Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youth Analysis

Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youth Analysis

Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youth is a song where we see Le’aupepe (Vocalist) attempt to talk down the character (Achilles) from jumping off a roof, while Achilles is fighting with his intrusive thoughts trying to get him to jump, which Le’aupepe is desperately telling Achilles that they are lies. 

At the beginning of the song, Le’aupepe is talking to Achilles and telling him to get off the roof and not to jump, which could be a reference to Le’aupepe’s own suicide attempt in real life and the character Achilles from Homers Odyssey.

In the first verse of the song, it is sung in French which translates to “I witness that a lot of people are dying because they consider that life is not worth living. Paradoxically, I witness other people who are being killed for their ideas, their illusions, which give their existence a sense. What we call a reason to live is also an excellent reason to die.” I think this is a very powerful line because it suggests that Le’aupepe has had a lot of friends and family commit suicide around him. It also suggests that they were all driven by their thoughts and they weren’t considering the reality of it. I see this when he says “People who are being killed for their ideas, their illusions.” which means that what they are seeing or how they see themselves and the world isn’t true, it’s an illusion that they have created to cover up their pain. 

“Achilles, Achilles, Achilles come down won’t you get up off, get up off the roof” This line is repeated many times throughout the song creating repetition to show the importance of this line.

In the second verse, Le’aupepe begins explaining to Achilles that he means much more to him than he thinks, referencing a “youthful pact” about sticking together and that he hasn’t forgotten about it. He is pretty much saying that there is no Le’aupepe without Achilles. Then telling Achilles to “soldier on and get down from the roof” (or to man up and get off the roof) as there is so much more to live for and jumping would not be worth it.

The first chorus ties into the story of Achilles from the Odyssey with Le’aupepe’s personal life. In the Odyssey,  Achilles is in love with Patroclus and when she dies Achilles falls into agony and pain, and this is where it refers to Le’aupepe’s personal life and his ex-wife and her battle with cancer. Le’aupepe gives a message of hope about how he was able to heal and “rise above the pain,” so he is telling Achilles that he can do the same.

The second chorus takes a turn as Le’aupepe’s voice is altered, which gives the impression that he is now singing from Achilles’s intrusive thoughts pov. This gives off the energy that even though Achilles has Le’aupepe talking him down with positivity he can’t help but think negatively, with his thoughts telling him he’s just making it all up and may as well just end it now.

In the third verse, it reverts to Le’aupepe talking to Achilles, the opening line “Achilles, Achilles, just put down the bottle,” could be a metaphor for Le’aupepe’s life as he was drunk on the night he tried to kill himself. He then closes the verse by saying that there might not be any point to live that you can see at the moment, but you will find one soon and it’s not worth wasting your life or jumping off the roof.

The fourth verse, which is my favorite part of the song, is Achilles’s intrusive thoughts and Le’aupepe arguing with each other about what Achilles should do. They go back and forth and talk other each other and it makes it hard to focus on one and when you try to listen to one the other comes in and takes your attention. I think this means that Achilles is confused and doesn’t know who to listen to.

The final pre-chorus is Le’aupepe showing Achilles that there is so much more to live for and to throw yourself into the unknown and to try new things. The closing line says to Achilles that there are more positives to look at in life than the negatives. I think this means that Le’aupepe was successful in talking Achilles down from the roof. With the heavy focus on the cello and the juxtaposition verse, I think this is the most amazing song and it is definitely worth your time to listen to the 7-minute song.