This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Call back the cap-com,
Tick off the time-bomb
Let felicity fly
Armour the airlock
Blanket the bedrock
And kiss the planet goodbye
Dear God, I was terribly lost
When the galaxies crossed
And the Sun went dark
But dear God, You're the only North Star
I would follow this far
Fight back the flight deck
Bring on the breakneck
Cue the solar eclipse
Summit the sunset
Dovetail the dragnet
And blow your backbone to bits
Dear God, I was terribly lost
When the galaxies crossed
And the Sun went dark
But dear God, You're the only North Star
I would follow this far
Oh telescope
Keep an eye on my only hope
Lest I blink and be swept off the narrow road
Hercules, you've got nothing to say to me
'Cause you're not the blinding light that I need
For He is the saving grace
Of the Galaxies
He is the saving grace
Of the Galaxies
Dear God, I was terribly lost
When the galaxies crossed
And the Sun went dark
But dear God, You're the only North Star
I would follow this far
Tick off the time-bomb
Let felicity fly
Armour the airlock
Blanket the bedrock
And kiss the planet goodbye
Dear God, I was terribly lost
When the galaxies crossed
And the Sun went dark
But dear God, You're the only North Star
I would follow this far
Fight back the flight deck
Bring on the breakneck
Cue the solar eclipse
Summit the sunset
Dovetail the dragnet
And blow your backbone to bits
Dear God, I was terribly lost
When the galaxies crossed
And the Sun went dark
But dear God, You're the only North Star
I would follow this far
Oh telescope
Keep an eye on my only hope
Lest I blink and be swept off the narrow road
Hercules, you've got nothing to say to me
'Cause you're not the blinding light that I need
For He is the saving grace
Of the Galaxies
He is the saving grace
Of the Galaxies
Dear God, I was terribly lost
When the galaxies crossed
And the Sun went dark
But dear God, You're the only North Star
I would follow this far
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This song is awesome!!! :)
i remember reading somewhere that this song is about the challenger space shuttle that exploded while coming back down to earth, and about what it would be like to die and pass on like that.
the "dear God, i was terribly lost" part is about how God was there to help them (or in this case adam, cuz hes the one recreating what itd be like) go on to the next life. and the "but dear god, you're the only north star i would follow this far" part just strengthens adam's belief that God will help us and he's the only thing that saved him while he was dying.
also, the part about Hercules not being there for him doesnt actually mean hercules. in this case hercules is representing man, and how man wasnt there for him, only God was.
idk, thats what i think. either way i love this song so much.
owl city forever <3
Hercules is the name of one of the constellations.<br /> He may be expressing the contrast between faith in astrology and faith in the God of Christianity.<br /> To put it another way, he trusts in (and seeks meaning and direction from), not the stars, but the One who made them.
Oh wow... I think this may be my favourite from the new album.
This song merges effortlessly on from "January 28, 1986", so that and the lyrics makes me think it's about the air shuttle disaster, but in the perspective of one of the astronauts and how his faith in God has helped carry him over to the next life, or something like that. I'm not putting this very eloquently!!
@ Ruhx: I'm an atheist but still enjoy the song. I know Adam is Christian and he may mention God occasionally in his songs (like this one) but it hasn't stopped me from enjoying them. I don't think he's trying to push his beliefs on anybody, so I dunno where you got that from. I certainly don't feel that way :/
I think the point that atheists miss with Owl City and Young's lyrics is that the pervasive joy, hopefulness and vivid imagination he inspires are all directly linked to his relationship with God. There really isn't another way to say it. If he wasn't a Christian, it would be hard to maintain this state of eternal optimism for long. Once you listen to it from that point of view... that everything he believes from his core outwards is entirely dependent upon his relationship with his creator, is it any wonder he's joyful? And that he wants to share that joy with others as a way to reach others? It's a wonder it doesn't come out more.
I'm not going to make some ridiculous statement and say that only christian's can make inspiring music. But it's pretty easy to see here how worship of God spills over into his broader message he spreads in his music. At least as a christian, it's pretty clear to me.
But if you don't believe in God, you're left with the unenviable task of separating the happiness and positiveness of the music from it's inspiration. I don't know how you do that.
Well, I have to disagree strongly there. You don't have to separate the happiness and positiveness from its inspriration to enjoy the words or the thought he is trying to get across. The core foundations of a religious soul and outlook can be accomplished without beleiving in a creator . Maybe I speak for myself, but the only reason I don't beleive in god is because I don't "feel" it the way everyone and the bible says I should. <br /> <br /> I would love to just beleive, but I can't and listening to Adam's lyrics is a great way for me to connect to religion. I may never get there, but I respect his dedication to his beleifs to much to ever hold it against his music. Just as long as he keeps up with the amazing lyrics. Christian music lyrics are normally horrible and unimaginative, in my opinion.
