Not About Angels by Birdy Lyrics Meaning – Unveiling the Ethereal Reflections on Love and Transience
Lyrics
So is it wrong to dance this line?
If your heart was full of love
Could you give it up?
‘Cause what about, what about angels?
They will come, they will go, make us special, oh
Don’t give me up
Don’t give me up
How unfair, it’s just our luck
Found something real that’s out of touch
But if you’d searched the whole wide world
Would you dare to let it go?
‘Cause what about, what about angels?
They will come, they will go, make us special, oh
Don’t give me up
Don’t give me up
‘Cause what about, what about angels?
They will come, they will go, make us special
It’s not about, not about angels, angels
Birdy’s haunting ballad ‘Not About Angels’ transcends the realm of typical love songs, compelling listeners to ponder the ephemeral nature of human connection against the backdrop of the eternal. With its tender piano melody and evocative vocals, the song, featured in the heart-wrenching soundtrack of ‘The Fault in Our Stars,’ has cemented its place as a poignant meditation on the fragility of life and the bravery it takes to love amidst certainty of loss.
Delving deep into the spiritual imagery and the delicate balance between holding on and letting go, ‘Not About Angels’ invites us to embrace the paradoxical dance between life’s fleeting moments and the enduring impact of love. In this exploration, we unravel the layers of poetic license and symbolism that make this track not just a song, but a spiritual narrative about the essence of human emotions in the face of the inevitable.
The Mortal Waltz with Eternity
The lyrical inception of ‘Not About Angels’ asks a critical question: is it wrong to cherish a moment that will eventually pass? It challenges the listener to consider the value of a transient yet profound connection, juxtaposing mortality against the dance of love that seemingly defies time’s linear march. Birdy’s pen sketches the uncertainty but encourages the listener not to shy away from engaging fully in the now despite the eventual goodbye.
This notion of ‘dancing this line’ illustrates the precariousness of life. The listener is invited to partake in this dance, to appreciate the beauty of ephemeral love without the promise of permanence. Birdy is singing not just about the vulnerability of love but also about the courage it takes to give one’s heart fully, knowing well it’s a loan rather than a gift.
Unearthly Beings and the Human Heart
‘What about angels?’ This recurring rhetorical question acts as a constant refrain throughout the song, pointing to the divine as a metaphor for the transient beings that enter and leave our lives, bestowing love and rendering us ‘special’ by their fleeting presence. The song pulls religious symbolism down to more personal, human levels, articulating a sense of sacredness within the relationships we treasure.
Angels, traditionally messengers between the divine and mortal realms, serve as poetic symbols for those loves that sanctify our lives, albeit temporarily. The angels in Birdy’s universe are not celestial emissaries but the connections and bonds that provide us with a glimpse of the ‘special,’ a taste of the divine, through the realm of human affection.
The Ultimate Plea for Persistence
The haunting repetition of ‘Don’t give me up’ strikes a deep chord, as it embodies the desperate desire to cling to something sacred, despite knowing it’s borrowed from time. Birdy captures this human dichotomy: the longing for perpetual love against the knowledge of its innate impermanence. This plea is a universal cry, a recognition of the preciousness that is each moment we wish could endure beyond its destiny.
This aching sentiment is the kernel of human experience that Birdy amplifies in her music—presenting the human conundrum where the heart knows the price of attachment yet yearns for it anyway. It’s a clinging to the intangible, a call across the existential divide that pleads for the defiance of the ephemeral.
The Irony of an All-Encompassing Search
A poignant reflection on what it means to find something ‘real that’s out of touch,’ Birdy captures the bittersweet notion of discovering a profound connection that can’t be sustained. It’s a classic motif—searching the world for something precious only to face the possibility of relinquishment. The song epitomizes the human journey to embrace love, even when it seems out of reach.
The starkness of letting go becomes an act of supreme bravery. Birdy eloquently asks us if it’s worth it—this act of searching, of holding something that must be released. The lyrics confront us with love’s most painful exigency: its potential to vanish as unexpectedly as it arrived, leaving the seeker to ponder the worth of the quest.
The Hidden Meaning Behind Ethereal Refrains
Unfolding the track’s final revelation, ‘It’s not about… angels, angels’ suggests a shift in perspective. Birdy seems to suggest that while angels—the fleeting connections—are vital, they are not the sole focus; instead, it’s the enduring effect they leave, the transformation within oneself that persists even after they are gone.
This lyrical twist encapsulates the song’s essence: it’s about the transformation that love incurs in the depths of our being. Birdy turns the narrative inward, mirroring the way love and loss shape us fundamentally. The angels have made their indelible mark, but it is the human soul that is left to navigate the changed landscape, for which time’s passage and angelic visits have only been catalysts.
