What a beautiful face
I have found in this place
That is circling all round the sun
What a beautiful dream
That could flash on the screen
In a blink of an eye and be gone from me
Soft and sweet
Let me hold it close and keep it here with me

And one day we will die
And our ashes will fly from the aeroplane over the sea
But for now we are young
Let us lay in the sun
And count every beautiful thing we can see
Love to be
In the arms of all I'm keeping here with me

What a curious life
We have found here tonight
There is music that sounds from the street
There are lights in the clouds
Anna's ghost all around
Hear her voice as it's rolling and ringing through me
Soft and sweet
How the notes all bend and reach above the trees

Now how I remember you
How I would push my fingers through
Your mouth to make those muscles move
That made your voice so smooth and sweet
And now we keep where we don't know
All secrets sleep in winter clothes
With one you loved so long ago
Now he don't even know his name

What a beautiful face
I have found in this place
That is circling all round the sun
And when we meet on a cloud
I'll be laughing out loud
I'll be laughing with everyone I see
Can't believe how strange it is to be anything at all


Lyrics submitted by fish eat steel

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea Lyrics as written by Jeff Mangum

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Neutral Milk Hotel cover) song meanings
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    General Comment

    an amazing and peaceful song. i came to love Matt Pond PA's cover because that is how i heard this song for the first time. the meaning of the song is entertwined amongst the lyrics. i smile everytime i hear it. guess we, as a whole, have become so engulfed in what happens around us, that we have forgotten to stop and really appreciate what is truly wonderful about what we like to call life. so peaceful...

    toro18on February 13, 2007   Link

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