Welcome back
Winter once again
And put on your warm fuzzy sweater
Cause you'll feel much better when

The snowflakes fall
Gently to the ground
The temperature drops
And your shivers freeze all the rivers around
But I keep you warm

If speed's a pro
Inertia must be a con
Cause the cold wind blows at precise rates
When I've got my ice skates on

If all the roads
Were paved with ice that wouldn't thaw or crack
I could skate from Maine to Nebraska
Then on to Alaska and back
Cause you keep me warm

Peer over the edge
Can you see me?
Rivulets flow from your eyes
Paint runs from your mouth
Like a waterfall
And your lungs crystallize

I'll travel the sub-zero tundra
I'll brave glaciers and frozen lakes
And that's just the tip of the iceberg
I'll do whatever it takes
To change

Farewell powdery paradise
We'd rather skate on the thinnest ice
Fingers failed us before they froze
Frostbite bit down on all our toes

Snow drifts build up and enfold us
As we wait out this winter storm
So we snuggle close in the darkness
And keep each other so warm



Lyrics submitted by bonjouramigo

Track duration: 03:23

"The Tip of the Iceberg" as written by Adam R. Young

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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The Tip of the Iceberg song meanings
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22 Comments

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  • 0
    My Opinion:Maybe just knowing the whole meaning of this song is better than interpreting it in every line.. Then we can have a general imagination of it. Like others, i think it's about a relationship too. for me just knowing this is enough!:D
    Flag dreamsdontturntoduston January 12, 2012   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation:I agree that its about a relationship, and probably some sort of drug problem, but I believe this song is a duet, just he sings it solo.

    Welcome back Winter once again
    And put on your warm fuzzy sweater
    'Cause you'll feel much better when
    The snowflakes fall gently to the ground
    The temperature drops and your shivers
    Freeze all the rivers around
    But I keep you warm
    - The guy sings this, they're just having a cute moment

    If speeds a pro,
    Inertia must be a con
    'Cause the cold wind blows
    At precise rates
    When I've got my ice skates on

    If all the roads were paved with ice
    That wouldn't thaw or crack
    I could skate from Maine to Nebraska
    Then on to Alaska and back
    'Cause you keep me warm
    -The girl sings these two sections

    --In between these two sections, the guy realizes the girls drug problems, and gets angry

    Peer over the edge
    Can you see me?
    Rivulets flow from your eyes
    Paint runs from your mouth like a waterfall
    And your lungs crystallize
    -This part is sang by the guy, yelling at the girl and confronting her
    I'll travel the sub-zero tundra
    I'll break glaciers and frozen lakes
    And that's just the tip of the iceberg
    I'll do whatever it takes to change
    -This is sang by the girl, begging the guy and saying she doesn't wanna be like this anymore, and reall really wants to change


    Farewell powdery paradise
    We'd rather skate on the thinnest ice
    Fingers failed us before they froze
    Frostbite bit down on all our toes
    -Perhaps this is sang by both, talking about how she wants to change, and it wont be an easy tasks, but they dont care and would rather be on this route


    Snow drifts build up and enfold us - Sang by the guy
    As we wait in this winter storm - Sang by the girl
    So we snuggle close in the darkness - Sang by the guy
    And keep each other so warm - Sang by the girl
    -This section is talking about how they're going through it and yes its extremely tough, but they'll get through it together, helping one another.
    Flag dogojoshoon November 01, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I hear a number of drug references in the song:
    - warm fuzzy
    - feel much better
    - speed
    - crystallize
    - powdery paradise

    And this part sounds like a life-threatening crisis:
    Peer over the edge
    Can you see me?

    The lyrics are idealistic and escapist in the first part, until the crisis, after which the song builds to its climax. He has reached a turning point, and says "I'll do whatever it takes to change."

    After this, he faces reality, as he says "farewell powdery paradise." This is risky, and scary: "the thinnest ice," and is full of hardships, which are the frozen fingers, the frostbitten toes, the winter storm, and darkness. But it's better, because in the end, they "keep each other so warm."
    Flag baxtron October 15, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Welcome back Winter once again
    And put on your warm fuzzy sweater
    'Cause you'll feel much better when
    The snowflakes fall gently to the ground
    The temperature drops and your shivers
    Freeze all the rivers around
    BUT I KEEP YOU WARM

    If speeds a pro,
    Inertia must be a con -> He wants to cheer her up fast because he's feared she could get too sad to fix her, if he'd do slow.
    'Cause the cold wind blows
    At precise rates
    When I've got my ice skates on

    If all the roads were paved with ice
    That wouldn't thaw or crack
    I could skate from Maine to Nebraska
    Then on to Alaska and back
    `CAUSE YOU KEEP ME WARM

    *AND KEEP EACH OTHER SO WARM [from the end of the song]

    I pressed CAPS here to show that the sentence with "keeping warm" appear 3 times in this song. first time he wants to say that he'll comfort her. the second time he wants to cheer her up and show her that she's something special because she keeps him warm too. the last time he clarifys that again.

