The Saltwater Room

My personal interpretation (really long)

"I opened my eyes last night and saw you in the low light"

lowlight: a particularly bad or unpleasant event, detail, or part

he saw her in an unpleasant way he did not want to see her in. He discovered a part of her personality that he missed before... this time he saw her in a negative or sad light for the first time.

"Walking down by the bay, on the shore, staring up at the planes that aren�t there anymore"

In every single song, Owl City mentions some mode of transportation as some sort of metaphor. In this case, the planes represent bygone memories that the boy& girl are reminiscing together, late into the night. 

"I was feeling the night grow old and you were looking so cold Like an introvert, I drew my over shirt Around my arms and began to shiver violently before"

The lyrics here suggest that both people want more warmth/heat between their interactions, despite their history. 

"You happened to look and see the tunnels all around me Running into the dark underground All the subways around create a great sound To my motion fatigue: farewell"

The singer always links himself to modes of transportation so the tunnels around him are probably the relationship choices the girl can make that involves him. However, all solutions to work towards a relationship seems grim ("running into the dark underground"). The guy is getting tired of the limbo situation he has with the girl... dating, not dating, dating not dating, fighting, making up, etc ("to my motion fatigue: goodbye"). He either wants to take initiative and make this relationship finally work or give up.

"With your ear to a seashell You can hear the waves in underwater caves As if you actually were inside a saltwater room"

With their imagination, the the relationship would be idealistic. However, Owl City reinforces that this idealized picture of relationship is different from reality ("As if..."). When you press your ears against a seashell, you can pretend you're by the ocean and underwater paradise. Perhaps here the singer is talking about a long distance relationship; when you talk to a person online or on the phone, you can pretend you are also somewhere else... with significant other. 

"Time together is just never quite enough When you and I are alone, I�ve never felt so at home What will it take to make or break this hint of love?"

They keep telling themselves that with more time, they will eventually make everything work. However, due to long distance, they never get to spend enough time together to make the relationship concrete and stable. However when they are together, they've very comfortable with each other. THis is why they think extra efforts in making the relationship work is worth it. However they're tired of staying in the gray area.

"We need time, only time When we�re apart whatever are you thinking of? If this is what I call home, why does it feel so alone? So tell me darling, do you wish we�d fall in love? All the time, all the time"

Whenever they're apart, they feel a bit lonely when they carry on their daily activities. They wish there could be a fair chance at love. No distance, no time constraints, no past history.

"Can you believe that the crew has gone and wouldn�t let me sign on? All my islands have sunk in the deep, so I can hardly relax or even oversleep"

The guy feels lost. He feels like he's losing his mind/sleep over this relationship (or lack thereof).

"I feel as if I were home some nights when we count all the ship lights"

The ship lights (note another mentioning of transportation) might represent hopes of the girl/boy being together... or perhaps the counting of the lights just signifies that the time they spend together feels so natural.

"I guess Ill never know why sparrows love the snow Well turn off all of the lights and set this ballroom aglow"

The guy thinks that they'll never know what will happen if the relationship is given another chance (with no distance, etc), but he decides to enjoy the present, in the presence of the girl.

I think that this song is about this guy and this girl, they both love each other and basically its what every couple goes through that no matter how much time they spend together it never seems to be enough. Even though they love each other they arent dating, thats why she says "Tell me darling do you wish wed fall in love?" and hes like "All the time All the time".

Okay this song is not about two people falling in love. This song is about two people who once had something, but they weren't meant for eachother. They try and spend time together but it's not enough to keep the relationship. They want to fall in love, but they just can't. It's not sad really, it's just talking about something they wanted to work, but the two aren't meant for eachother and they know it. This is real life stuff and i think it's cool they wrote a song about it.

It's such a good song, i have been listening to Maybe I'm Dreaming... and Of June on repeat for about 2 weeks now and this song sticks with me the most. The chorus is one of my favourite chorus' of all time. It's most definitely about two people falling in love and i think maybe they are scared. They know they like each other but they aren't completely sure what time will do to them, will it make or break them. Infact, i was gonna go on to say about they aren't sure it will work. But i think the line 'Time together is just never quite enough' means they want to spend every waking minute with each other, rather than it meaning that they spend time together but it's not enough to be satisfied with which i think other people are seeing it as. I think its so good as so many people can relate to it.

