sorry it took me so long everyone, I place the blame squarely on sims 4, phoebe bridgers music, and my reread of the raven cycle trilogy
have this pretty rock as an apology gift also remember it for later hehe
Anyways, song deconstruction time hehe
First! Of! All! the country style intro. I know y’all have been going on about how you can’t vibe with it because it gives you country music feels. I, for one, will not stand for this slander. There may be country style elements in the song, but Tyler’s voice carries it better than any modern stadium country music I’ve ever heard. Secondly, considering what the song itself discusses, I find the country energy to be both delightfully intentional and meaningful.
The song begins with a very brash sounding, relatively simple guitar pattern compared to their usual openings. However, beginning with the line “well if there’s one thing I know” and continuing progressively through the following stanzas, they begin to drop away elements from the beginning more “country-esque” trappings of the song. For example, dropping away the more metallic baseline beat, and layering in some more delicate, higher notes on banjo and guitar. At the line “you don’t know what you don’t know yet,” the repetitive guitar run falls away and allows the violin, which was building all through the first few stanzas, to show through. Additionally, Maggie’s voice, which was most quieter, backing vocals in the first few stanzas, rises to equal volume.
Overall, gradually the song progresses from being very country sounding to adding in many more recognizable “oh hellos style” elements. Even in doing this, the song does still retain elements of the “country style.” For example, a more audible drum track, and more rock-esque group vocals. At the end of the song, most of the instrumental backing is dropped away so that Tyler can deliver a very intimate, slower stanza, a direct opposite to the opening. It is closer to a “slow country” energy than most of the Oh Hellos’ more delicate music, which generally has more instrumental backing (see: This Will End and the opening of Like the Dawn) while at the same time being the opposite of the opening instrumentally and vocally- soft where it was strong, and flowing where it was rolling. It remains country-referential while still auditorally representing the arc of change depicted within the song.
The “country” motif can be interpreted as representative of an attempt to be more palatable- to create a message that will be accepted or at least listened to by an opposing audience, the difficulty of which is addressed in the song itself.
- lyric analysis below -
I don’t mean to speak so collectively
I know I don’t make it easy
to even wanna hear it
what can I say, what can I say, what can I say
the more I recite it
the more you wanna fight it
the more my language is sounding fabricated
Using “I” statements is a classic communication tactic used when trying to appeal to an opposing, hostile, or defensive audience. The use of the word “collectively” brings to mind an intriguing duality, with it both relating to the generaliztions the singer is attempting to avoid as well as the concept of in-group dynamics addressed back in Passerine with “birds of a feather.”
The line “what can I say” is repeated, both creating the sense of a mental dialogue- struggling for a way to connect with the person the singer is speaking to- as well as relating to the next lines “the more I recite it, the more you wanna fight it.”
The concept of language being fabricated- and considering if the things we speak are true, especially if not everyone agrees on what is true, is brought to mind here. the theme echoes in the snow-white linens of Cold as well as the see-through paper pages of Glowing. (not to mention all of Rose). Even so, the singer only worries that their language will sound fabricated- they worry that the person they’re singing to will not believe them, or accuse them of parroting another’s words.
but if there’s one thing I know
it’s either the growing is slow
or it cuts to the bone
moving too quickly
Themes of growth and pain from past albums and other songs are brought to mind here- both the progress of change in Grow from Eurus, and the cutting edge of the sickle from Rose. Overall, this verse illustrates how difficult it is to broach topics of issue with those who disagree- feeling like too much at once or no progress at all.
so I’ll keep half of my words in my mouth
let the syllables fall out
at a steady trickling
I’ll be your roof caving in
The singer paints their attempts to reach out to their audience as “a steady trickling”- not the unstoppable force of change New River, but not nothing either- a resolute commitment to a staid task. Their description of holding words and syllables in your mouth brings to mind the concept of “sweetening” tones or “honeyed words,” but instead they parallel the effort with something much different and altogether delightfully new- a roof caving in.
you don’t know what you don’t know yet
yeah, I go on forgetting it
don’t you go on forgetting it, too
don’t you go on forgetting it
These lines serve as a representation of the dialogue the singer has with both themselves (chastising) as well as what they want to impart on the person they’re singing to- not necessarily the scolding tone they treat themselves with, but a sense of responsibility and self-driven duty to understand the world better.
I don’t mean to speak so intrusively
I know I don’t make it easy
to even wanna see it
nothing old, nothing new
This verse mirrors the opening lines, with a change from “hear it” to “see it,” implying a tonal shift from a more appeal-based stance to one that’s more resigned, if that makes sense. Rather than debating over what the audience is willing to hear/approaching them on their terms, the singer speaks of “seeing something,” implying that rather than the issue being the singer’s inability to reach out properly, it is that their audience is unwilling/unable to simply look at/percieve what is already there. The combination of this with the word change of “collectively” to “intrusively” supports this progession of message theme, acknowledging that they’ve now switched their approach to a more active tone.
The last line “nothing old, nothing new” references the classic wedding tradition of wearing “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.” The flipped first two phrases seem to connect to the line about not even “[wanting] to see it”- perhaps implying that the audience is ignoring both past and present evidence that they should change their perspective. Additionally, it brings to mind the second part of the phrase- “something borrowed and something blue.” These link back to the central concepts of the song, with “something borrowed” reflecting the singer’s realization that they need to understand the person they’re singing to in order for their message to actually connect with them. “Something blue” connects to the next part of the song, which I will discuss presently.
but if there’s two things I know
it’s that the sky looked white and the water like wine
when I first met you
but somewhere along the line
Rayleigh scattered across my eye
and I found her blue
yeah, I found her blue
I’ve grouped this set of verses together because they combine into one statement and don’t really make sense as seperate verses. Here, the concept of “blue” is established as a metaphor for being able to understand or relate to another person’s persepctive or lived experience. The line Rayleigh scattered across my eye” refers to the Rayleigh scattering scientific principle, wherein certain types of glass and other translucent materials can appear blue from one side while showing orange or other colored light on the opposite side. See the image I added at the beginning for reference.
The description of “the sky look[ing] white and the water like wine” is a reference to the greek/roman era when they lacked a word for the color blue. This alludes to their perspective when they first met the person they’re addressing- they were unable to see blue, but more than that, they didn’t even have a way to describe it, the concept was foreign to them. However, they follow this up by saying that eventually, “Rayleigh scattered across [their] eye” allowing them to see the connection between what they saw and what the other person saw.
I must have found a new cone in my eye
what other lapis lazuli was hiding
behind my color blindness
what did I miss, what did I miss, what did I miss
The singer continues describing their revelation, painting it as though they’d found a new cone in their eye- allowing them to percieve an entirely new spectrum of light/a new color in the world. They then fret over what other things they may have missed in their “blindness” or other forms of unawareness. While this last verse is seemingly reflective, when taken with the two that precede it, it seems that while the singer has taken this to not only to better their own understanding, but to use their moment of clarity to help their audience to do the same as they have, essentially telling the person they’re singing to- if I can do it, you can as well.
The last line is repeated three times, mirroring the opening verses. Where before they asked themselves “what can I say”- desperately searching for a way to convince or reach the person they’re addressing, they’re now come full circle, and answered their own question. If they want to make that connection, they have to seek understanding, much the same way they asked the addressee in the beginning.
“You’re so funny” thanks! I was born a second child with a spirit running wild running free and they saw trouble in my eyes they were quick to recognize the devil in me
ecologists devastated to discover that all 212 species in ecosystem actually just different stages in incredibly convoluted lifecycle of a single species
