My first swing, so here it goes line by line:
"You lost your focus
But I got a plan for it
With a secret ingredient
And you are infinitely invited
Just leave alone the Geminis
Two of them and four of I's
(And you are infinitely Invited)
No one could not agree (it's unanimously decided)
They've come for you and me (that we're dangerously surrounded)
Their boats are full of flames
They paint the grasses green
Repeating history
They don't say what they mean"
The first two stanzas don't actually mean anything and are used to create a vague sense of mysticism, specifically aligning with astrology, a belief that is not widely held but exists as a significant rival to the stats quo: Christianity. Hearkening back to the 1969 hit Age of Aquarius by The 5th Dimension. In other words a "Hipster" nod back to an earlier era in music and culture, which is something Chairlift is all about, for reasons I can only guess at aside from having excellent taste in music.
"Is it amnesia?
Amamaemonesia
Mistaken for magic? (Mistaken for magic.)
Silver hours
Silver hours
Becoming a habit? (Chasing the rabbit.)
Is it amnesia?
Amamaemonesia,
Mistaken for magic? (Mistaken for magic. Mistaken for magic.)"
The chorus; its catchy. An urban dictionary search of "Silver Hours" finds the meaning as twilight, or dusk "when the setting sun shimmers off the water such that it has a silver sheen" It could also mean the last years of ones life.
"Chasing the Rabbit" An urban dictionary search finds the meaning as pursuing women for sex. It could also be a reference to Alice in Wonderland and chasing an idea down a metaphorical rabbit hole till one loses all sense of perspective, possibly drug induced, as is is frequently hinted at.
"Becoming a Habit" Reinforces the above possibilities.
"Is it amnesia?
Amamaemonesia,
Mistaken for magic?"
A thing or situation that makes you question whether or not actual magic happened or you simply forgot something important. Is it alcohol, drugs, death, or reincarnation? Are these lines just tantalizing enough to keep you interested? I dunno.
"There's a system of symbols that no one will vouch for
Everyone uses, but no one believes
There's a dog in the yard with a manner that's ruff
Yet there's something about you that he understands
The girl at the window, covered in ashes
Smiles grotesquely in the light of the day
Singing in German, a cold summer warning
But I can't remember what I meant to say..."
At this point I'm figuring that most of this is complete nonsense, and is actually just written to change the feel of song, while maintaing a mysterious yet catchy vibe. However...
"Singing in German, a cold summer warning" a cold summer warning sounds an awful lot like "the chords are the warning" to me. German is often thought of as being harsh and difficult to understand to English speakers, but it fits the rhyme scheme of the songs lyrics. If we turn German to Germaine, and accept that "the chords are the warning" then this line is self referential commentary on the part of the songwriter as needing lyrics to fulfill a certain amount of variation in the song to maintain appeal, while also being honest as to the point of the lyrics in a less than obvious way.
After watching the youtube video.... countless times. and listening to most all of available Chairlift songs, I am almost certain the inspiration for this piece was: "a modern take on a very specific retro style"
My first swing, so here it goes line by line: "You lost your focus But I got a plan for it With a secret ingredient And you are infinitely invited Just leave alone the Geminis Two of them and four of I's (And you are infinitely Invited)
No one could not agree (it's unanimously decided) They've come for you and me (that we're dangerously surrounded) Their boats are full of flames They paint the grasses green Repeating history They don't say what they mean"
The first two stanzas don't actually mean anything and are used to create a vague sense of mysticism, specifically aligning with astrology, a belief that is not widely held but exists as a significant rival to the stats quo: Christianity. Hearkening back to the 1969 hit Age of Aquarius by The 5th Dimension. In other words a "Hipster" nod back to an earlier era in music and culture, which is something Chairlift is all about, for reasons I can only guess at aside from having excellent taste in music.
"Is it amnesia? Amamaemonesia Mistaken for magic? (Mistaken for magic.) Silver hours Silver hours Becoming a habit? (Chasing the rabbit.) Is it amnesia? Amamaemonesia, Mistaken for magic? (Mistaken for magic. Mistaken for magic.)"
The chorus; its catchy. An urban dictionary search of "Silver Hours" finds the meaning as twilight, or dusk "when the setting sun shimmers off the water such that it has a silver sheen" It could also mean the last years of ones life.
"Chasing the Rabbit" An urban dictionary search finds the meaning as pursuing women for sex. It could also be a reference to Alice in Wonderland and chasing an idea down a metaphorical rabbit hole till one loses all sense of perspective, possibly drug induced, as is is frequently hinted at.
"Becoming a Habit" Reinforces the above possibilities.
"Is it amnesia? Amamaemonesia, Mistaken for magic?"
A thing or situation that makes you question whether or not actual magic happened or you simply forgot something important. Is it alcohol, drugs, death, or reincarnation? Are these lines just tantalizing enough to keep you interested? I dunno.
"There's a system of symbols that no one will vouch for Everyone uses, but no one believes There's a dog in the yard with a manner that's ruff Yet there's something about you that he understands The girl at the window, covered in ashes Smiles grotesquely in the light of the day Singing in German, a cold summer warning But I can't remember what I meant to say..."
At this point I'm figuring that most of this is complete nonsense, and is actually just written to change the feel of song, while maintaing a mysterious yet catchy vibe. However...
"Singing in German, a cold summer warning" a cold summer warning sounds an awful lot like "the chords are the warning" to me. German is often thought of as being harsh and difficult to understand to English speakers, but it fits the rhyme scheme of the songs lyrics. If we turn German to Germaine, and accept that "the chords are the warning" then this line is self referential commentary on the part of the songwriter as needing lyrics to fulfill a certain amount of variation in the song to maintain appeal, while also being honest as to the point of the lyrics in a less than obvious way.
After watching the youtube video.... countless times. and listening to most all of available Chairlift songs, I am almost certain the inspiration for this piece was: "a modern take on a very specific retro style"