Gang Of Youths - Achilles, Come Down (Lyrics) 

Achillies: I'm going to jump Apollo: do a flip

Patroclus : Achilles come down Agamemnon : DO A FLIP

"See life as a worthy opponent." Underrated line.

As someone who read The Illiad and Odyssey. Achilles' pride and the death of Patroclos really drove him to the edge. This song definitely highlights it.

The moment in the harmony where one voice says "Get off the roof" and the other says "Jump off the roof" just hits different

Patroclus: Some of us love you Agamemnon: Emphasis on SOME

Patroclus was so scared of seeing Achilles die, promising that after his death he would kill himself right after, but never did it cross his mind that he'd die first. He completely ignored thetis' warning that he'd die soon because the thought of his lover dying was eating him alive

"You're scaring us, and all of us-" *Looks at Agamemnon* "Some of us love you"

I feel like the line "the most dangerous thing is to love" is not to be interpreted as "loving is dangerous because love can be lost" but instead as "it's dangerous to love because love can inspire you so passionately that it can become a force to rival the gods"

I found this song today. The comments mentioned Greek mythology characters I was unfamiliar with and a book called The Song of Achilles. So, naturally, I read the whole book in a day and now I’m back here to cry.

The French parts of this song (the faint parts) translate roughly to: On the other hand, I see many people die because they judge that life is not worth living. I see others paradoxically getting killed for the ideas or illusions that give them a reason for living (what is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying). ... Of an apartment-building manager who had killed himself I was told that he had lost his daughter five years before, that he had changed greatly since, and that that experience had "undermined" him. … What sets off the crisis is almost always unverifiable. Newspapers often speak of "personal sorrows" or of "incurable illness." These explanations are plausible. But one would have to know whether a friend of the desperate man had not that very day addressed him indifferently. … ...the memory of a lost home or the hope of a promised land. This divorce between man and his life, the actor and his setting, is properly the feeling of absurdity. … ...either yes or no. This would be too easy. But allowance must be made for those who, without concluding, continue questioning. Here I am only slightly indulging in irony: this is the majority. I notice also that those who answer "no" act as if they thought "yes." As a matter of fact, if I accept the Nietzschean criterion, they think "yes" in one way or another.

"The goddess, the mortal, and the boy who was both"-the song of achilles. Hands down one of my favorite route's. Its not talked about too much, but for some reason that line truly broke my heart.

"Name one hero who was happy." "......" "You can't." "I can't." "I know. They never let you be famous AND happy." "I'll tell you a secret." "Tell me." "I'm going to be the first." He took my palm and held it to his. "Swear it." "Why me?" "Because you're the reason. Swear it." "I swear it," "I swear it," We sat like that a moment, hands touching. He grinned. "I feel like I could eat the world raw."

I understand the song is someone speaking to him, but I can also picture this song as two sides of his mind, him fighting against his own thoughts and impulses

Still cant get over how achilles smiles when his heart is pierced by the arrow. Hit right where he burned the most. His heart being the ultimate cause of his destruction.

"...he smiled, and his face was like the sun." "Achilles’ eyes were bright in the firelight, his face drawn sharply by the flickering shadows. I would know it in dark or disguise, I told myself. I would know it even in madness." "I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world." "His trust was a part of him, as much as his hands or his miraculous feet. And despite my hurt, I would not wish to see it gone, to see him as uneasy and fearful as the rest of us, for any price." "I had seen the way he looked at Deidameia; or rather the way he did not. It was the same way he had looked at the boys in Phthia, blank and unseeing. He had never, not once, looked at me that way." “What has Hector ever done to me?” “My life is my reputation,” he says. His breath sounds ragged. “It is all I have. I will not live much longer. Memory is all I can hope for.” "There is no fame greater than this-you will prove to them all that your phantom is more powerful than Agamemnon’s whole army." "His tears fall, but I cannot wipe them away." “My consolation is that we will be together in the underworld. That we will meet again there, if not in this life. I would not wish to be there without her.” “I have done it,” she says. At first I do not understand. But then I see the tomb, and the marks she has made on the stone. ACHILLES, it reads. And beside it, PATROCLUS. “Go,” she says. “He waits for you.” In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun." *"I will never leave him. It will be this, always, for as long as he will let me."* The Song of Achilles has changed my life. This is the most beautiful book I have ever read, enjoyed, and felt. It will take me forever to find another one that could even come close to what this book has made me experience.

