In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
You’re my Favorite daydream
I’m your famous nightmare, everything I see looks like gold
Everything I touch goes cold
Castles in the snow
Here’s all I know
Your checkered room and
Your velvet bow
Your Elvis songs in my ears
That moonlit voice that I hear
Now we are bold as breath
We walk along our golden crest
We hide away for a week
We only look an don’t speak
You’re my Favorite daydream
I’m your famous nightmare, everything I see looks like gold
Everything I touch goes cold
Castles in the snow
I’m your famous nightmare, everything I see looks like gold
Everything I touch goes cold
Castles in the snow
Here’s all I know
Your checkered room and
Your velvet bow
Your Elvis songs in my ears
That moonlit voice that I hear
Now we are bold as breath
We walk along our golden crest
We hide away for a week
We only look an don’t speak
You’re my Favorite daydream
I’m your famous nightmare, everything I see looks like gold
Everything I touch goes cold
Castles in the snow
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
"'Castles in the Snow’ I wrote in a hotel on tour about a very short relationship I had before in New York, which was too good to be true and then just disappeared.
This song is actually contrary to what you said earlier about your in the end positive contact with other people. Here we find you in a twisted King Midas moment, when you sing, ‘everything I touch goes cold.’ There’s this undeniable sense, that everything’s a good pleading for something. We are falling apart, deteriorating our bodies. Everything’s slipping away. But for this it’s about a more particular situation, I’m not commenting on everyone in the world. The song may be big, but this moment was fast and strong.
Do you get feedback from the people you sing about? Actually the ‘Castles in the Snow’ person wouldn’t talk to me, so let’s see if she does now. But I like feedback of all possible people, who see themselves in the songs."
Twin shadow, I-is that you?
Poster above explained the chorus well, IMO, and the main theme of the song, which is about unrequited infatuation. It's about focusing on a daydream of someone, knowing you cannot have their reality.
My take on the verses...
Here's all I know - he doesn't know much about her in reality Your checkered room and your velvet bow - He's like alice chasing after the rabbit down the rabbit hole to a distorted world; he's pursuing a girl he cannot have, but only in his imagination/dreams
Your Elvis song in my ear - he became infatuated with her like you would a catchy pop song, she is stuck in his head That moonlit voice that I hear - this either means that when he is alone with his thoughts at night, he hears her voice, as in, she is all he thinks of; OR it refers to the voice of doubt he hears at night, reminding him that he'll never have her
Now we are bold as brass - this is an expression which means overconfident, acting like you're gold when you're just brass We walk along our golden crest - people feel they are above others in their overconfidence, as a crest is the top of a hill We hide away for a week - people are afraid of reality, so they hide from it & become passive We only look and don't speak - this mixture of pride & fear keeps people from connecting, from pursuing a romantic interest, so they just look from a distance & don't actually talk; this & the above line also allude to games people play when they are infatuated
Wanted to add: If the "Your checkered room and your velvet bow" is not an allusion to Alice and Wonderland as suggested (but I think it is also), then it's still alluding to some symbols that getting the girl he wants is just a fantasy. Her velvet bow may be a symbol that she is too good for him (or thinks she is), and the checkered room may be a reference to her playing games, or being hard to win, like a game of chess.
Came across this song today and love it. Could be completely off the mark but my guess is:
He's a notorious playboy who has finally found the person he really wants to be with.
"Everything i see looks like gold. Everything i touch goes cold", Everyone to him is something to obtain, and he turns them "cold" when breaking their hearts and moving onto the next person.
Its possible the person knows this ("famous nightmare") so he doesnt try to deny his past but emphasises the small things he loves about them ("Here's all i know.....")
Not sure about the rest and "castles in the snow" but I'm guessing they get together :)
I think you're close, but here's my interpretation... <br /> <br /> "Everything i see looks like gold"<br /> He wants everything he sees, everything he can't have<br /> <br /> "Everything I touch goes cold"<br /> Once he has it ('knows' it, so to speak), he loses the feeling he had.<br /> <br /> "Castles in the Snow" seems like it sums up his message. He sees the castle and it looks so awesome; he wants it so badly, but once he gets there, it's not as appealing as he had hoped, so he looks for his next conquest.
I read an interview where he said this song was about meeting an amazing girl ad immediately being crazy about her, it amounted to nothing and the song is a fantasy about what might have been.
Now we are old as bread
should be
Now we are bold as brass
I think Old as Bread is funnier though
haha either way the next line, "we walk along our golden crest" works well
fixed. :)
LOL.<br />
This song is so rad...I swear.
all I can say is.. YUP!
I think the "checker room" and "velvet bow" bits are an allusion to Alice In Wonderland. And I'm pretty sure the song is about cocaine.
ughh twin shadow!!!! <3333