Illuminate Lyrics
We were born and learn to stand
Recollections scattered out inside my head
We came across a broken road
Broken hearts that overflowed
Taking turns and never knowing where they lead
What do you see
Maybe a future full of unwritten things
We hope to run from whats been done
Look for a future no one else has sung
Fill the air with what we know
Climb a ladder up and hang a hopeful sign
Never lonely
Never lost
Never scared to jump across
Revolutions come and go but we survive
What do you see
Maybe a future full of unwritten things
We hope to run from whats been done
Look for a future no one else has sung
(Illuminate)
Rise like the brightest sun
Illuminate
Our darkest days are done
(Illuminate)
Rise like the brightest sun
Ice will get thing
We'll become ghosts
Together again
As we ascend
Air will get thin
We'll become ghosts
Together again
As we get warm, ice will get thin We'll become ghosts, together again As we ascend, air will get thin We'll become ghosts, together again _
In a eerie vibe, Ryan is obviously venting frustration at the overall concept of "this is why we can't ever have nice things". The "orchestral" finale of the song obviously resumes the whole concept behind Illuminate. Which makes total sense if you consider Ryan's motives behind the building of the whole album.
getting warm and cozy makes the rotten ice thin underneath the feet: result is falling and freezing/drowning having to "start over" again. ascending is considered something romantic and enriching: the result is choking for asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen at high altitudes.
The dualism of continuing hope-despair-hope (becoming ghosts, but at least we're down in it together) streak is a main theme of the whole record and the way you feel listening to it (hopeful or frustrated hopeless) really depends on your mood swing of the day. I believe Ryan meant the same considering that even he's unsure about it with the line «Do you picture me, what do you see?»