In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Under the TV lights
You fell asleep again
Don't know I'm writing this song about you
There's a picture of a Hollywood sign
Reflecting off your skin
I don't want to live another day without you
You woke up and said, "Baby I had one of those dreams again.
The rain came down and I lost you in the wind."
You said something about, "Don't leave," before you fell back sleep
Before I could sing my song back to you
That you could find yourself lost out in this world
And I'd find a way to get back to your side
No mountain's too high, no stone is too small
I'd build a bridge through the fire
For you I would crawl
From New York to California
I can hear you softly breathe
Oh what you do to me
If baby I could climb down into your dreams
I'd build a ladder down through the clouds
Where the storm is raging now
No I, don't want to sing another song without you
If you found yourself lost out in this world
Then I'd find a way to get back to your side
No mountain's too high, no stone is too small
I'd build a bridge through the fire
For you I would crawl
From New York to California
Singing
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Oh, it's not too far
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Oh, to where you are
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Oh, it's not too far
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
'Cause you, could find yourself lost out in this world
And I would find a way to get back to your side
If you found yourself lost out in this world
Then I'd find a way to get back to your side
No mountain's too high, no stone is too small
I'll build a bridge through the fire
For you I would crawl
From New York to California
To California
To California
You fell asleep again
Don't know I'm writing this song about you
There's a picture of a Hollywood sign
Reflecting off your skin
I don't want to live another day without you
You woke up and said, "Baby I had one of those dreams again.
The rain came down and I lost you in the wind."
You said something about, "Don't leave," before you fell back sleep
Before I could sing my song back to you
That you could find yourself lost out in this world
And I'd find a way to get back to your side
No mountain's too high, no stone is too small
I'd build a bridge through the fire
For you I would crawl
From New York to California
I can hear you softly breathe
Oh what you do to me
If baby I could climb down into your dreams
I'd build a ladder down through the clouds
Where the storm is raging now
No I, don't want to sing another song without you
If you found yourself lost out in this world
Then I'd find a way to get back to your side
No mountain's too high, no stone is too small
I'd build a bridge through the fire
For you I would crawl
From New York to California
Singing
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Oh, it's not too far
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Oh, to where you are
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Oh, it's not too far
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
'Cause you, could find yourself lost out in this world
And I would find a way to get back to your side
If you found yourself lost out in this world
Then I'd find a way to get back to your side
No mountain's too high, no stone is too small
I'll build a bridge through the fire
For you I would crawl
From New York to California
To California
To California
Lyrics submitted by cmmmic
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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 like this song a lot. i think it's self explanatory. i want to incorporate this song into my future wedding. i like how it's simple and innocent. he's just spending a quiet night with his girl and singing this song to her while she's asleep, and half singing this song to himself about her.
In a recent interview, Mat Kearney said this about New York to California:
"New York to California is like the most literal song, and I wrote it, umm, while someone was falling asleep, to the TV. So I wrote this song. That's all I'm going to say about that one. It's pretty literal. Just listen. Just, turn it up."
In the entire interview about this album, that was the song he seemed most emotional about, or seemed to kind of pause and hold his breath a bit.
Does anyone know the chords of this song?<br /> <br /> I know the main Intro/Verse is:<br /> <br /> F ? F C<br /> <br /> I can't figure out what the second chord is - Help! Anyone!