This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
A summer night
I find a boat
Tied to a tree
A normal home
She lost her string
And stepping in
I push the shore there
An act of stealth
A troubled glad without a voice
A mountain song, the boat moves on
The water runs on either side
The circle swell, a sudden light
Takes me
I fix my view
Upon the ridge
Horizon's eye
Above the gray sky
I tip my oar to raise the stroke
The wading swan, the image broke
A looming peak, a pirate size
Uprears its head a sudden guise
Takes me
I find a boat
Tied to a tree
A normal home
She lost her string
And stepping in
I push the shore there
An act of stealth
A troubled glad without a voice
A mountain song, the boat moves on
The water runs on either side
The circle swell, a sudden light
Takes me
I fix my view
Upon the ridge
Horizon's eye
Above the gray sky
I tip my oar to raise the stroke
The wading swan, the image broke
A looming peak, a pirate size
Uprears its head a sudden guise
Takes me
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When We Were Young
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Just A Little Lovin'
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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/
Amazing
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Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
American Town
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Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I'm working at the Wordsworth Trust right now, right next to Wordsworth's beloved home and beloved lake in Grasmere, England. It is lonely out here, but knowing this song exists gives me hope!
Wordsworth is all about being elevated in feeling and thought by nature. In the particular passage Sufjan's referencing, Wordsworth takes a boat out onto the lake in the middle of the night. The peace he feels and the beauty he seeks and sees is soon interrupted by the huge, dark, and menacing hills above him that frighten him into rowing back to shore. The ridge, the peak and outline of the mountain, is the turning point in the excerpt, what Wordsworth finally focuses on and what eventually grows enough to scare him. Wordsworth/Sufjan is a swan in the boat, and the huge dark shadow is like an animal, a predator that devours him. It isn't necessarily a bad thing though. The feeling of fear is instinctual being alone in dark expansive nature, and it must be thrilling for both of them. It becomes so much more of an experience this way, with these feelings arising from this dark imposing landscape & night. Sufjan, like WW, grew up around lakes and wilderness. Nature was formative for him. But as in the case of both of them, it's not about nature but about the feelings and state of mind that nature brings.