In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
The bird is here and we are off
To wherever those wings take us
The atmosphere is crawling with airlines
That wind through the clouds
And look down on the crowds
Relax your back and let the noise
Sing you to sleep in my arms
If you awake before we arrive I will carry you down
And I won't make a sound
The scent is strong as we move on
And breathe in the pristine crime scene
The false veneer is old like a substitute volunteer
From, oh, some other year
I'm just a shell as far as I can tell
So I paint my eyes a light green
The silver beams are twirling and swirling throughout your dreams
Like air traffic streams
To wherever those wings take us
The atmosphere is crawling with airlines
That wind through the clouds
And look down on the crowds
Relax your back and let the noise
Sing you to sleep in my arms
If you awake before we arrive I will carry you down
And I won't make a sound
The scent is strong as we move on
And breathe in the pristine crime scene
The false veneer is old like a substitute volunteer
From, oh, some other year
I'm just a shell as far as I can tell
So I paint my eyes a light green
The silver beams are twirling and swirling throughout your dreams
Like air traffic streams
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
These lyrics are wrong. The lyrics are for a song called Air Traffic, but the song is Air.
The lyrics are: no head, no heart, no hurry, no hate, no fun, no muss, no city, no state, no card, no kid, no call, no kiss, no book, no bread, no hit, no miss, no tears, no laugh, no love, no sin, no hand to put my handshake in no header, no footer, no girl, no boy, no good, no better, no touch, no toy
there is only air where i used to care
(I looked up the lyrics on lyricstime.com)
First think I thought of was a relationship that involved all of these things and their saying that they don't care anymore and there's only "air" where they used to care
this song is weird, and for this reason: it's a beatiful sounding song; simple, melodic, it gives you sort of a floaty feeling what with the echoes and the harmonies. "airy" i guess (but in a good way, not in a blonde way). and then you start to understand the lyrics, and you realize how heavy hitting the words actually are. the chorus sums up the verses by hitting you with a direct nuclear punch of a line. it's an absolute break up line, with no room for questioning.
and i love it.
I like this song a lot.
I loved this song the first time I heard it because it was just melodic and relaxing. I felt so "loose". Then I started to actually listen to the words and it sounded as if she's talking about Heaven or some place similiar to it. At least that's what I thought. (:
awe.. this song makes me sad.
but its just as beatiful.