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 taught me the courage of stars before you left
How light carries on endlessly, even after death
With shortness of breath
You explained the infinite
And how rare and beautiful it is to even exist
I couldn't help but ask for you to say it all again
I tried to write it down, but I could never find a pen
I'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
That the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
I couldn't help but ask for you to say it all again
I tried to write it down, but I could never find a pen
I'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
That the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
With shortness of breath
I'll try to explain the infinite
And how rare and beautiful it is to even exist
With shortness of breath
I'll try to explain the infinite
And how rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist
How light carries on endlessly, even after death
With shortness of breath
You explained the infinite
And how rare and beautiful it is to even exist
I couldn't help but ask for you to say it all again
I tried to write it down, but I could never find a pen
I'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
That the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
I couldn't help but ask for you to say it all again
I tried to write it down, but I could never find a pen
I'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
That the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
With shortness of breath
I'll try to explain the infinite
And how rare and beautiful it is to even exist
With shortness of breath
I'll try to explain the infinite
And how rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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It's the story of someone on their deathbed who speaks volumes of wisdom in only a few whispers on who we are, our part in the greater universe are more importantly that quote 'the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes'..this is central to understanding who we are, that is to say.. without the observer the universe, your universe is nothing. There's a level of frustration from the narrator that this great wisdom wasn't written down as he asked the dying sage to say those words once more, but that message comes through whether the pen was found or not.
An excellent song talking the wisdom of someone very dear to the speaker and about how much they miss them. This person taught the speak some very profound things, often comparing humans to stars (which was a theme in Fireworks) in how our legacy's carry on after our death like a star"s light (possibly indicating how our light is actually our legacy).
This very wise person explained the "infinite" of the universe during their last moments and just how "rare and beautiful it is" that life even exists and that we are here to experience it. These statements truly touched the speaker and stayed with him/her long after the wise person died.
The speaker wants to hear the words once more. They want to be told that the universe was made to he seen by their eyes; that the universe was there for them (essentially telling them that they are valuable and special). The speaker regrets not having these words of wisdom written down, but couldn't figure out how to do so in the respect of how profound they were. It was hars for them to find the words.
So, on their death bed, much like the wise person, the speaker will tell others the same wise things thry heard, continuing the legacy of the wise person and themselves, making both of them (and possibly other wise people before the wise one in the song that taught the wise one what they knew) esssentially infinite, just like how the wise one said they were. This could teach someone else and the cycle of this teaching of wisdom will continue.
A truly touching message, in my opinion.
I imagine someone having a talk with God telling this man that he loved us so much that this was all made just to be seen by our eyes.
I interpret the song as someone having a conversation with Jesus while he “explains the infinite.” In the song, Jesus is explaining how his “light carries on even after death” and how his Father loves us so much that “the universe was made just to be seen” and enjoyed by our eyes. The singer explains how Jesus talks about “the infinite” with shortness of breath. This means that Jesus is describing this infinite God that can not ever fully be described. The singer responds to Jesus’ words by saying he “couldn’t help but ask to hear it all again,” and that he is overwhelmed by “how rare and beautiful it is to even exist.” After hearing and contemplating all this, the singer himself desires to “explain the infinite with shortness of breath” so that the whole world can understand the wonder and beauty of the love and majesty of God.
@diana11458 <br /> I agree with you.
[Verse 1] You taught me the courage of stars before you left - a reference to the past, actually we live in the past How light carries on endlessly even after death - E=mc/\2 energy cannot be created nor be destroyed With shortness of breath you explained the infinite - infinity is just an accident (a reference to mortality) How rare and beautiful it is to even exist - the ability of Homo sapiens to create and romanticize their existence in the context of their surroundings
[Chorus] I couldn't help but ask - recognition of ignorance, craving for knowledge For you to say it all again - repeat I tried to write it down -------------| But I could never find a pen | I'd give anything to hear |---- a reference to 'the most comprehensible thing about the universe is that it is incomprehensible' You say it one more time -------- | That the universe was made -| Just to be seen by my eyes --|-----a reference to quantum mechanics I couldn't help but ask For you to say it all again I tried to write it down ------| But I could never find a pen | I'd give anything to hear |----a reference to 'the most comprehensible thing about the universe is that it is incomprehensible You say it one more time -----| That the universe was made ----| Just to be seen by my eyes ----|----- again a reference to quantum mechanics
[Verse 2] With shortness of breath, I'll explain the infinite ---- epiphany that the universe is stranger than we could ever imagine. nobody belongs to anywhere, nobody exists on purpose. There can be infinite you at infinite multiverses and in infinite dimensions. How rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist ----return to the existential romanticism
I think that it is about someone who is dying and giving their knowledge. The person being taught in those last moments is wishing the person 1 would stay so they could hear them again and that they would want to keep what they said all together forever.
I honestly laughed when I saw people mentioning laws of physics and science stuff because I believe that all songs have a deeper meaning to it.
“You taught me the courage of stars, Before you left” -Someone is talking to a wise man who has died that has told them a metaphor for stars
“How light carries on endlessly even after death” -They are referring to how the wise man is still alive because they’re life/legacy will be carried on through others
“With shortness of breath you explained the infinite How rare and beautiful it is to even exist” -The wise man is in their death bed and explaining life to the other person
“I couldn’t help but ask For you to say it all again I tried to write it down But I could never find a pen” -He’s begging the wise man to tell him again so he can truly remember his words
“I’d give anything to hear You say it one more time That the universe was made Just to be seen by my eyes” -The wise man told him that the world was made to be enjoyed by all living things wether they were good or evil
“With shortness of breath, I’ll explain the infinite How rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist” -He’s telling the wise man that if he can tell him his words, he’ll repeat it for everyone to be moved by his words.
He/She was told something very valuable by a loved one and they died, so they want them to tell he/she their words again so they can repeat his words of “the courage of stars”.
sounds like someone who is in love, quite simply.
@rhododendron I believe it's more about having a loved one pass away. Ryan himself wrote, "It’s very much a song about losing someone close and deeply loved, but it’s about the good they left behind in our lives and how to reflect that in your relationships in front of you."
I think that this song is about someone on their deathbed is telling the narrator that every life is worth it and that the whole universe is a beautiful thing. The narrator feel frustrated that he never had written the words down but at the end of the song "with shortness of breath I'll explain the infinite, how rare and beautiful it truly is, that we exist" I think that's what the narrator says to someone on their deadbeds. They pass they knowledge between geneerations.
I think that some of this song is not about something being told information by someone but instead of them working it out. I think that when they say they wanted to write it down but couldn't find a pen it's talking about how they wanted to remember everything but couldn't and maybe didn't always learn from past mistakes? I think that a little bit of this song is about self reflection and life and some is also about shared knowledge.