If I could open my arms
And span the length of the isle of Manhattan
I'd bring it to where you are
Making a lake of the East River and Hudson
(I think this is more of a personal reference that means something to the band and who it was written for but possibly it's saying they love this person enough to move mountains for them.)
And if I could open my mouth
Wide enough for a marching band to march out
They would make your name sing
And bend through alleys and bounce off all the buildings
(This is saying that they love this person so much that they want to shout it out to the world how amazing they think they are. A name is a powerful thing and always has been and he wants to glorify theirs to the world.)
I wish we could open our eyes
To see in all directions at the same time
Oh, what a beautiful view
If you were never aware of what was around you
(To me this is saying we need to open ourselves to all different points of view and not wear blinders. The second part makes me think of "ignorance is bliss." They're saying the world is a beautiful place until you take a closer look.)
And it is true what you say
That I live like a hermit in my own head
But when the sun shines again
I'll pull the curtains and blinds to let the light in
(I think this is talking about how he hides inside himself and he realizes that he does but when the world, his world, has sun shining on it/something good and happy happening in it he'll come back out of himself. Who doesn't want to hide from the bad in life?)
Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole
Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound
But while you debate half empty or half full
It slowly rises, your love is going to drown
(I think this is saying it's inevitable for sorrow to slowly slip into all of our lives from time to time and sometimes we get lost in it and let it become a comfortable constant in our life. But if we dwell on it it will slowly consume the happiness we have.)
This is my interpretation.
If I could open my arms And span the length of the isle of Manhattan I'd bring it to where you are Making a lake of the East River and Hudson (I think this is more of a personal reference that means something to the band and who it was written for but possibly it's saying they love this person enough to move mountains for them.)
And if I could open my mouth Wide enough for a marching band to march out They would make your name sing And bend through alleys and bounce off all the buildings (This is saying that they love this person so much that they want to shout it out to the world how amazing they think they are. A name is a powerful thing and always has been and he wants to glorify theirs to the world.)
I wish we could open our eyes To see in all directions at the same time Oh, what a beautiful view If you were never aware of what was around you (To me this is saying we need to open ourselves to all different points of view and not wear blinders. The second part makes me think of "ignorance is bliss." They're saying the world is a beautiful place until you take a closer look.)
And it is true what you say That I live like a hermit in my own head But when the sun shines again I'll pull the curtains and blinds to let the light in (I think this is talking about how he hides inside himself and he realizes that he does but when the world, his world, has sun shining on it/something good and happy happening in it he'll come back out of himself. Who doesn't want to hide from the bad in life?)
Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound But while you debate half empty or half full It slowly rises, your love is going to drown (I think this is saying it's inevitable for sorrow to slowly slip into all of our lives from time to time and sometimes we get lost in it and let it become a comfortable constant in our life. But if we dwell on it it will slowly consume the happiness we have.)