Owl City – Hello Seattle

"Hello Seattle" as written by and Adam R. Young....
Hello Seattle, I am a mountaineer
In the hills and highlands
I fall asleep in hospital parking lots
And awake in your mouth

Hello Seattle, I am a manta-ray
Deep beneath the blue waves
I'll crawl the sandy bottom of Puget Sound
And construct my summer home

Hello Seattle, I am the crescent moon
Shining down on your face
I will disguise myself as a sleeping pill
And descend inside of you

Hello Seattle, I am a cold seahorse
Feeling warm in your sand
I sing about the tide and the ocean surf
Rolling in the evening breeze

Hello Seattle, I am an albatross
On the docks and your boats
I sail above your inlets and interstates
Through the rain and open wind

Hello Seattle, I am an old lighthouse
Throwing beams of bright lights
Red in the morning, blue in the evening sun
Taking heed from everyone

Hello Seattle, I am a mountaineer
In the hills and highlands
I fall asleep in hospital parking lots

Take me above your light
Carry me through the night
Hold me secure in flight
Sing me to sleep tonight

Take me above your light
Carry me through the night
Hold me secure in flight
Sing me to sleep tonight


Lyrics submitted by JetstyleArmada, edited by wwsamson

"Hello Seattle" as written by Adam R. Young

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Hello Seattle song meanings
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63 Comments

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  • +12
    General Commentthis might sound beyond strange, but i think that this song is only supposed to seem happy on the surface, something to keep us smiling in listening.

    i think it's more about the hopsital aspect. he says, "i am a sleeping pill" like something a doctor might use to get a patient to sleep. and how the lighthouse is "red in the morning, blue in the evening son"; lighthouses aren't red and blue, but ambulance lights are.

    maybe he knew someone who was in the hospital at the time he wrote this. and all of the "hello seattle, i am..." are what they dreamed about beyond life in the hospital.

    and then it goes, "Take me above your light/Carry me through the night/Hold me secure in flight/Sing me to sleep tonight" which, depending on the context, isn't necessarily happy. maybe they were dying.

    you know?
    kbeeon July 18, 2009   Link
    • 7 Replies
  • +6
    My Interpretation This song is a euphemism for hospitals. When people think of hospitals, they think of sickness and bad things. However, when one is faced with a horrible situation such as the death or sickness of a friend, they may try to cover the bad things up by simply thinking of good things. The attempt will fail, though, because the tragedy of a bad situation is not concealable, and will always show through because it will always be there. Adam, or whomever you want to say is the ‘narrator’ likes the city of Seattle. They associate the city with happiness and good memories. In all actuality, Seattle is a hospital.
    In the song, Adam talks about how he is a mountaineer, but “I fall asleep in hospital parking lots.” A mountaineer is supposed to be someone who is strong and not afraid of anything. Because the person falls asleep in hospital parking lots, they probably know someone in the hospital. It is obviously someone they love, because they don’t want to leave them in the hospital. They sleep in the parking lot so that they are still at the hospital, even outside of visiting hours, because they can’t leave this friend of theirs who is dying. They are only pretending to be a mountaineer. On the outside they act strong and brave, but on the inside they are worried more than anything about this person.
    In the next few verses, I am not sure what exactly Adam means. In the one starting with “I am the crescent moon,” he talks about being a pill. Pills are associated with sickness and hospitals, so there is probably a connection there. I think that the “moon shining down on your face” could be some kind of a light that the doctor is shining into the patient’s eyes. I’m not sure about that one though.
    Later, he gets into the verse about the lighthouse, and someone else already said something about the lighthouse that was brilliant, so I'm just going to repeat it. The lighthouse is a building that helps people. However, lighthouses are not red and blue. The lighthouse here is actually an ambulance with its red and blue lights. Others take heed from an ambulance, and, like a lighthouse, it helps people. The two have similar purposes, but the difference is that an ambulance is a symbol of panic and injury, while a lighthouse is a savior. The lighthouse covers up the pain that the ambulance brings, but nevertheless, the ambulance is still there.
    When he starts singing “Take me above your light…” the point of view has switched. Before, the narrator was the protector, or the one trying to help the patient. Now, the patient is speaking. The patient talks about the things he or she wants. All that the patient wants is to feel safe. They don’t even mind dying, I don’t think, as long as they have that first narrator there to protect them. “Sing me asleep tonight.” Here, they do not actually want to be sung to sleep. Sleeping is a metaphor for dying. Small children like to be sung to sleep because it calms them down and is peaceful. They can fall asleep because they have that sense of security from the singer being there. The patient does not mind dying, but all they want is to be with the person when it happens for that extra comfort. Once they have that friend there to ‘sing to them’, they can ‘fall asleep’ and feel safe.
    Ah, sorry this is so long.
    cclaireon January 18, 2010   Link
    • 2 Replies
  • +5
    General CommentI feel like "Seattle" could actually represent a person. He describes how he's so comfortable and happy in Seattle, which could also mean that if "Seattle" were a lover, that he found comfort in that person and loved to be around her. The way it's described, it almost seems like him and Seattle belong together like PB&J, like you can't have one without the other. You especially get that gist in this verse:
    "Take me above your light
    Carry me through the night
    Hold me secure in flight
    Sing me to sleep tonight"

    I LOVE THIS SONG =]
    TheBluestOCTOBERon September 10, 2008   Link
  • +5
    General CommentI think the whole first part of the song is from the perspective of God, who embodies and encompasses all the comforting things that make life pleasant. I think the last four lines are him talking back to God in a poetic prayer. Adam does mention that he is very religious...
    sablechatraton December 13, 2008   Link
    • 2 Replies
  • +3
    General CommentLOVE this song, it reminds me of seattle in the summer time when everything is bright and the ocean is blue, and all is well

    I might be reading into it too much cuz im a native, but if youve been here and spent enough time to really appreciate the city youll most likley fall in love with it too...
    4four2twenty0on September 08, 2009   Link
  • +2
    My OpinionI think that the line "Hello Seattle, I am an Albatross, on the docks and your boats" is SUPPOSED to be:
    "Hello Seattle, I am an Albatross, on the docks and MOORED boats." A moored boat is one that is tethered to a dock, anchor, etc. usually by rope, cables, or chains. Listen carefully, and you can hear it.

    I love this song. It's so haunting and beautiful...
    trustthapoon January 20, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Commentstop comparing owl city to postal service, they're completely different. no one's ripping anyone off, just get over the fact that the bands are alike...
    nsnandowlcity04on June 17, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Commentstill, the best Owl City song ever.
    Alysennon September 30, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI take this song as a metaphor of someone who is dead, not there with you physically but mentally.
    eyaewoon July 20, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Commenti like to pretend this song is about wishing you were in Seattle. Simply bc i wish i were in Seattle right now at my sister's house. :'( hahaha

    but, i guess it could also be a dream sequence..(Guava)
    or about being comfortable with someone you love...(theBLUESToctober)
    or being mentally dead..(eyaewo)
    or about God...(sablechatrat)
    haha, who cares, its just a good song?
    maybe this is one of those songs where the lyrics are intended to be taken any way you want.
    :]
    cheysmilesaloton August 07, 2009   Link

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