No Ash Will Burn
The Paul McKenna Band Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴I have seen snow that fell in May
And I have seen rain on cloudless days
Somethings are always bound to change
There is no ash will burn

Love is a precious thing I′m told
It burns just like West Virginia coal
But when the fire dies down it's cold

There is no ash will burn

You say this life is not your lot
Well I can′t be something that I'm not
We can't stoke a fire that we haven′t got
There is no ash will burn

Love is a precious thing I′m told
It burns just like West Virginia coal
But when the fire dies down it's cold
There is no ash will burn

In every life there comes a time
Where there are no more tears to cry
We must leave something dear behind
There is no ash will burn

Love is a precious thing I′m told
It burns just like West Virginia coal
But when the fire dies down it's cold
There is no ash will burn

Love is a precious thing I′m told
It burns just like West Virginia coal
But when the fire dies down it's cold
There is no ash will burn

There is one lesson I have learned
There is no ash will burn

Overall Meaning

The Paul McKenna Band's song "No Ash Will Burn" is a contemplative and sobering reflection on life's inevitable changes and the fleeting nature of love. The opening lines, "I have seen snow that fell in May / And I have seen rain on cloudless days / Somethings are always bound to change / There is no ash will burn," suggest the transience of all things, no matter how solid or fixed they seem. It is a reminder that no matter how hard we try to hold onto something or someone, we cannot stop the march of time and the changing of seasons.

The song then goes on to explore the nature of love, using the metaphor of coal that burns hot and bright, but ultimately turns to ash as the fire dies down. The line "Love is a precious thing I'm told, it burns just like West Virginia coal" captures the intense and passionate nature of love that can consume us, but also warns that it can be fleeting and cannot be sustained forever. When the fire dies down, all that is left behind is empty coals, just like ash.

Finally, the song concludes with a message of acceptance and letting go. The repeated line "there is no ash will burn" is a poignant reminder that we cannot hold onto anything forever, but we can cherish the memories and lessons we gain from our experiences.

Overall, "No Ash Will Burn" is a poignant and reflective song that encourages the listener to accept life's changes and to cherish the precious moments we have.

Line by Line Meaning

I have seen snow that fell in May
The unexpected can happen, even things that are uncommon

And I have seen rain on cloudless days
Things that seem impossible or unlikely can still happen

Somethings are always bound to change
Change is inevitable and always happens, nothing stays the same forever

There is no ash will burn
After everything is said and done, nothing lasts forever and everything eventually fades away

Love is a precious thing I′m told
Love is highly valued and important

It burns just like West Virginia coal
Love can be intense and passionate, just like the heat generated by coal

But when the fire dies down it's cold
When love loses its passion, it can turn cold and distant

You say this life is not your lot
You believe that you deserve or are meant for something else in life

Well I can′t be something that I'm not
I can't change who I am, no matter how much we might want it sometimes

We can't stoke a fire that we haven′t got
We can't create passion or love out of nothing, it has to come from within

In every life there comes a time
At some point in everyone's life, they will face a difficult moment

Where there are no more tears to cry
When we have experienced so much pain or sadness that we are numb to it

We must leave something dear behind
Moving on in life often requires leaving something or someone important behind

There is one lesson I have learned
After all of life's experiences, there is one thing that is certain and that we can take away

There is no ash will burn
Nothing lasts forever, everything eventually fades away and ends

Writer(s): Walt Aldridge

Contributed by Nolan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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