APP is best known for their synth wizardry, progressive music and lush arrangements. But when it comes to feeling the feels, this song never fails to move me no matter how many times I listen to it. This is my take on the lyrics:
Verse One – A man contemplates death in his final hours. ‘Approaching shadows’, a metaphor for the man’s eventual demise, suggests that his time on this earth is almost up. To those he truly cared about, he wants them to know that they will always remain in his thoughts despite his inevitable passing.
First Chorus – Again, I think “old and wise” is used as a metaphor here for death itself rather than old age and the attainment of wisdom. The subject feels he can finally be free from this bitter world when he retires from this realm. In his passing, he reflects on the friends and loved ones he will miss. Even so, in dying, he knows in his heart that he will no longer be bound to earthly pain and mortal afflictions, and thus, ‘the sadness would be lifted from his eyes’.
Verse Two – Similar lyrics to Verse One, except the words ‘deepest thoughts’ are replaced by ‘darkest hours’. And instead of “you follow where I go”, he says “I’ll miss you when I go”. Likewise, he wants those who stood by him in his darkest times to know that they will not be forgotten, and with a touch of sadness and regret, perhaps, he reminds them that they will be greatly missed as he can’t take them with him.
Final Chorus – The lines, “as the final curtains falls before my eyes, oh when I am old and wise”, are added to the lyrics in the first chorus. This is the final moment when death claims him. The curtain falls, and everything fades to black. As far as his eyes can see, only shadows remain.
In summation, I think this song is pretty much about one’s acceptance of death and that inescapable sense of regret and melancholy that comes with it. The older I get, the more its stanzas appeal to me. It’s a lyrical as well as musical masterpiece.
P.S. I used “he” in my interpretation as a matter of convenience. The song applies to a woman as much as a man.
APP is best known for their synth wizardry, progressive music and lush arrangements. But when it comes to feeling the feels, this song never fails to move me no matter how many times I listen to it. This is my take on the lyrics:
Verse One – A man contemplates death in his final hours. ‘Approaching shadows’, a metaphor for the man’s eventual demise, suggests that his time on this earth is almost up. To those he truly cared about, he wants them to know that they will always remain in his thoughts despite his inevitable passing.
First Chorus – Again, I think “old and wise” is used as a metaphor here for death itself rather than old age and the attainment of wisdom. The subject feels he can finally be free from this bitter world when he retires from this realm. In his passing, he reflects on the friends and loved ones he will miss. Even so, in dying, he knows in his heart that he will no longer be bound to earthly pain and mortal afflictions, and thus, ‘the sadness would be lifted from his eyes’.
Verse Two – Similar lyrics to Verse One, except the words ‘deepest thoughts’ are replaced by ‘darkest hours’. And instead of “you follow where I go”, he says “I’ll miss you when I go”. Likewise, he wants those who stood by him in his darkest times to know that they will not be forgotten, and with a touch of sadness and regret, perhaps, he reminds them that they will be greatly missed as he can’t take them with him.
Final Chorus – The lines, “as the final curtains falls before my eyes, oh when I am old and wise”, are added to the lyrics in the first chorus. This is the final moment when death claims him. The curtain falls, and everything fades to black. As far as his eyes can see, only shadows remain.
In summation, I think this song is pretty much about one’s acceptance of death and that inescapable sense of regret and melancholy that comes with it. The older I get, the more its stanzas appeal to me. It’s a lyrical as well as musical masterpiece.
P.S. I used “he” in my interpretation as a matter of convenience. The song applies to a woman as much as a man.