I kind of really love how the voice telling him to jump is so monotone and emotionless, while the voice telling him not to is full of emotion and sounds so much more human.

Hector : Kills Patroclus Achilles : SO I TOOK THAT PERSONALLY

"Loathe the way they light candles in Rome, but love the sweet air of the votives. Hurt and grieve but don't suffer alone, engage with the pain as a motive" Pure Poetry

"If they ever tell my story let them say that I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die. Let them say I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses. Let them say I lived in the time of Achilles."

The talked part in French comes from The Myth of Sisyphus, a philosophical book about absurd and suicide. One of the best I've ever read.

Can we talk about how listening to this whole song feels like watching a whole ass movie. I'm not complaining.

For those who don't know: Achilles was killed by Paris, a prince of Tory, (yes, the same one who gave Aphrodite the golden apple) when the royal fired an arrow (guided by Lord Apollon) that pierced the hero's heel (literally Achilles' tendon). This song seems to be inspired by "The Song of Achilles," a book written by Madeline Miller; which retells the Iliad by from the perspective of Patroclus, Achilles best friend and lover. "Achilles’ eyes were bright in the firelight, his face drawn sharply by the flickering shadows. I would know it in dark or disguise, told myself. I would know it even in madness." (Edited grammer)

As someone who has been fighting with suicidal thoughts recently and depression in general, this song really touched me

guys Achilles is just fine, he's just chilling in the underworld with Patroclus in Elysium and mentoring Hades' kid.

I feel as if this song is from Patroclus’ ghosts’ perspective. He sees the sorrow Achilles is in after his death and he’s trying to remind him that there’s more to life.

This song hits different when you listen to it but without thinking of the song of Achilles but actually relating to the lyrics in some kind of way

"I'm talking to you" Makes me tear up every time. It's rare that an artist connects to the audience on more than a superficial level. It's that second iteration into a repeat that says it all, I'm talking to YOU the listener. The listener is Achilles, we are Achilles; indomitable until our smallest insecurities become our downfall. This song is simply beautiful from beginning to end

Ok, but the fact that you capitalized the words telling Achilles to NOT jump. I don't know the song has them at the same volume, but you just know that the desperation for him not to jump just hit differently.

“You crave the applause yet hate the attention, then miss it.” Well that’s deep

This song is most definitely a metaphor for the choice Achilles has to make: to chose his honor although it will kill him or choose to live a forgetful life, though it be with the love of his life. The voice telling him to jump off the roof is probably both him and society. Whilst reading The Song Of Achilles, I got a strong sense that back then people would rather die than risk being seen as a coward. This sort of "extreme bravery" was seemingly equated with being a good person, which is interesting because I think being a brave person would better be equated with being brave enough to sacrifice your glory for the sake of the person you love most. I'm getting the sense that Patroclus loved Achilles more than Achilles loved him. It's truly heart breaking because ultimately Achilles chose himself over Patroclus and still, Patroclus would die for him.

My favorite part of this song comes around 5:30 to 6:19. At 5:30, the strings calm down, as Achilles "comes down" off of the roof, having not jumped. It seems like the song is about to end. The question a lot of people ask after a near-suicide is, "what now?" The segment starting at 6:03 is an answer to the question. Like an inspiration to move on.

i can imagine patroclus's ghost singing this to achilles, and desperately hoping that achilles can hear him, and begging achilles to not kill hector and complete the prophecy

Agamemnon: You want my opinion, my opinion you've got Patroclus from the Underworld: NO ONE ASKED FOR YOUR OPINION AGAMEMNON

"There may not be meaning; so, find one and seize it - do not waste your life on this roof." Is my favourite lyric.

"Ah, it's more courageous to overcome." This is the most important and powerful line in the song to me. I have my problems, such as bad habits, and they're difficult to get over. I oftentimes just want to give in (and I often do), but I know what I should do. This line emphasizes that little voice in my head that tells me truth and comfort.

i will never shut up about how achilles’ weak spot was never really his heel, but his heart. about how grief from patroclus’ death drove him so enraged that he eventually brought his own destruction. it’s such a beautiful, tragic story.

