Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

It's kind of baffling to see so many blatant misinterpretations of this song. I've read a few of your interpretations, which seem to think that this song is about rejecting suburban life in exchange for urban life. It is about neither. The Sprawl, by its definition, and through its meaning here, is referring to the lights, life, and overall urban pollution of the city and all of its societal woes that have gradually expanded out to the countryside, creating suburban areas that extend outwardly and create mass consumerism and more problems. Will there be any room for the peaceful and quiet ways of life that once existed as a rational and practical means of survival, and which were previously enough for us to ascertain suitable enjoyment and fulfillment from?

"Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains, And there's no end in sight, I need the darkness someone please cut the lights."

We live in cities that never shut down at night. Sure, in certain areas there is less light pollution than others. But the sprawl of the cities and urban life has become so accepted that we can no longer gaze at the stars in full view on a whim. The only way they are now visible to us is through travel to the countryside, which is shrinking and being violated by our way of life at each step. New shopping malls are erected each year, and to what end?

"And like a mirror these city lights shine, They're screaming at us, "we don't need your kind." "

I think a lot of people feel like they're going through existential crises nowadays. Do we really belong amongst society how it exists in its current state? People have become obsessed and entranced by pop culture. What about those people who haven't? Where do they belong?

Life is becoming increasingly metropolitan, and the computer age, the electronic era, mass media - it all dominates the mainstream way of life. The Sprawl of the city and corporate sponsored consumerism has become nearly, if not already universal and ubiquitous.

the Arcade Fire are making social criticism here. They wonder where we're headed as a society. Cities become increasingly crowded, so suburban areas ceaselessly sprout around the main metropolises. When we're finally finished, if there is a such thing to occur (the end of our expansion, the end of our vane projection), will we have completely squelched and vanquished the natural world? I find myself disgusted with the city life all around us all the time. Was this really how it was supposed to be? Nature only exists in its natural state in select and preserved areas throughout the world. How long will they last for? Will society really trade it in for its own arrogantly touted world of mass consumerism?

There's something missing from this life. the Arcade Fire tap into deep rooted feelings of nostalgia in this song, recalling their childhood, and how it effects their current situation. They also do this in others, such as "We Used to Wait" in which Win Butler longs for the slowed-down, even-paced way of life. Society used to wait for letters to come in the mail from loved ones. These were often well thought out and meaningful. We used to wait for all sorts of things. Now we demand immediacy and instant gratification.