This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
I woke the dawn
Saw horses growing out the lawn
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
I glimpsed a bat with butterfly wings
Oh what marvelous things
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Dark nights hold tight and sleep tight my baby
Morning light shall burst bright and keep us here safely
I followed a rabbit through rows of mermaids entwined shrubbery
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh what marvelous things
But they are they are they are giving me the creeps
Dark nights hold tight and sleep tight my baby
Morning light shall burst bright and keep us here safely
Oh lying in the sun
Everyday feeling all of the magic and might find the wonder
Dark nights hold tight and sleep tight my baby
Morning light shall burst bright and keep us here safely
Morning light shall burst bright and keep us here safely
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Saw horses growing out the lawn
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
I glimpsed a bat with butterfly wings
Oh what marvelous things
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Dark nights hold tight and sleep tight my baby
Morning light shall burst bright and keep us here safely
I followed a rabbit through rows of mermaids entwined shrubbery
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh what marvelous things
But they are they are they are giving me the creeps
Dark nights hold tight and sleep tight my baby
Morning light shall burst bright and keep us here safely
Oh lying in the sun
Everyday feeling all of the magic and might find the wonder
Dark nights hold tight and sleep tight my baby
Morning light shall burst bright and keep us here safely
Morning light shall burst bright and keep us here safely
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Lyrics submitted by ThreeMilesDown
Marvelous Things Lyrics as written by Jonathan Wilson Chauntelle Dupree
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I'd like to start by saying that reading all of the interpretations by everyone is almost as awesome as hearing this song itself. They definitely make me think a bit harder about my own feelings on it.
To me, this song's theme is pretty clear: the preservation of innocence in the face of inevitable hardship. With a lot of Eisley songs the lyrics can never be taken literally. Some people have said that the chorus evokes images of someone trying to coax a child to sleep and that the sunlight will awaken him/her, but I imagine something more along the lines of the protagonist saying "even though darkness will come, you and I will stick together until the morning and then the new day will be all the more wondrous." I see the song's protagonist/s trying to shut out all of the bad things in life and create their own world where there are still such things as magic and wonder. Finally, even though this wonder can some times give them the "creeps", it's still an amazing thing to be able to find wonder in the world and not let the darkness drag them down.
Wanted to post a follow-up and say that the theme presented in this song is probably the most profound thing I've heard. These simple words give me a message more powerful than any other thing I've heard from a song.