2 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Islands Lyrics
Waiting for the bus stop
Waiting for the concrete black tar to settle down
Long enough for me to get off and get a little ground
Ready for the sea change
Helpless, felt this coming from a mile away
And now you’re looking at me babe
And how we’ll separate if we can
Cause I still count on one hand the number of good men I know
It’s like I’m standing on the edge of just a telephone wire trying to get to you first
to say the world is on fire
Holding my breath until I know you’re alright
because the water will only rise
When will you realize
You must become an island
You must become an island
You must become an island
And see for yourself that’s what I am
You always dirty up the windows
If you keep them at bay that way no one’s going to surprise you by getting too close
Anybody but me though
You’ve made exceptions to your rules
And now we’re staring down truths neither one of us wants to know
It’s like I’m standing on the edge of just a telephone wire trying to get to you first
to say the world is on fire
Holding my breath until I know you’re alright
because the water will only rise
When will you realize
You must become an island
You must become an island
You must become an island
And see for yourself the horizon is all we have
And see for yourself the horizon is all we have
Holding my breath until I know you’re alright
Because the water will only rise
Waiting for the concrete black tar to settle down
Long enough for me to get off and get a little ground
Helpless, felt this coming from a mile away
And now you’re looking at me babe
And how we’ll separate if we can
Cause I still count on one hand the number of good men I know
to say the world is on fire
Holding my breath until I know you’re alright
because the water will only rise
When will you realize
You must become an island
You must become an island
You must become an island
And see for yourself that’s what I am
If you keep them at bay that way no one’s going to surprise you by getting too close
Anybody but me though
You’ve made exceptions to your rules
And now we’re staring down truths neither one of us wants to know
to say the world is on fire
Holding my breath until I know you’re alright
because the water will only rise
When will you realize
You must become an island
You must become an island
You must become an island
And see for yourself the horizon is all we have
And see for yourself the horizon is all we have
Because the water will only rise
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
This song has quite the landscape, the wide seas of its rolling chords and the dropped stones of its rhythmic piano. This is reflected in the lyrics, where Sara is in the midst of a trip, waiting for the road’s “concrete black top” to become something to step down on. She is anguished because she cares for what she will soon lose, something she felt “coming from a mile away.” It seems to reference life’s ethereal flow. The sentence, “’Cause I still count on one hand / the number of good men I know,” refers either to a hyperbole to make light of the situation, her despair at the paucity of good men in her life and her general preference for females, or even recognition of her own hand’s power — her good man. It depends on the definition of ‘good man.’ This impending loss is why she promotes being an i(emphasis on ‘I’)sland against the rising water, that is, being an individual, self-satisfied, self-assured. She comments that “you always dirty up the windows,” a tactic to prevent disclosure of what is inside. Except she is inside with ‘you’ because ‘you’ are listening to the song’s message of individuality. She is providing advice while still there. Meanwhile, the repeated vocalization of “ha ha haaa” symbolize the division that is promoted.
@azneel128 I always heard this song as her singing to herself. Telling herself that she needs to be her own island when something bad will happen. For example, if a relationship were to end, she needs to be her own island so she can survive on her own when the floods come, and when it's over. But I guess it could also be about feeling like you will get hurt by being too close with someone so it could be about the fear of getting close to someone.
@azneel128 I always heard this song as her singing to herself. Telling herself that she needs to be her own island when something bad will happen. For example, if a relationship were to end, she needs to be her own island so she can survive on her own when the floods come, and when it's over. But I guess it could also be about feeling like you will get hurt by being too close with someone so it could be about the fear of getting close to someone.
ADDENDUM OF PREVIOUS POST: the horizon is all that is between now and the end, horizon being the farthest that can be seen.