Little One Lyrics
This song has always remind me of the Dust Bowl, the period during the Great Depression when poor midewestern families would pack up and move everything they own to seek a better life out west.
This song seems to be about the journey and the "little one" is the son or daughter orf the author.
The opening lyrics are decidedly optomistic compared to the rest of the song:
New days To throw your chains away To try to hang your hopes on the wind
There is repeated encouragement for the "little on" in the second chorus when he says "Today all of the dreams are waking"
This is a stark difference from the end of the song where he says "Hold on All of the dreams are wasting" It shows that he's gotten more desperate. The journey started out with hardship, but optomism, and now reality is starting to set in.
I have no idea if the Dust Bowl actually inspired any of these lyrics, but if I ever did get to meet Beck, I would like to ask him.
This is such a sadly beautiful song, and a big part of why Sea Change is my favorite Beck album.
My interpretation of the song agrees with calvinit21's for the most part. It's about someone who so desperately wants to protect their little one from the world, but they can't. They try to delude themself into thinking they can, but as the situation keeps getting worse, they have to finally admit they were a fool for trying.
All they can say is "Little one, hold on..." and pray for the best, even when they know the worst is much more likely.
My take is its to himself from himself. End of the album, a "breakup" album and this is the climax of the somber previous tracks. Still somber, this gives us that final "hug" before ending.
i like to believe it is about a dream of breaking away, following your dreams through life, trying to hold onto them when everything is changing around you and pushing you further away. Maybe the "little one" is inside all of us, the part of us that holds these dreams so dear. or maybe i am just projecting :)
^ That is interesting, I never thought of that... I'm boring, but it always reminded me of someone being protective of a child, or someone with a emotional or physical problem. Like an older/more able person is at their side. Whatever it means, this song gets my vote for the prettiest Beck song... just beautiful
I see it as the opposite... It feels to me to be getting more optimistic as the song goes on.
The first verse feels cold, tired - exhausted "Go to sleep now, we're so tired now"- someone defending another from the dark, and whatever is in it... Something unpleasant. It seems impossible - "Hang your hopes on the wind" ((The music video adds so much. They illustrate that beautifully, with a kite in the sky.)) A small spark of hope - A new day - comes, get out of what binds you. The chorus reassures whoever the narrator/singer is with, a child, someone younger, someone loved... Don't worry, we just go a bit farther, it's okay.
The second verse feels much darker than the first, 'flying backwards', 'night', 'cold bones', 'black rope'. But the black rope is from a swing, something innocent (children playing on a swing), 'all our dreams are waking' could mean that they'll soon have everything they could need and want, if they get away.
The bridge, 'can't stand on... explode' brings light, but in such a terrible way, with the 'satellites' - the stars and moon exploding, and they can't walk or move, perhaps to leave.
The last verse, though, seems to finally bring hope - mixed with risk, of course. "Sailors run aground" - whoever keeps them chained, or perhaps just unfortunate bystanders have their wants diverted due to things far beyond their control - the sea change, but this misfortune brings fortune to narrator... 'In a stolen boat', pushed by 'strange waves', they 'float away' from whatever was the evil.
The end repeats the reassurances, saying just a bit more, just hold on, we'll have everything we need and want once we're away from here, if we survive.
Mine's a bit different... and it's probably due to how I first listened to it. I had put my songs into repeat for the night, so I'd hear all my music as I was sleeping... I sleep much better that way... And about 3 in the morning, I woke up, humming the song as I was listening to it. And that probably changed how I looked at it... But it does sound much more hopeful to me at the end rather than the beginning.
This song is the final little song saying everything is okay in Beck's life. Sea Change really does follow a story of sorts. I think Little One may be a figurative character, or even Beck himself. Or possibly his love. There's a part in another song on Sea Change where he is asking his lost love if he could be her friend; I think this might be characterizing his struggles as her friend.
I always thought of little one as a child, my dad used to call me that; but I just don't think that's what it means in this one. I'm surprised this song has so few comments on it. It's really the best song on the album, but I can see people passing up meaning for the one that's been played in all the shitty tv shows/movies Zach Braff is in.
Does anyone else have images from Where the Wild Things Are pop into their head when they hear these lyrics.
its not wasteing its waking. all of our dreams are waking.
this song kinda reminds me of being young and thinking life is just so amazing, all the time. and the older ppl kinda just watching the little ones know that soon they will realize thats not reality, but still that they should enjoy the life while they have it
oh n for the longest time i was trying to figue out who this sounded like in the beginging, and its the eels. ounds just like the guy from eels in the begingin. sorry can remember his name.
oh n for the longest time i was trying to figue out who this sounded like in the beginging, and its the eels. ounds just like the guy from eels in the begingin. sorry can remember his name.