I interpret the song to be about not knowing who to trust anymore due to fame. The "fireflies" are stars/entertainers. "When they die their light stays alive," means the legacy of their art lives on even after death. Reading on, the fireflies are fame-hungry may achieve this lasting legacy through using others.
The entertainment industry has some fresh blood. The good friend is starting to achieve recognition and "coming 'round the bend" to a certain level of fame.
"You're making friends with the fireflies
I can't say that that comes as a surprise"
With that status, the friend is mingling with the folks in the business which doesn't surprise the narrator, possibly because this friend is a very social person.
The friend doesn't realize people may only pretend to value you-- "they say, 'my good friends, best friends'"-- and try to earn your trust so they can take advantage of you. The narrator has warned the friend, "It's a plot, though. I told you so." He has encountered people like this before and knows their intentions may not be the most honest. They may be cooking some way to sabotage the friend's act, use the friend's connections, etc.
"You've been called to tell us what they mean," could be the narrator putting the friend on the spot, telling him or her to think about what's happening, because this friend is smart enough and ought to know the fireflies' true intentions.
Cheers to Chris Garneau for these lovely lyrics. Songs about fame tend to alienate the common listener, and disguising it as a delightful tale of whimsy is a clever way of making it something more refreshing instead of tritely providing commentary on the desperate and destructive hunger for fame.
(...That is, if my interpretation was actually Garneau's mindset when writing the song!)
I interpret the song to be about not knowing who to trust anymore due to fame. The "fireflies" are stars/entertainers. "When they die their light stays alive," means the legacy of their art lives on even after death. Reading on, the fireflies are fame-hungry may achieve this lasting legacy through using others.
The entertainment industry has some fresh blood. The good friend is starting to achieve recognition and "coming 'round the bend" to a certain level of fame.
"You're making friends with the fireflies I can't say that that comes as a surprise" With that status, the friend is mingling with the folks in the business which doesn't surprise the narrator, possibly because this friend is a very social person.
The friend doesn't realize people may only pretend to value you-- "they say, 'my good friends, best friends'"-- and try to earn your trust so they can take advantage of you. The narrator has warned the friend, "It's a plot, though. I told you so." He has encountered people like this before and knows their intentions may not be the most honest. They may be cooking some way to sabotage the friend's act, use the friend's connections, etc.
"You've been called to tell us what they mean," could be the narrator putting the friend on the spot, telling him or her to think about what's happening, because this friend is smart enough and ought to know the fireflies' true intentions.
Cheers to Chris Garneau for these lovely lyrics. Songs about fame tend to alienate the common listener, and disguising it as a delightful tale of whimsy is a clever way of making it something more refreshing instead of tritely providing commentary on the desperate and destructive hunger for fame. (...That is, if my interpretation was actually Garneau's mindset when writing the song!)