I think this song is about a new relationship barely starting, possibly with two good friends. They are just feeling the new relationship out. "What will it take to make or break this hint of love?" The little hint of it is enough to make them want to fall in love, but they aren't yet. That's why they want to spend time with each other, to see if they will fall in love. The couple has that new little obsession with each other where they can't stop thinking about the possibility of the relationship.

As I've said on other song interpretations, I do believe that the meaning of a song is subjective and dependent on the listener and what they are experiencing or have experienced. Due to this, this song, for me, has a slightly different meaning of it being about two people who love each other but are separated by distance and don't know if their love can even go anywhere.

I opened my eyes last night

'Opening the eyes' could be opening the eyes to a memory, allowing it to be viewed in one's mind. Boy 'opens his eyes' and remembers seeing Girl 'last night' (last night meaning any time in the past).

And saw you in the low light Walking down by the bay On the shore, staring up at the stars That aren't there anymore

Boy recalls walking with Girl along the shore and she was watching the stars. The stars not being there anymore shows that the stars of his memory are not, at least to him, the same as the stars he sees now.

I was feeling the night grow old And you were looking so cold

Boy remembers how the night passed and suddenly, was over, and remembers how, as the night grew deeper (older), Girl got colder. Also a metaphor for the distance- the older the night, the farther the distance.

So like an introvert I drew my over shirt Around my arms and began To shiver violently before

Boy's back in the present and is chilled by the memories because he can't see Girl anymore so he draws his shirt and his arms around himself to console himself.

You happened to look And see the tunnels all around me Running into the dark Underground All the subways around Create a great sound

Girl looks at all the ways she can communicate with or see Boy, but the great distance is darkness that is filled with great sound (busyness or other time-filling commitments).

To my motion fatigue Farewell

Boy hates travelling, but bids farewell to this hatred so he can meet Girl.

With your ear to a seashell You can hear the waves In underwater caves As if you actually were inside A saltwater room

Boy and Girl share the memories of the beach and Girl listens to the 'ocean' in seashells so that she feels closer to Boy because they have so many memories by the water.

Time together isn't ever quite enough

What little time Boy and Girl spend together is nowhere near enough to satisfy them.

When you and I are alone I've never felt so at home

They feel at home with each other, so if, say, Girl went to visit Boy, she is far from home, but she's still at home because she's with Boy.

What will it take to make or break this hint of love? Only time, only time

Boy and Girl realize that they need to wait to see where their relationship is going before they can 'make or break' their feelings for each other.

Can you believe that the crew has gone And wouldn't let me sign on

Girl has to leave to return home or wherever and Boy isn't allowed to due to obligations where he is.

All my islands have sunk In the deep, so I can hardly relax Or even oversleep

This is harder. The islands could be a metaphor for the distance between Boy and Girl, meaning that the farther from Boy (mainland) Girl (island) gets, the fewer islands there are and she is 'sunk' in her own life away from him.

I feel more with your hand In mine When we walk on the shore line

Boy feels his love more strongly when he is walking with Girl, especially along the seashore where they keep going back to in their memories.

I guess I'll never know Why sparrows love the snow

Sparrows and snow seem like two contrasting ideas, so here, Boy could be thinking how love for someone (Girl) so vastly different could be possible, but acknowledges that it is a mystery to him.

We'll turn off all of the lights And set this ballroom aglow

They'll finally turn off the 'lights' which, to me, based on personal experiences, could be city lights, as one (presumably Girl, because Boy seems to have the capability of returning to their shoreline) of the two is in the city while the other is farther away. Turning off the lights means they're so far away from the city, they can't see the city lights.

When we're apart whatever are you thinking of

Boy wants to know Girl better because the distance is hard to communicate over and wants to know her thoughts and if they're of him.

If this is what I call home Why does it feel so alone

Boy is home, but he feels alone because the love of his life is not there (home is where the heart is).

So tell me darling Do you wish we'd fall in love

Boy asks Girl if she wishes they could have a relationship rather than be friends who love each other and want to see where it goes.

All the time, all the time

Boy and Girl think all the time that they wish they could date.

This is, as I said, based largely on my personal experience of loving a guy who loves me and is very different, but we are waiting before we do anything so that we can be sure this is what we need. We're also far apart, leading to all my comments on the distance between.

I LOOOOVE this song. It's great, my favorite by Owl City. To me, it's about a new relationship...

owl city is great and this song is one of theyre best.. think it's bout two people loving each other but can't get together or something..mabye, that's my view..

I love this song. it will never get old, and the girls voice is absolutely amazing.

I get goosebumps every time I hear the girl sing! Such talent, love this song.

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