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.
It's hard to think where we began
We were born and learned to stand
Recollections scattered out inside my head
We came across a broken road
With broken hearts that overflowed
Taking turns and never knowing where they lead
Do you picture me, what do you see?
Maybe a future full of unwritten things
We hope to write from what's been done
Look for a future no one else has sung
Records on, the speakers blown
Fill the air with what we know
Climb a ladder up and hang a hopeful sign
Never lonely, never lost
Never scared to jump across
Revolutions come and go but we survive
Do you picture me, what do you see?
Maybe a future full of unwritten things
We hope to write from what's been done
Look for a future no one else has sung
Our darkest days are done (illuminate)
Rise like the brightest sun (illuminate)
Our darkest days are done (illuminate)
Rise like the brightest sun (illuminate)
As we get warm, ice will get thin
We'll become ghosts, together again
As we ascend, air will get thin
We'll become ghosts, together again
We were born and learned to stand
Recollections scattered out inside my head
We came across a broken road
With broken hearts that overflowed
Taking turns and never knowing where they lead
Do you picture me, what do you see?
Maybe a future full of unwritten things
We hope to write from what's been done
Look for a future no one else has sung
Records on, the speakers blown
Fill the air with what we know
Climb a ladder up and hang a hopeful sign
Never lonely, never lost
Never scared to jump across
Revolutions come and go but we survive
Do you picture me, what do you see?
Maybe a future full of unwritten things
We hope to write from what's been done
Look for a future no one else has sung
Our darkest days are done (illuminate)
Rise like the brightest sun (illuminate)
Our darkest days are done (illuminate)
Rise like the brightest sun (illuminate)
As we get warm, ice will get thin
We'll become ghosts, together again
As we ascend, air will get thin
We'll become ghosts, together again
Lyrics submitted by Skoobasteve24
Illuminate Lyrics as written by Ryan Mendez Ryan Key
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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As we get warm, ice will get thin We'll become ghosts, together again As we ascend, air will get thin We'll become ghosts, together again _
In a eerie vibe, Ryan is obviously venting frustration at the overall concept of "this is why we can't ever have nice things". The "orchestral" finale of the song obviously resumes the whole concept behind Illuminate. Which makes total sense if you consider Ryan's motives behind the building of the whole album.
getting warm and cozy makes the rotten ice thin underneath the feet: result is falling and freezing/drowning having to "start over" again. ascending is considered something romantic and enriching: the result is choking for asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen at high altitudes.
The dualism of continuing hope-despair-hope (becoming ghosts, but at least we're down in it together) streak is a main theme of the whole record and the way you feel listening to it (hopeful or frustrated hopeless) really depends on your mood swing of the day. I believe Ryan meant the same considering that even he's unsure about it with the line «Do you picture me, what do you see?»