perspective that fate cannot be circumvented, the foxes refuse to give up until they have lost totally.

And even when death comes, the foxes still aren’t broken and somber–they’re satisfied having lived a full life and having done their best. They accept their fate and their deaths, having lived fulfilled lives.

That seems like a pretty good way to live (and die).

This song is also metaphorical, of course. Mortality is obviously not reserved for the foxes–humans and all other living things are always running a doomed race against dogs of suffering and the grim hunter, Death. The foxes fight on unrelentingly striving to live fulfilled lives, though, regardless of the pain and hardships they encounter. I’m not sure that humans have that same will to live or if they’re just surviving because they’re conditioned to…

I wonder if people can be like those foxes…