Pompeii
Bastille * Track #7 On The Singles Club
Download "Pompeii"
Album The Singles Club
- #1
OverjoyedBastille
- #2Sleepsong
Bastille
- #3
Bad BloodBastille
- #4
Haunt (Demo)Bastille
- #5
FlawsBastille
- #6
Durban SkiesBastille
- #7Pompeii
Bastille
- #8Poet
Bastille
- #9
Laura PalmerBastille
- #10
Thinkin Bout You (feat. O.N.E.)Bastille
- #11
Things We Lost in the FireBastille
- #12
Icarus (Live from Queens’ College, Cambridge)Bastille
- #13
OblivionBastille
- #14
bad_newsBastille
Pompeii by Bastille
Release Date
Performed by
BastilleProduced by
Dan Smith & Mark CrewWrited by
Dan SmithAbout
“Pompeii” was the fourth song to be released from Bastille’s debut album Bad Blood. It has reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, topped the Scottish charts, and reached the number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the Official Charts Company, it was the UK’s most streamed song up to June...
Pompeii Lyrics
[Directed by Jesse John Jenkins]
[Intro]
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
[Verse 1]
I was left to my own devices
Many days fell away with nothing to show
[Pre-Chorus]
And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love
Grey clouds roll over the hills, bringing darkness from above
[Chorus]
But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?
And if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like you've been here before?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?
[Verse 2]
We were caught up and lost in all of our vices
In your pose as the dust settled around us
[Pre-Chorus]
And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love
Grey clouds roll over the hills, bringing darkness from above
[Chorus]
But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?
And if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like you've been here before?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?
[Post-Chorus]
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
[Bridge]
Oh, where do we begin, the rubble or our sins?
Oh-oh, where do we begin, the rubble or our sins?
And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love (Oh, where do we begin, the rubble or our sins?)
Grey clouds roll over the hills bringing darkness from above (Oh, where do we begin, the rubble or our sins?)
[Chorus]
But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?
And if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like you've been here before?
Oh, how am I going to be an optimist about this?
How am I going to be an optimist about this?
If you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?
[Outro]
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Eh, eheu, eheu
Pompeii Q&A
Who wrote Pompeii's ?
Pompeii was written by Dan Smith.
What are they saying in the chanting?
They are chanting eheu. Read more about it in the annotation on the chant.
Why is it called "Pompeii" when Pompeii itself is not even in the song?
Depending on whether you interpret the song metaphorically or literally, the destruction of the ancient city of Pompeii is used either as a conceit to describe the relationship of the speaker and the addressee (or perhaps the situation of their lives); or the song is actually attempting to give voic...
What did Bastille say about "Pompeii"?
In an interview with Radio X in 2014, Dan said he was inspired when he read about the tragedy of Pompeii:
I was reading a book that had some picture of the people who got caught up in the volcanic eruption. And it’s just such a kind of dark powerful image, and it got me thinking about how boring it...
Has the track received any certifications?
Yes, “Pompeii” was certified 6x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA on April 17th, 2018. It was originally certified gold on February 26th, 2014.