After The Earthquake by Alvvays Lyrics Meaning – Uncovering the Seismic Emotions Beneath the Surface
Lyrics
Pictures hanging diagonally
Drive through crying in a milkshake
It wasn’t built to last
Up in the front seat
You were playing with the station
And I was fidgeting with the heat
Looking back to the vibrant days of
Racket in the hall
Caution to the breeze
Say you’ll climb your way out of your wake now
Velvet curtain drawn
Flowers at your feet
Say you’ll contemplate how you’re weighed down
The pulse of the brake light
Is the color of burning embers
If you wake up, will you remember
The awful things I said at the edge of the bed?
Thrashing like a great white (I feel the northern tide)
As they rolled you up on a stretcher (crashing on the pines)
And the faint words of Jessica Fletcher (I feel the northern tide)
Were drowned out by the sound of (crashing on the pines)
Racket in the hall
Caution to the breeze
Say you’ll climb your way out of your wake now
Those days, I’d never let you fall apart
But things fade like the scent of a brand new car
Why would I ever fall in love again
When every detail is over the guardrail?
Say you’ll climb your way out of your wake now
Say you’ll contemplate how you’re weighed down
Are you awake now?
Are you awake now?
Racket in the hall
Caution to the breeze
Velvet curtain drawn
Flowers at your feet
In the indie music landscape, where lyrics often delve into the introspective, Alvvays stands out with their evocative storytelling and ability to paint vivid emotional landscapes. ‘After The Earthquake’ is no exception, offering a narrative that seems to oscillate between the metaphorical and the literal, inviting listeners to uncover the layers of meaning beneath the deceptively simple exterior.
This track by the Canadian indie pop outfit weaves a riveting tale that captures the essence of upheaval, using the metaphor of a natural disaster to explore the tumultuous aftermath of personal change and the often-arduous task of navigating life’s transitional phases. The lyrics resonate with imagery that’s both intimate and expansive, hinting at universal experiences through the specificity of a single, poignant moment.
Seismic Shifts in Sound and Sentiment
Alvvays has a knack for combining shimmering pop melodies with weighty lyrics, creating a contrast that is particularly pronounced in ‘After The Earthquake.’ The song starts with a sense of disarray, conveyed through pictures hanging diagonally— a sign that the world has been shaken from its ordinary alignment. This image sets the stage for a narrative fraught with emotional aftershocks, representing the instability that follows drastic change.
The song’s soundscape, characterized by jangling guitars and a wistful vocal delivery, further underscores the sensation of being in a suspended state of reflection and recovery, post-trauma. This contrast illustrates not only the band’s musical dexterity but also their ability to resonate deeply with a generation that has grown all too familiar with the concept of instability.
A Dive into the Depths of Personal Cataclysm
The earthquake may serve as a central metaphor, but the lyrical journey of the song dives into personal territory. The protagonist’s interactions within the confines of a car—a space that represents personal progress and mobility—mirror the struggle between moving forward and being haunted by the past. The act of driving through crying in a milkshake evokes a raw, unfiltered grappling with sorrow, one not meant to last just like the impermanent structures alluded to in the verses.
Every line in this song reverberates with the notion of contemplating one’s life in the aftermath of an event that leaves everything changed. From the chaotic ‘racket in the hall’ to the quiet desolation of ‘flowers at your feet,’ Alvvays paints a picture of the disarray and contemplation that follows upheaval, subtly prompting listeners to examine their own ‘earthquakes’ and how they deal with them.
The Echoes of Memorable Lines
Certain lyrics in ‘After The Earthquake’ possess an adhesive quality, sticking with listeners long after the song ends. ‘Why would I ever fall in love again / When every detail is over the guardrail?’ strikes as a poignant rhetorical question, highlighting the vulnerability inherent to love and the hazardous risks it entails. It’s lines like these that lend the song a universal quality, revealing Alvvays’ talent for capturing the fragile essence of human emotions.
Another memorable instance is the description of the protagonist ‘thrashing like a great white,’ which captures the internal struggle and desperation that can follow a personal disaster. The imagery is both violent and vivid, serving to communicate a depth of emotion that is seldom expressed in words but felt all too profoundly in moments of distress.
The Haunting Presence of a ‘Wake’
The recurring invocation to ‘climb your way out of your wake now’ in ‘After The Earthquake’ carries with it a dual meaning. On one level, it suggests an emergence from the aftermath of disruption, a plea for progress and perseverance. There’s an almost funereal connotation to ‘wake’ here, hinting at death or the end of something once vital. It’s an invitation to move beyond the sorrow and stagnation that so often follows loss.
On another, ‘wake’ can also refer to the turbulence left behind by a moving ship—and by extension, a life moving forward. Such is the layered songwriting technique of Alvvays, where even a single word can be laden with multiple meanings, ensnaring the listener in lyrical intricacies that beg for repeated listens and contemplation.
In Search of the Hidden Meaning
‘After The Earthquake’ is more than a shuffle of deftly crafted verses; it’s a canvas where listeners are encouraged to project their own experiences. The hidden meaning of this song is not a singular revelation but a reflection of the human condition. By invoking universal themes of chaos, recovery, and resilience, Alvvays allows the song to become personal for each listener, tapping into the shared consciousness that music so often navigates.
Whether it’s the ‘pulse of the brake light’ that hints at a life on the verge of stopping or the ‘color of burning embers’ signaling an enduring intensity, the song’s hidden meaning lies in its ability to convey the complexity of emotions that rattle through us all after life’s inevitable quakes—an invitation to explore the depths of our own resilience in the face of change.
