David Gray – Fugitive Lyrics

David Gray · Draw The Line

Rock

Is the answer none of the above
Crouched in a whole like a mud-streaked fugitive
Every day a different version of
Pouring it away like water through a sieve

Hey better realize my friend
Lord in the end now you can't take it with
Gotta live

If only for a second
I see it twinkling in your eye
Gotta try

Well it's flesh and blood and camouflage
Straight into the wall now something's gotta give
Just another act of sabotage
Seen through the haze of a mind-rot sedative

When will you realize my friend
Lord in the end now you can't take it with
Gotta live

If only for a second
I see it twinkling in your eye
The world that you're forsaking
Is surely more than just a lie
It's all there for the taking
And you don't need to justify
Gotta try

When will you realize my friend
Lord in the end now you can't take it with
Gotta live

Every day just a different version of

About This Song

"Fugitive" is a brooding rock track that explores themes of spiritual emptiness and the futile pursuit of material satisfaction. The song uses the metaphor of being a hunted fugitive to describe the feeling of being trapped in cycles of waste and meaninglessness, with Gray's gravelly vocals conveying deep existential exhaustion. Musically, it features a driving rock arrangement that builds tension while maintaining Gray's signature blend of folk sensibilities and alternative rock edge. The lyrics wrestle with questions of purpose and the realization that material possessions can't be taken beyond death, urging listeners to truly "live" rather than merely exist. The song stands out for its raw honesty about modern alienation and its powerful imagery of hiding "like a mud-streaked fugitive" from life's deeper truths.

Comments (13)

Anonymous 2009-09-04 12:00:00

Love david, his lyrics are so open to interpretation. I think its about someone who's running away from life, someone afraid to live their life - a fugitive trying to avoid love but at the same time, wishing s/he'd be caught out. But someone else would probably see another meaning.
Anonymous 2009-09-06 00:15:00

Good Lord, wonderful. I sure know what it's like to feel my life's like water running through a sieve -- worried that the answers are "none of the above" and crouching, hiding like a fugitive from life. I can use the reminder that if that twinkle in the eye lasts only a second, it's worth a try -- not justify it, just try. Seems like a more optimistic album from Gray.
Anonymous 2009-09-09 11:06:00

I think that it's about living everyday and loving to the fullest because you can't take it with you. Live goes fast so you shouldn't hide from it, you've got to live it. And you've got to live it every second of everyday, not just for a moment.
Anonymous 2009-09-21 17:07:00

I think the lyrics are bridged by the instrumentation between them. A fantastic highly anticipated song.
Anonymous 2009-10-17 09:11:00

i thought it was about two lovers breaking up- when the pheramones die out and all thats left is the odd glimmer in the eye to hang onto. most people "cant take it well" especially when the relationship was so strong at one point. Words like "forsaken" and "lie" back this up for me. The water through the sieve is the persons life passing bye hanging onto something thats dead. Im happily married with a baby on the way but i remember feeling like this once. But thats just me!
Anonymous 2009-10-20 16:38:00

to me it sounds like he's trying to get through to a pill head or junkie, trying to help someone who's self destructive.
Anonymous 2009-10-21 21:58:00

I think he's talking to himself saying that he's on the run from love (a fugitive) and he "can't take it" (love) anymore because love has abandoned him .. it's been a lie. But rather than watching his life pass by like he's asleep - he's needs to open himself up to loving and living again to the fullest because its there if you want it... even if only for a second ... when an opportunity to live or love again presents itself .. you've got to take it .. no matter how long or short you think it will last - enjoy it for whatever it is.
Anonymous 2009-11-07 04:18:00

this is a good song. hits you immediately. a slow train coming. sticks with you. to you. relatable in every way; love, life, loss, searching, optimism, non attachment. dig it. thought i was in the know. wasnt famaliar at all with this guy. am now. woke up watching videos stopped me in me tracks "who is That?" dylanesque obvious. sounds poppy, yet depth to the lyrics when you read them. yeah, i can dig it.
Anonymous 2009-11-15 02:55:00

Feels like "how to save a life" with a melodic instrumental voice and smile. What infected me first about this song was the vocals in the chorus. It just sounds like another instrument.
Anonymous 2009-11-17 11:50:00

inlove this song and David Gray songs lyric is the perfect, I like it and I listening all live :)))
Anonymous 2009-11-19 10:22:00

Move away from the bad things that happen, and strive for the goods ones. Good things will always be remembered in life.
Anonymous 2009-11-23 16:10:00

Most comments are idiotic. This song is about love life and living in the moment for ever bit of worth and giving!! Because when your gone your gone..!
everlast 2009-11-23 16:33:00

Most of the comments are idiotic. this song is about love, life and giving everything you can while your here... because when your gone your gone