| The National – Runaway Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| Gives me chills. We've all been in relationships we know are unhealthy. I haven't heard a song that encompasses that feeling of codependency more than this one. I love the comparison of "swallowing the shine of the sun" - in the beginning the attention from this person is shining down on you and warming you up like nothing else in the world, but you can't stop wanting more and more of it. And then all of sudden all the sun is gone and you are burning up from the inside out because of your own insatiable hunger for each other. You're pretty sure your insides are on fire. You try to rationalize (we don't bleed when we don't fight). But somewhere deep down you know it can't last. You feel the other person is pulling away and you're just watching it all happen (being led to the flood). And you're just willing, you can't run away. | |
| Kevin Morby – Harlem River Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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This song has such a cool vibe. I love the way KM story tells in his lyrics. In the context of the album it seems to me in this song, the main character is experiencing inner turmoil from a relationship (fell in love with a married woman). They both "took a walk on the wild side" only to find that no matter how much they tried to give each other, it could never be enough due to the timing of their relationship. In Harlem River I think the man/main character is searching for an escape from the emptiness he feels after the relationship came to an end and reality set in. He's looking to the river as a new, exciting adventure. This could be personal to me, but the song has a sense of arrogance/pride to it. The man knows that despite heartbreak, he's come a long way to be where he is and he wants to put his focus on what he's accomplished. I think when he repeats "all because of you" it could be referring to the reflection of himself he sees in the river. He is trying to build himself back up. He talks about his pearl and diamond shoes, climbing clouds and stealing the moon...asking the river to give him wings. He's ready to start being selfish in his life and taking what he wants from it. |
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