    Peer over the edge -> she should try to stop being sad
    Can you see me? -> she should hear his song and and cheer up
    Rivulets flow from your eyes -> rivulets are tears i think
    Paint runs from your mouth like a waterfall -> and the paint is the color that flows out of her; that she's becoming colorless and lifeless
    And your lungs crystallize -> you need your lung to breathe, without you can't live and if your lungs crystalize then you can't breathe anymore. so easy ;)
    I'll travel the sub-zero tundra -> he wants to do everything was it takes to bring her back to hapiness
    I'll break glaciers and frozen lakes -> ""
    And that's just the tip of the iceberg -> Here i'm not sure what is meant wiht
    I'll do whatever it takes to change -> He'll do whatever it takes to change... :D

    but i think you can think about this song in many different ways :)
    Flag Jacky97on August 24, 2011   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:Adam himself said: "The song Tip of the Iceberg is a song about growing up and wishing you were somewhere else, and maybe suddenly realizing that you’ve wasted a good piece of your life. It’s about learning not to take things for granted and really being deliberate and intentional about living life as if the day was your last, and so it’s really about appreciating all that’s around you."

    I've never really thought of it that way, but maybe.
    Flag Ruhxon August 15, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think along with the theme of change, the song really is partly about winter! That big part in the middle, I think it's set in a snowy place, and whoever he's talking about is up high on a mountain or something like that xD I think that person is crying, and I'm not sure about the paint part. Maybe he means like spray paint, because when it's cold, you can see your breath kinda like spray paint? Noooo idea. Lungs crystallizing because it's cold! Like when things freeze up. Then the rest is what he would do to change.
    Flag hahapizzaon July 10, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:I think it's about killing someone in the arctic.
    ? = I'm not sure

    Welcome back Winter once again - it's winter again
    And put on your warm fuzzy sweater - you wish you were warm
    'Cause you'll feel much better when - you'd feel a lot better if you were
    The snowflakes fall gently to the ground - it's snowing
    The temperature drops and your shivers - it's cold and you're cold
    Freeze all the rivers around - the rivers are frozen
    But I keep you warm - I want you to be alive while I kill you?

    If speeds a pro, - ?
    Inertia must be a con - ?
    'Cause the cold wind blows - icy cold winds
    At precise rates - I planned this out
    When I've got my ice skates on - I'm prepared and you aren't

    If all the roads were paved with ice - ?
    That wouldn't thaw or crack - ?
    I could skate from Maine to Nebraska - ?
    Then on to Alaska and back - ?
    'Cause you keep me warm - ?

    Peer over the edge - ?
    Can you see me? - ?
    Rivulets flow from your eyes - you're crying
    Paint runs from your mouth like a waterfall - paint perhaps means blood?
    And your lungs crystallize - your lungs are freezing
    I'll travel the sub-zero tundra - I'll go out of the way to hide your body
    I'll break glaciers and frozen lakes - ^
    And that's just the tip of the iceberg
    I'll do whatever it takes to change - I don't want to be a killer, but I am

    Farewell powdery paradise - you're dying
    We'd rather skate on the thinnest ice - ?
    Fingers failed us before they froze - you tried to fight back but were too cold
    Frostbite bit down on all our toes - you were frostbitten

    Snow drifts build up and enfold us - your body is hidden in a snow drift
    As we wait in this winter storm - I'm waiting to go home?
    So we snuggle close in the darkness - I can't leave because of a storm?
    And keep each other so warm - ?

    I'm pretty sure a lot of the fruitier lines were thrown in to make it sound less suspicious.
    Flag bradyboyon June 23, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:my favorite on the album. gives me so much beautiful imagery :]
    Flag dying2reachgreenon June 09, 2011   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Its about huffing paint dudes.
    Flag Krallebon December 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I could go on and on and on about how much i love this song, and then some (:

    im pretty sure its about a guy and a girl who are in love, but they have some problems, (maybe the guy can be a jerk)so the guy wants to prove himself. At the part peer over the edge...its talking about the girl being hurt emotionally, but relates it to being hurt physically. Then comes ill travel the sub zero tundra...showing her all these things he would do for her to make her feel better. Then he continues to talk about their problems at farewell powdery...but in the end they are ok and keep eachother so warm

    and that is just the tip of iceberg of my interpretation, i could dissect each qnd every part :)
    #OwlCityLove
    Flag William0on December 05, 2010   Link

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