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.
A darker forest paints with blood in the sun sliding down its trees
And casts in relief the colors we have seen.
And all the storms that we had been, they've paled and passed
in the presence of the world at hand.
Am I really there in the fractured light of the forest floor
With the broken branches?
Am I really there in the same light, in the same life, on the only road?
A darker forest waits
In which we relive all our past mistakes
And trace them back, with our decisions,
To the fork in the road.
But what if every path you take
Starts to look the same
And leads equally astray?
We'll walk in circles and never find our way...
And casts in relief the colors we have seen.
And all the storms that we had been, they've paled and passed
in the presence of the world at hand.
Am I really there in the fractured light of the forest floor
With the broken branches?
Am I really there in the same light, in the same life, on the only road?
A darker forest waits
In which we relive all our past mistakes
And trace them back, with our decisions,
To the fork in the road.
But what if every path you take
Starts to look the same
And leads equally astray?
We'll walk in circles and never find our way...
Lyrics submitted by Thursdaylove
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I love this song's depth. I think it is fairly up to interpretation but the metaphors are beautifully layered.
The whole idea of a 'darker forest' implies something beforehand that was either not as dark or not even a forest. This concept is developed in the first verse with the line 'presence of the world at hand' when the storms have passed, and in the second verse with 'darker forest waits'. Things have changed, and it seems for the worse. This first verse is also summarizing the extent of the change and describing the darker forest, how it paints blood with the sun (turning positive into negative imagery) and how it casts in relief all the colors previously seen (same idea). It's a great image because being inside a forest really does change the colors and envelop light into shadows.
The chorus gets into the person's feelings about coming into this new place- the question of is it even real, and could it be possible. It's the idea of being someplace that you never thought you would be, and never wanted to be, where light is fractured and branches are broken, and the darkness is stifling. The second part is developing the first question- things have become so different, the forest is so dark, the person is wondering whether or not everything has become a lie, and if there was ever another way out.
The second and final verse is my favorite. The metaphor of a dark forest here is that it is so easy to become lost in one. The person is caught in a repetitive cycle of reliving mistakes and trying to find where they first went astray- but never able to really find that singular place, because every fork in the road just extends back farther into the deep. Finally, it's about the realization that no choice was really 'right', and every choice would have brought you to this place... 'Walk in circles, and never find our way.' Truly lost in the forest.
It seems to me like the forest itself is just a metaphor for a place in life where we feel like there is no way out or feel lost, and question everything we used to know. The different ways Geoff describes it is pretty amazing. You can really imagine it as he sings, and that's what I love about his lyricism.
From Geoff's point of view, it might specifically have something to do with a relationship- the plural 'we' in the verses (we had been, we relive, we'll walk) and then the singular 'I' in the chorus seem to give that inclination. In the context of the rest of the album's material that idea would also make sense. But that's just a guess.
Wow, I love you. You put my thoughts into words and expanded them in ways I couldn't. Lovely song, lovely meaning.
Is this song about a wearing past which someone has in commemoration and his life will always be the same way like the past? i think the "darker forest" are his sad(dark) memories(forest).
"Am I really there in the same light, in the same life, on the only road?" -> this represents that his life is going to be like his past no matter what he is doing he can't change anything, he is powerless. maybe he is powerless because the pain is caused by a person. its difficult or impossible to change a person or their opinion.
The following part leads in the same direction: "But what if every path you take Starts to look the same And leads equally astray? We'll walk in circles and never find our way..."
the sad memories could be about a broken relationship with a crual acting partner. he loves her but she only rips him off. if he meets someone, he always get a girl with the same behaviour which is reminding him of his past and the pain. this song could be about me.
Reminds me so much of The Cure's "A Forrest."