Lyrics for Fireflies as interpreted by maxxa

Fireflies Lyrics
you would not believe your eyes
if ten million fireflies lit up the world as i fell asleep
'Cause they'd fill the open air
and leave teardrops everywhere
you'd think me rude but I'd just stand and stare

Chorus:
I'd like to make myself believe
that planet Earth turns slowly
Its hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems

'Cause id get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs
as they tried to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head
a sockhop beneath my bed
a disco ball is just hanging by a thread
(chorus)

When i fall asleep leave my door open just a crack
(please take me away from here)
'Cause i feel like such an insomniac
(please take me away from here)
why do i tire of counting sheep
(please take me away from here)
when I'm far too tired to fall asleep

To ten million fireflies
I'm weird 'cause i hate goodbyes
i got misty eyes as they said farewell
but ill know where several are
if my dreams get real bizarre
'cause i saved a few and i keep them in a jar

Chorus (x2)

I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that i'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause my dreams are bursting at the seams

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fairweatherfriend
07-13-2009

Rated +8 
Brilliant song! Kudos to Adam.

I think this song is about the growing up and letting go of childhood, while still embracing our dreams and acting upon a few of them ("I saved a few and kept them in a jar"), with the fireflies representing those dreams.

Just a thought... Less than a day left until Ocean Eyes :)

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3 Replies
mialove1989
07-15-2009

Rated +2 
the guy kinda sounds like ben gibbard...

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7 Replies
madgabb
07-15-2009

Rated +3 
it is rare that music is this purely happy and good
it makes me feel like everything is going to be okay

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2 Replies
neaners
07-15-2009

Rated 0 
This song makes me feel like a small child again.
Filled with wonder and hope and plain joy.

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gplpark92
07-16-2009

Rated 0 
Rockin' song! Much better than Hot Air Balloon, which is cheesy IMO.

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maxmendelson
07-17-2009

Rated 0 
Brilliant =]
Absolutely positively fantastic

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LikestoWander
07-19-2009

Rated 0 
I like to think of this as a song about childhood too - maybe it's specifically more about a child's summer. Not wanting to end the day. Trying to stay awake so as not to miss any of the excitement going on. Staying up till you're too tired to sleep and falling asleep dreaming of fireflies. Knowing that eventually summer will end and trying to squeeze the last little piece of enjoyment out of the day.

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RainbowVeins
07-20-2009

Rated 0 
I also feel this song is about growing up and not wanting to let go of your childhood

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Lake047
07-21-2009

Rated +3 
i feel like this may also have a sadder mood to it. like how he keeps saying "please take me away from here"

and also
"Its hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems"

to me he is kinda saying something is going wrong for him, and he cant sleep because he is so tired of it, but he would rather be asleep when he is awake.

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blackwinter801
07-21-2009

Rated 0 
I agree with LikesToWander.

This is one of my new favorite songs.

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giveuslifeagain
07-22-2009

Rated 0 
Well, Adam does have insomnia I believe. So that might be a part of the sleeping lines. And the fact that the word insomniac is in the song.

But yeah, this song is amazing.

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musichigh
07-23-2009

Rated 0 
"It's hard to say that i'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause my dreams are bursting at the seams"

beautiful.

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auberginedreams09
07-30-2009

Rated +5 
My memory of this song will always be from earlier this summer while I was camping.
I couldn't sleep (because I have insomnia) and I was dealing with losing one of my friends.
So I went outside, where it was completely silent and black (except for the unimaginable amount of stars) and I laid down on my back, and put my iPod on shuffle.
This song played right away, and I just froze for a couple minutes, watching the stars and listening.
And I know it sounds cheesy, but it was as if nothing else existed in that moment.

It was one of those memories that you can never completely explain to anyone, but it sticks with you none the less. Amazing song.

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10 Replies
Keaton91
07-31-2009

Rated 0 
This song to me is about your inner child and being happy and making memories. It does have a hint of sadness in it which I think is because all good things come to an end and you will find yourself missing that time of simple fun.

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radioFM95
07-31-2009

Rated 0 
I feel it being about childhood too.
He is incredibly talented!

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poz52000
08-06-2009

Rated 0 
I think this song is about dreams, nightmares and laying there with your thoughts when you can't sleep.
Could be a result of doing drugs all night and can't sleep while coming down.
I got really excited at first cuz I swore Postal Service came out of retirement

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Madikay23
08-08-2009

Rated 0 
I agree with fairweatherfriend. I think he doesn't want to grow up and loose the childhood dreams he loves. When he says 'I'd like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly' it seems like he thinks he is growing up too fast and he would like to believe he can stay a kid for longer. Its like a modern day Peter Pan haha. I love the song it makes me really happy :)

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stormey
08-09-2009

Rated 0 
I think this about how much he loves to dream but yet he can't fall asleep due to his insomnia..

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zaphodthebb
08-11-2009

Rated 0 
Doctor Who, anyone?

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1 Reply
AlexTheGreat
08-14-2009

Rated 0 
This song to me is very melancholy. I agree with Lake047. It has a sort of "save me" vibe to it.

Either way, it's very well composed, and I havent had a song put me in such a trance like state for so long.

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lyp1089
08-14-2009

Rated +1 
I think Adam's been quoted as saying that this is a song about his insomnia. I understand though that music is there for people to derive their own meanings, but the following is what I think based on what Adam has said. There is certainly enough evidence:

He tries to asleep, but he is unable to do so (metaphorically represented by the "ten million fireflies"). The rest of the song seems pretty much an extension of this metaphor. The fireflies performing the "foxtrot about [his] head", a "sockhop" etc.

The seemingly happy tune of the song is juxtaposed to the background vocals: "(please take me away from here)", which may suggest that he wishes for the insomnia to stop, as fun and bizarre the "fireflies" or dreams he sees may be.

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1 Reply
awhiterose69
08-16-2009

Rated 0 
i think its about not wanting to grow up, because everything was so much better back when we were all younger, and what we imagined seemed real to us, and life had no problems just joy.
and now the person is older and is saying that they'd rather, basically, dream the day away, because when they are asleep they feel like a kid again. and everything they used to feel and imagine comes back to them, if they just dream.

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Vickivickyvickie
08-21-2009

Rated +1 
I thought it was about him having fantastic dreams and wanting to fall asleep to experience them. When he can't sleep he's kinda peeved about it.

I also see what everyone's talking about not wanting summer to end.

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juliiii
08-22-2009

Rated +1 
i think that it has to do with the freedom he gets from life when he can actually fall asleep. because of his insomnia, his brain is constantly working and thinking about things like time going by too fast, and all he wants is an escape. this is hinted in the "please take me away from here", he wants to be able to take a break from the reality and think about fantastic things like millions of fireflies dancing around him. "it's hard to say that i'd rather stay awake when i'm asleep", he wouldn't give up the time he actually gets to sleep, because in his dreams, nothing is as it seems. which to him, is a good thing. he is sad when the fireflies leave because it means he has to go back to the same, sensical life he's been living.

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ryeman
08-24-2009

Rated 0 
i thought this song to be a song that he wishes the day to be longer, therefore being able to enjoy more of the day.

I'd like to make myself believe
that planet Earth turns slowly
Its hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems

- To me, making the planet turn slowly = a longer day = more time to do stuff, stuff that he would wanna do but has to go to sleep. i'm an insominac too, because i hate the idea of sleeping. it's a waste of time. if humans didn't have to sleep, more things would be accomplished. but thats never how it goes.

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3 Replies




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