Patroclus: Get off the roof, Achilles. Achilles: Sure, let me get off the roof by jumping. Patroclus: NO THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEA-

"How the most dangerous thing is to love"- Felt it in my soul🥺

"In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun." Im not crying😭💔

This comment section is in wholehearted unity that: a) Patroclus trying to talk Achilles down is very gay and very sad. b) this song invokes a melancholic and loving feeling. c) the blend between the voices hits hard.

I love how in this song, Patroclus is literally fighting off Achilles' demons (Don't listen Achilles..No one asked for your thoughts..). And I love how it it implied that Achilles ends up listening to Patroclus, as the song ends with his voice and not his negative thoughts. His love managed to drown them out.

listening to this on loop while reading song of achilles, wish me luck. I feel like I'm gonna finish this book sobbing.

"I am made of memories" - patroclus' soul.

"So jump and I'm jumping, since there is no me without you." I CANT.

“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”

"How the most dangerous thing is to love" This line always gives me chills.

After reading the book, this song makes so much more sense. Madeline Miller's writing style is beautiful, and I can't even put into words how amazing it is. The way she connects romance with how things were in those times and the way she is able to prove that there is good in bad and bad in good is breath taking. I couldn't read any other books for so long after it which proves how much I love it. When it comes to books I look for things that are written very metaphorically, and wordy. Just not too wordy that it is not understandable. I like reading how she is able to compare romance to different things in sentences. All together it was a beautiful book and I sobbed a lot.

this song is literally perfect in every ways. the slightly frantic violin, the french interlude, the singer's voice gritty like the insides of a pear, the almost overpowering intrusive voice towards the end. brings such a vivid imagery of their love, achilles and patroclus, everytime i listen to this song. a close of the eye and it feels like i can have a glimpse into their love, feel a piece of their heartbreak. it's like a high, i fucking love this song.

I saw a comment saying "its so cool that that there is ancient Greek playing in the backround" ...Thats French bro

"He snatches for his sword to slash his throat. It is only when his hand comes up empty that he remembers: he gave the sword to me." The fact that, Achilles's first instinct after seeing Patroclus's body was to kill himself so he went for his knife until he realised that he gave the knife to Patroclus before he went to participate in the war, is hauntingly beautiful. This shows that not only Patroclus wished to leave the world once his beloved was no more. Their love is IT ♡

I love the dueling emotions of this song especially when they bring the 2 variations together, one voice telling him to get off the roof, while the other says jump off at the same time

I'm having a religious experience??? My soul is transcending???

This should be definitely the soundtrack for “The Song of Achilles”

Translations (Sorry if it's not perfect I'm still learning!) 0:41 I see a lot of people die because they don't believe that life is worth living, and I see others who paradoxically get killed for the ideas, the illusions that gave them a reason to live. What we call a reason to live is also an excellent reason to die. 2:06 Of a building manager who had killed himself, it was said one day That he had lost his daughter for five years That he had changed a lot since then and that this story had 2:45 What triggers the crisis is almost always uncontrollable The newspapers often speak of intimate sorrows or incurable diseases These explanations are valid But it would be necessary to know if the same day a friend Of the desperate did not speak to him in an indifferent tone This one is the 4:24 Memories of a lost homeland, hope for a promised land This divorce between the man of her life 5:47 That of yes and that of no it would be too beautiful But we must make allowance for those who, without concluding, always question Here, I'm hardly ironing, it's about the majority I also see that those who answer no act as if they mean yes Fact

1:34 for those who are confused, 'loathe the way they light candles in Rome' is referring to when the Emperor Nero used to burn living, breathing humans to light up his garden parties.

If Song of Achilles ever gets a live- action show or movie this song should be in the soundtrack.

Everyone: sad gay vibes/ mythologic jokes/ poetry Me: Getting goosebumps for 8 minutes from this beautiful violin in background.

2:06 the phrase: the most dangerous thing is to love speaks to me because it shows while love makes you stronger, it is also your weakest point for injury.

"Today of all days, see how the most dangerous thing is to love, how you will heal and you'll rise above" fav line, it feels so comforting yet so melancholic at the same time, i love it

“I did not plan to live after he was gone." Little did Patroclus knew.

The poetry of the lyrics The violin The kickass harmonies The heartbroken, detached wistfulness of the singer’s voice The Greek mythology Yep, I’ve found a new band to obsess over

"Hurt and grieve but don't suffer alone, engage with the pain as a motive" this quote is so relatable. This really got me.

Best song to ever exist. The emotions are truly insane. It hits even deeper when you understand what is being said during the french parts. Truly amazing

And they were roommates.

