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Cage the Elephant – Come a Little Closer Lyrics 12 years ago
I think this song is about how people do not want to aknowledge how the world is and are always only trying to find happiness and not wanting to actualy change the world.

"Time shakes, found you at the water
At first you were my father, now I love you like a brother
Earthquakes shake the dust behind you
This world at times will blind you
Still I know I'll see you there"

He is hoping to make the other person understand how important it is to see the world how it trully is. First he had respect for how that someone used to live (father) but then he saw in that someone the possibility for them to acctually become something more.

"Come a little closer, then you'll see
Come on, come on, come on
Things aren't always what they seem to be
Come on, come on, come on
Do you understand the things you been seein'
Come on, come on, come on
Do you understand the things that you've been dreaming
Come a little closer, then you'll see"

Pretty much self explanatory, but he hopes to make a point about how the other person understands the things he's been seeing and dreaming (dreaming in this case that reality is something it's not).

"Heartbreaks, the heavy world's upon your shoulders
Will we burn or we just smolder
Somehow I know I'll find you there
Oooh, I wanna see if you can change it, change it
Still I know I'll see you there"

About how difficult trying to change the world really is but he hopes to see them "there" (trying to change the world with him).

"Ten thousand people stand alone now
And in the evening the sun sets
Tomorrow it will rise
Time flies by, they all sang along"

How about most of the world is "standing alone", thinking only about themselves. And then he talks about how the sun sets and rises, relating it to how things stay the same because nobody does anything to really change our status quo. And then "Time flies by, they all sang along", meaning they all (people of the world) only think about thenselves and sing along to those that make the world how it is today.

TL;DR: the song is about we need more political and engaged people trying to change the world and finding a greater good for mankind and less YOLO.

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