"Sometimes I’m asked why the music I create tends to sound like it does – why the optimistic flavor? Is that because you’re an excessively happy person? Do you ever have bad days? It’s an innocent question and I enjoy answering it because music has always been my way of “dealing with life” by way of escapism. Rather than create art that mirrors the inevitable dark days I’m plagued with just like everyone, I prefer to let my daydreams carry me away into places where one can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone, in a way that only the mind can allow. And rather than express whatever angst and malaise that gets dealt my way by writing profane songs littered with curse words or crude allegories or sexual vulgarities, I’d rather spend my time imagining how immensely BEAUTIFUL this life has the perfect potential of being. Of course, each artist to his or her own, but somehow “portraying true, gritty hard reality” tends to make me sick, whatever the medium of art. I can’t even watch an R-rated movie without feeling violated and totally nasty."<br /> <br /> Adam posted that on his blog about a month ago. Not one mention of God in there, is there? My favorite song is currently "Angels", even if I am an atheist. And this song? Well, Adam here is saying that God is what makes his life beautiful and worthwhile. What I hear is the very fact that life IS beautiful and worthwhile. Not two atheists are the same.
I think I may have been a bit harsh there, for that I apologize :(<br /> <br /> No doubt, some of the most beautiful works of art, poetry, etc, have been written by agnostics and atheists... I think I'm just noting his particular style, and his belief in God. <br /> <br /> This can quickly spiral into a discussion about our existence on Earth and what our purpose is, but in a nutshell, my belief in God is what predicates my finding the world beautiful. And it's what gives me a purpose. It's what gives Adam a purpose, gives him the inspiration to seek the beauty in a created world and marvel at our existence here. If you believe God created the entire universe to demonstrate His glory to us, on our little 25000 mile wide floating paradise alone in space, it's pretty awe inspiring. Likewise, it's the nature of God, aka His morality, that gives Adam sick heebie jeebies when he listens to a rapper sing about bad things. Nitty Gritty reality is evil, and thus repulsive, if you haven't numbed your conscience to it. Non-christian's feel the same way to a certain extent too, if they don't subject their minds to trash in the media all the time too. <br /> <br /> Now I agree, your religious beliefs or lack there of don't stop you from creating an imaginative world where you can go to escape. I just think that his particular style of doing so finds it's inspiration from God, and his belief in what that entails. But that's all open to interpretation, and I didn't mean to shut anyone down here. It's awesome his music can be interpreted so many different ways, and bring joy to people no matter their personal beliefs. My 2 cents! :)
@Doug9las6 Sorry for "imposing" like this, but it doesn't really sound right to me when you say you can't believe in God because you don't "feel" it. Feeling are not to be trusted, as I have well learned (sorry, Obi-Wan). I don't believe because I feel any particular thing, but rather because it makes the most logical sense to me. I don't have room (and you don't have the time or desire) to put my whole complex philosophy here, but I can't believe the unbearable vastness of the galaxies could come from anything but infinity (which God is).
I looked through interviews with Owl City and found the answer that I personally agree with. The song is most likely about his walk as a Christian in some form.
Look at these lines: "Dear God, I was terribly lost When the galaxies crossed And the Sun went dark But dear God, You're the only North Star I would follow this far
My guess is that these are either talking about the day Jesus was crucified and killed on the cross, or about how he was walking in his sins until the day he met Jesus and became a Christian. Here are some references:
Interview I found: newreleasetoday.com/article.php
Bible verses where you can find the story of Jesus's crucifixion: biblegateway.com/passage/
I will never understand Adam's unwavering faith. I think it's a great quality, I just don't get why he's so dedicated just because he was told he should be grateful. I miss his more mysterious, kind of flowing lyrics. It's like the light tunes swirl around you. Now, he's much more solid, to the point, and not that open. I wish there was some way I could tell him that.
check out January 28, 1986.
I wouldn't have even connected this song with Adam's faith except for the line: "He is the saving grace of the galaxies!" Without it, you could say this song was about pretty much anything you wanted.
Call me crazy, but do I spot a video game reference? Capcom? Felicity?
Cap-com is short for Capsule Communicator, a tool used by NASA.<br /> <br /> Felicity is another word for happiness.
I'm an atheist, yet I am so drawn to this song... Hmmm? Is it Him do you think? Or is it just because I simply like the song..
Duh I just asked that, you don't need to beg the question, simply give an opinion.
I've been told that God draws me to Owl City. It's just a good song. I feel drawn to Plant Life, yet I feel no religious obligations.
My oldest really digs this track. We're not Christian (nothing against it) but she links it to Dr Who. And I approve :)
@LostLoveLaura If you want my honest opinion, I think it's God calling you to come to Him. But if you want the pacifist controversy-free answer, you could just like the song, I guess.