It was very sexy of my FBI agent to put this on my RU-vid recommendations

I just realized, towards the end of the song where there seems to be an echo, the bolded text is Patroclus trying to get Achilles to come down and not jump (as seen in the the beginning of the song) while the skinny text is Achilles inner thoughts telling him to kill himself. God that's so painful.

Sad but this is my daughter's song to me. I've been through a lot and got into drinking heavily and almost gave up on everything. She taught me better and that I'm loved and needed. One of the best and sweetest things anyone has ever said or done for me

the perspective of patroclus trying to get achilles to not kill himself over his death while hector's voice echoes through his head to do it after hector killed patroclus..its sad

This song hits different, when you read Song of Achilles.

"This, I say. This and this. The way his hair looked in summer sun. His face when he ran. His eyes, solemn as an owl at lessons. This and this and this." I'm not sure why, but this is my favourite quote from the book

The reflection of this for men not being able to be open and vulnerable hits hard for me. Men, please know you're more than your external strength. Your pain and emotional depth matter. 🖤

Why I haven't heard this on any dark academia playlist? This is definitely the most fitting song for the aesthetic I have ever heard.

'Have you no more memories?' 'I am made of memories.' me, who read it at 2 am: sobbing

The line that always gets me is "see life as a worthy opponent". Ive dealt with SI most of my life, and so much of it stems from me devaluing myself, or myself devaluing the world. I have had to fight tooth and nail to stay here, and this line says to me 'not only is life a worthy opponent for you, you are a worthy opponent for life." So much of mental illness is an invisible battle, to be justified in how much time and energy I have spent fighting to be here is heartbreakingly comforting.

“Don’t listen to what you’ve consumed”. Such an underrated statement.

Okay so I just HAVE to put this down in words; I love the whole metaphor of getting down from the roof, and the concept of Patroclus singing this to Achilles. Especially because, in his rage over Patroclus’ death, Achilles kills Hector knowing that it will cause his own death. So the “come down” could also be Patroclus telling him to come down from his anger so he won’t act so rashly. And the “the most dangerous thing is to love part” hits so hard - Losing Patroclus made Achilles essentially accept his own death in order to avenge him, especially since Patroclus died (more or less) due to Achilles’ own action (again, the line, as Patroclus did this out of love for Achilles/for the other warriors)

"You crave the applause, yet hate the attention, then miss it - your act is a ruse" really hits like a semi truck when you can relate

I come here straight after finished read Song of Achilles at 4 in the morning. This book,they really broke me. I grieved for them. I cried,sobbing and everything. Now that I come back here again,now I understand the song lyrics. and become more sad. I am not a person who know about this history. Totally have no clue. Because they didn't teach me. But I am truly glad that Song of Achilles and this song exists.

The conversation between his thoughts and the singer telling him not to do is it beautiful.

Everyone: Achilles pls kill Hector Achilles: What has Hector ever done to me? Hector: Kills Patroclus, Achilles one true love. Achilles: Fuck-

Patroclus' ghost: "engage in the pain as a motive" Achilles: Kills Hector and drags his body around the city walls in his chariot for 4 weeks

fun fact! the french portions in this song are from the philosopher albert camus' book 'Le mythe de sisyphe'. he specialises in the absurde, a fascinating school of thought. his books are also super entertaining and easy to read!!

I just like how one of the arguments in his head is just "Dude jump" "NO ONE ASKED"

This exists on the same plane as hozier’s music

“Name one hero who was happy." I considered. Heracles went mad and killed his family; Theseus lost his bride and father; Jason's children and new wife were murdered by his old; Bellerophon killed the Chimera but was crippled by the fall from Pegasus' back. "You can't." He was sitting up now, leaning forward. "I can't." "I know. They never let you be famous AND happy." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll tell you a secret." "Tell me." I loved it when he was like this. "I'm going to be the first." He took my palm and held it to his. "Swear it." "Why me?" "Because you're the reason. Swear it."

As someone who has had a lifelong battle with mental illness, this is a surprisingly empowering song

The greeks...amazing...mathematics, astronomy, mythology, literature, democracy and rule of law, fight against tyranny, philosophy, art...

