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If Only Lyrics
The old man’s been stealin’
She’s holding her grievance for a hundred-odd years
We all keep believin’
That history repeats itself year after year
All I fear's that the future is worse
We have to give in to a hundred-year curse
Sweat in the sun like we’re digging a grave
Dig deep enough and our fortune is saved
If only, if only
The woodpecker sighs
The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies
As the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely
He cries to the mo-oo-n
If only, if only
Chasing the sky
A beautiful wife
You'll make mistakes and it’s my back that breaks
And forever, my past steals my life
To submission I’m beat
But there’s hope beneath these feet
Blisters and blood
And the sun makes you blind
You don’t let it eat
Till it can’t help but be kind
Cause you know what’s important
With your back to the wall
You can break metal chains
And your friends don’t let you fall
If only, if only
The woodpecker sighs
The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies
As the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely
He cries to the mo-oo-n
If only, if only
I am a soul
But I find myself lent
And that is no use
When I’m finding my history, finding my history
I am no plane, I’m more like a feather
That is no use
When I’m finding my history, finding my history
I am no plane, I’m more like a feather
But I can’t fly away without finding myself
If only, if only
The woodpecker sighs
The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies
As the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely
He cries to the mo-oo-n
If only, if only
If only, if only
The woodpecker sighs
The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies
As the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely
He cries to the mo-oo-n
If only, if only
She’s holding her grievance for a hundred-odd years
We all keep believin’
That history repeats itself year after year
We have to give in to a hundred-year curse
Sweat in the sun like we’re digging a grave
Dig deep enough and our fortune is saved
The woodpecker sighs
The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies
As the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely
He cries to the mo-oo-n
If only, if only
A beautiful wife
You'll make mistakes and it’s my back that breaks
And forever, my past steals my life
To submission I’m beat
But there’s hope beneath these feet
And the sun makes you blind
You don’t let it eat
Till it can’t help but be kind
Cause you know what’s important
With your back to the wall
You can break metal chains
And your friends don’t let you fall
The woodpecker sighs
The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies
As the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely
He cries to the mo-oo-n
If only, if only
But I find myself lent
And that is no use
When I’m finding my history, finding my history
I am no plane, I’m more like a feather
That is no use
When I’m finding my history, finding my history
I am no plane, I’m more like a feather
But I can’t fly away without finding myself
The woodpecker sighs
The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies
As the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely
He cries to the mo-oo-n
If only, if only
The woodpecker sighs
The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies
As the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely
He cries to the mo-oo-n
If only, if only
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Beautiful song. Just beautiful.
this is a really deep song. its also really pretty.
"If only, if only The woodpecker sighs The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies As the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely He cries to the mo-oo-n If only, if only"
i love when he sings this part, its like magic.
its a really interesting song. i wish more people would comment so there could be more debate about this song.
It's not deep. The refrain you mention is a simple child-like fable narrative (I'm not sure if Sachar wrote that himself or if it has an actual folk background but whatever).
If the bark of the trees was as soft as the skies, then the woodpecker wouldn't have to work so hard to get his food (he can easily fly through the sky whereas the bark on the trees is hard). Similarly, the wolf on the ground wishes for that same "soft bark" because then the woodpecker would slip down for him to eat. The theme is ridiculously simple: the desire for an easier life always has a tragic end. The degree to which something is hard to accomplish (like in the novel when the protagonist has to journey through the waste land) makes it worthwhile and productive.
I really like how you cleared that up, couldBanyone.
I really loved how well Fiction Plane touched the core of Holes, the novel, and really got its themes in order. No way could another song grasp the story so well.
Aside from the already-interpreted refrain..
"The old man’s been stealin’ She’s holding her grievance for a hundred-odd years We all keep believin’ That history repeats itself year after year
All I fear's that the future is worse We have to give in to a hundred-year curse"
The grandfather steals a pig,Zeroni holds a grudge,all following generations are wary of the curse.
"Sweat in the sun like we’re digging a grave Dig deep enough and our fortune is saved"
Dig deep enough, find Barlow's treasure, the camp shuts down being pointless now,Hector hires investigators to find his family,etc.
"Blisters and blood And the sun makes you blind"
References to the blood(from blisters),blisters(from shovel handles),and sweltering,blinding sun of Green Lake
I love this song from the first time I heard it in the movie "Holes". In case anyone's wondering the song plays at the end credits. Anyways: the song is basically a 3 minute run-down of the main plot in the novel: the story of Yelnats family and the curse that has followed them through the years since Elya Yelnats (Stanley's great-great-grandfather) forgot to keep his promise to Madame Zeroni.