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Arlington Lyrics
Where do you go little bird
When it snows, when it snows
When the world turns to sleep
Do you know, do you know
Is there something in the wind
Breathes a chill in your heart and life in your wings
Does it whisper 'start again'
Start again
Where is the sun in the night
Is it cold, is it cold
Does it feel left behind
All alone, all alone
Does it wander through the dark
Does it wait for the dawn, wish on a star
Does it stray very far
Very far
Where is your home restless wind
Is it there, is it here
Do you search for a place to belong
Search in vain, search in fear
Or is your spirit everywhere
Is your voice every tree
Your soul of the air
If there's no home is there no death
Is there no death
When it snows, when it snows
When the world turns to sleep
Do you know, do you know
Is there something in the wind
Breathes a chill in your heart and life in your wings
Does it whisper 'start again'
Start again
Is it cold, is it cold
Does it feel left behind
All alone, all alone
Does it wander through the dark
Does it wait for the dawn, wish on a star
Does it stray very far
Very far
Is it there, is it here
Do you search for a place to belong
Search in vain, search in fear
Or is your spirit everywhere
Is your voice every tree
Your soul of the air
If there's no home is there no death
Is there no death
Song Info
Submitted by
cp8climb On Apr 27, 2006
More The Wailin' Jennys
Begin
Come All You Sailors
One Voice
Heaven When We're Home
Long Time Traveller
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I believe it's definitely a song about death and a lost soul.
How do we make sense of heart ache, despair, longing? How do we know when to leave, like the bird knows when to fly south?
How do we survive the cold, alone, without our love, the light? Do we remain ourselves, or change?
Who are we, really? Is there an end to the journey? Where is home?
It makes me think of the war memorial at Arlington and similarly at Vimy Ridge. Many soldiers are missing in action. I think of someone grieving at the war memorial wondering, if there is no place of rest for the missing soldier - are they dead? Where does their spirit roam and how do we move on after losing the ones we love.
The song title evokes the cemetery of nearly 400,000 military graves in Texas. The lyrics have a circumspect opening with perhaps the superficial thoughts of a visitor seeing reality and the birds there. The visitor then goes deeper, the sun is introduced, personified as lost in the night, anxious to return at dawn like the birds in spring. Finally, the personified wind is asked if it has no home yet still is the wind, can souls do the same? "If there's no home is there no death" The song is well written in that musically it has a longing feeling to it, but never resolves, rather ends with the punch of the last two lines, where the visitor is left hoping the deaths are somehow not forever.