The change from "Achilles don't jump we love you" to "Jump the crowd doesn't want you" hit hard

Nobody: Me:*imagining myself dramatically playing the violin*

"Where you go, I'm going, so jump and I'm jumping Since there's no me without you" Pls my Patrochilles heart just can't handle it im sobbing

If anyone wants to know what they're saying in french here you go : (Just so you know I'm french and I couldn't remember where I knew these quotes from at first, so here is Albert Camus with The Myth of Sisyphus/Le Mythe de Sisyphe) 1- Je vois que beaucoup de gens meurent parce qu'ils estiment que la vie ne vaut pas la peine d'être vécue. J'en vois d'autres qui se font paradoxalement tuer pour les idées ou les illusions qui leur donnent une raison de vivre (ce qu'on appelle une raison de vivre est en même temps une excellente raison de mourir.) I see many people die because they judge that life is not worth living. I see others paradoxically getting killed for the ideas or illusions that give them a reason for living (what is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying.) 2- D'un gérant d'immeubles qui s'était tué, on me disait un jour qu'il avait perdu sa fille depuis cinq ans, qu'il avait beaucoup changé depuis et que cette histoire « l'avait miné ». (fin de citation : On ne peut souhaiter de mot plus exact. Commencer à penser, c'est commencer d'être miné.) Of an apartment-building manager who had killed himself I was told he had lost his daughter five years before, that he had changed greatly since, and that the experience had "undermined" him. (end of the quote : A more exact word cannot be imagined. Beginning to think is beginning to be undermined.) 3- Ce qui déclenche la crise est presque toujours incontrôlable. Les journaux parlent souvent de "chagrins intimes" ou de "maladies incurables"... Mais il faudrait savoir si le jour même un ami du désespéré ne lui a pas parlé sur un ton différent. Celui-là est le coupable. (fin de citation : Car cela peut suffire à précipiter toutes rancœurs et toutes lassitudes encore en suspension... ) What sets off the crisis is almost always unverifiable. Newspapers often speak of "personal sorrows" or of "incurable illness." These explanations are plausible. But one would have to know whether a friend of the desperate man had not that very day addressed him indifferently. He is the guilty one. (end of the quote : For that is enough to precipitate all the rancors and all the boredom still in suspension...) 4- des souvenirs d'une patrie perdue ou de l'espoir d'une terre promise. Ce divorce entre l'homme et sa vie, l'acteur et son décor, c'est proprement le sentiment de l'absurdité. the memory of a lost home or the hope of a promised land. This divorce between man and his life, the actor and his setting, is properly the feeling of absurdity. 5- Ce serait trop beau. Mais il faut faire la part de ceux qui, sans conclure, interrogent toujours. Ici, j'ironise à peine : il s'agit de la majorité. Je vois également que ceux qui répondent "non" agissent comme s'ils pensaient "oui". This would be too easy. But allowance must be made for those who, without concluding, continue questioning. Here I am only slightly indulging in irony: this is the majority. I notice also those who answer "no" as if they thought "yes." Enjoy~

It's strange how love works. Patroclus begs Achilles to live on, but, if the roles were reversed and Achilles died, Patroclus wouldn't hesitate to jump off that roof. The idea that these two souls are so dependent on each other is beautiful (seriously I love Romeo and Juliet but this is the true romantic tragedy that should be taught in all English classes)

This song has alot of hidden meanings and I love it No bloody idea what they are but I appreciate them all the same

It’s the most beautiful Mythology song I’ve ever listened to and When I translated it into French because I’m French,I was even more fascinated by this song❤

“When I am dead, I charge you to mingle our ashes and bury us together.”

“he was half my soul, as the poets say”

This song is the best song for self-help in my opinion. It tackles situations everyone faces sometimes and provides a source of which you can learn from and implement. Truly a marvellous song.

but it can also be used as a metaphor- "achilles, come down" is in referrence to his suicidal thoughts, but could also be seen as patroclus begging achilles to come down from the heady heights of his pride and honour

The talked part at 0:41 is actually French, he says, "Je vois que beaucoup de gens meurent parce qu'ils estiment que la vie ne vaut pas la peine d'être vécue, et j'en vois d'autres qui se font paradoxalement tuer pour les idées, les illusions qui leur donnent une raison de vivre. Ce qu'on appelle une raison de vivre est en même temps une excellente raison de mourir" Which translate to: "I see a lot of people die because they don't believe that life is worth living, and I see others who paradoxically get killed for the ideas, the illusions that gave them a reason to live. What we call a reason to live is also an excellent reason to die."