Jewelry Factory Blog

Jewelry Factory Blog
April 4th, 2014
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. In the oft-quoted first two lines of his 1996 hit, “Walls,” rock legend Tom Petty defines the essence of everyday life with this brilliant, yet simple, phrase: “Some days are diamonds / Some days are rocks.”

tompetty2

The song, which appeared in the soundtrack album from the movie, She’s the One, describes how the most beautiful and wonderful things in life are often fleeting. He relates this theme to a broken relationship that he hopes to repair. He’s not overly optimistic, however, because he “can't hold out forever; even walls fall down.”

Written by Petty and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “Walls” peaked at #69 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #6 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The soundtrack album was certified gold after ascending to #15 on the Billboard 200 chart.

“Walls” was widely praised by rock critics. One reviewer wrote that it was “one of the all-time great Tom Petty songs; so good is it that it gets two performances on this [album], a loose-limbed version with harmonies by Lindsey Buckingham and a violinist, and a tighter-focused version.”

Formed in 1976, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have sold more than 80 million records worldwide, which ranks them as one of the best-selling acts of all time. Now in its fifth decade, the band continues to have an active touring schedule.

Please check out Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performing “Walls” in the video at the end of this post. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along.

“Walls (Circus)”
Written by Tom Petty. Performed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Some days are diamonds,
Some days are rocks.
Some doors are open,
Some roads are blocked.

Sundowns are golden,
Then fade away.
And if I never do nothin',
I'll get you back some day.

'Cause you got a heart so big it could crush this town.
And I can't hold out forever; even walls fall down.

And all 'round your island
There's a barricade.
It keeps out the danger,
It holds in the pain.

And sometimes you're happy,
Sometimes you cry.
Half of me is ocean,
Half of me is sky.

But you got a heart so big it could crush this town.
And I can't hold out forever; even walls fall down.

Yes, they do.

Oh!

And some things are over,
Some things go on.
And part of me you carry,
Part of me is gone.

But you got a heart so big it could crush this town.
And I can't hold out forever; even walls fall down.
Baby, you got a heart so big it could crush this town.
And I can't hold out forever; even walls fall down.

Yeah, I guess they do.

Yes, they do,

They fall down.