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Icarus Lyrics

Let the sun rain down on me
'Til covered in dew
All pink and new and reborn
Cut past the grey and countless forms
Condemned to be killed or be conquered.

Slender as a carp you are
Your skin defiantly silver and so sure
As for me, I am not so sure
I watch you skate like a knife
Beneath the water

Though I can see clearly what's ahead of me
I cannot stop it once I'm set a-spinning
What can it mean, why must I always see
The ending at the beginning?

Together going arm and arm
To meet our solitude, to meet it head on
I'll meet you where the water's warm
To meet my solitude, to meet it head on

Though I can see clearly ahead of me
I cannot stop it once I'm set a-spinning
What can it mean? Why must I always see
The ending at the beginning?
4 Meanings

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Cover art for Icarus lyrics by White Hinterland

The song could be about a romantic relationship, but I think it ties in with Greek mythology as well.

Icarus was the son of a craftsman, Daedalus. The main story told about Icarus is his attempt to escape from Crete by means of wings that his father constructed from feathers and wax. He ignored instructions not to fly too close to the sun, and the melting wax caused him to fall into the sea where he drowned. There are little bits of the song that definitely remind me of Icarus' myth.

Cover art for Icarus lyrics by White Hinterland

Heard this in "Its Kind of a Funny Story", Project Runway, and a Revlon Commercial.
Its so gorgeous and surreal

Cover art for Icarus lyrics by White Hinterland

One of my favorite songs of the past year. I searched forever to find it after hearing just a small snippet in Jessica Biel's Revlon commercial (directed by Kathryn Bigelow). I later heard it on Project Runway and Pretty Little Liars.

The meaning of this song is somewhat vague but what I take away from it is aknowledging the inevitable but living life to the fullest despite any negative circumstances.

Cover art for Icarus lyrics by White Hinterland

I hope my meager words can do justice to the beautiful poetry of this song. So here's my take on it:

This song is about her insecurity about being in a romantic relationship. She's vulnerable and naive (pink, new and reborn) compared to her self-assured, dangerously attractive (defiantly silver and so sure...skate like a knife) object of love. Even though she is able to see the current situation of the relationship rationally (Though I can see clearly ahead of me), she can't stop negative thoughts from predicting the end of the relationship (I cannot stop it once I'm set a-spinning....why must I always see the ending at the beginning)

Together going arm and arm To meet our solitude, to meet it head on I'll meet you where the water's warm To meet my solitude, I'll meet it head on

This stanza is reflects her predictions of ultimate dissolution of the relationship, going together "to meet our solitude....to meet my solitude"

The fish-in-water metaphor represents a certain fluidity, uncertainty. Perhaps it alludes to the zodiac sign of pisces: two fish, tied together, swimming in opposite directions (represents her being of two minds about the relationship). Whatever it may means, the metaphor goes well with the dreamy, ethereal, under-water quality of the music.

 
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