Hiders by Burial Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Shroud of Isolation and Transition
Lyrics
You are the sound it flies
The sound flies home
Out of the dawn
I will always protect you
Always protect you
You are the sound it flies
The sound flies home
You don’t have to be alone
You don’t have to be alone
You are the sound it flies, the sound flies home
Count down to us
You going to take me away?
Amidst the enigmatic tapestry of Burial’s discography, ‘Hiders’ emerges as a twinkling anomaly, a rare glimpse of clarity in an oeuvre draped in shadow. Known for his atmospherically dense and sonically complex tracks that typically evoke the desolation of urban landscapes under the cloak of night, Burial ventures into uncharted emotional territory with this piece. This exploration into the song’s poignant lyricism will traverse the emotional hinterland of solitude, protection, and the metaphysical journey from darkness to light.
While minimal in words, ‘Hiders’ is saturated in significance, each phrase a delicate thread contributing to a greater narrative web. In the pursuit of decoding these evocative lyrics, we delve deep into the many layers they contain, understanding that this is not merely a song but a serenade for the solitary, a beacon for the bereft, and a cryptic guide for those transitioning from isolation to the embrace of connection.
Heartbeats In The Silence: The Solitary Child
‘There’s a kid somewhere’ — the opening line of ‘Hiders’ — immediately sets an intimate stage. In Burial’s typically somber fashion, it paints an image of a solitary individual, perhaps overlooked or lost. This kid, an embodiment of our own isolation, resonates with the raw human experience of feeling unseen in a world that doesn’t stop spinning. Yet, there’s an inherent universality to this image; a reminder of our individual struggles and the periods of life where we grapple with obscurity.
This lyrical choice isn’t random. It speaks to the pervasive quietness that marks so much of our inner lives. The simple recognition of this ‘kid’ — a persona that could be any one of us at our most vulnerable — underscores the notion that even in isolation, there’s a yearn to be acknowledged and an innate desire to connect that propels us onward.
Echoes of Assurance: Always Protect You
A pledge emerges in the night, ‘I will always protect you.’ The recurring line isn’t merely a promise; it’s a mantra, a persistent echo providing solace. It doesn’t specify who makes this vow — a guardian, a lover, an otherworldly observer, or even the self to the self. This ambiguity serves to magnify the inherent power in words of protection, speaking to any and all who have felt the need for a shield against life’s trials.
The omnipresence of this assurance throughout ‘Hiders’ invokes a sense of ever-watchful guardianship, much like a lighthouse guiding weary travelers home. It suggests an invisible presence or connection that defies apparent solitude, hinting at an undercurrent of universal care that underscores our existence.
The Sound of Home: A Beacon of Belonging
What does it mean for a sound to fly home? Paradoxically smudging the line between auditory and spatial, the chorus ‘You are the sound it flies, the sound flies home’ resonates with profound significance. Sound here becomes an avatar for the self — an emanation, a soul, an essence seeking its place of origin or rest. In effect, the song points to an instinctive quest for belonging that inhabits us all, a search for a homing signal within the noise.
In this context, home isn’t necessarily a physical place. It’s an emotional or spiritual sanctuary where one’s true self is not only embraced but celebrated. The phrase ‘flies home’ is then a metaphor for this return to authenticity and comfort and a quest for the universal homeland of the spirit.
Solidarity In Sound: ‘You don’t have to be alone’
It’s in the simple declaration ‘You don’t have to be alone’ that Burial shines a comforting light on the path of those shrouded by solitude. This line becomes the mantra for solidarity, reaching out through the darkness to assure listeners that there is companionship to be found, even if it is in the very experience of listening to the song itself.
There’s a gentle defiance in this refrain against the all-too-human condition of feeling isolated. It acknowledges the pain but insists on a hopeful alternative. ‘Hiders’ thus positions itself as not just a passive acknowledgment of solitude but as an active participant in the listener’s move towards connection.
Transcending Loneliness: The Count Down To Us
The eschatological ‘Count down to us’ ponders a transcendence from individualism to a collective union. The finality in ‘count down’ evokes an inevitability — the end of isolation, the start of communion. With this phrase, Burial suggests that, despite a landscape rife with seclusion, there is the promise of an ultimate convergence.
‘You going to take me away?’ closes the song with a question that lingers and an invitation into the unknown. It implies motion, a journey away from the current state of being. It’s a surrender to vulnerability, an opening to be led to a place where the self merges with the other, where hiders no longer need to hide.
