Pelican by Maccabees Lyrics Meaning – Deciphering the Cycles of Life and Mortality
Lyrics
We knew we only had a little while
In the middle keep ticking over
Before you know it, parent a parent
To have it all and still want more
One things for sure we’re all getting older
So we take a lover waiting in the corner
Before you know it, pushing up the daisies
And we go back to where we came from
Like those before and those to come
And know its the ever and the more
And again and again and again
In the end nothing comes easy
So you find a way to take a little with you
For the ones you love, there if they need to
Pharaoh, they’re not coming with you
And we go back to where we came from
Like those before and those to come
And know its the ever and the more
And again and again and again
So soon we’re too old to carry
We knew we only had a little while
In the middle keep ticking over
Before you know it, parent a parent
And we go back to where we came from
Like those before and those to come
And know its the ever and the more
And again and again and again
In a blend of ethereal melodies and hauntingly reflective lyrics, The Maccabees’ ‘Pelican’ is a profound exploration of the human condition. Beyond its infectious rhythm and indie-rock charm, the song’s true resonance lies in its unflinching examination of life’s transient nature and the inevitable progression of time.
As the track oscillates between a sense of youthful hope and the stark reality of aging, ‘Pelican’ offers listeners a space to contemplate the cyclical patterns that define our existence. From birth to death, love to loss, the song encapsulates the universal journey of life in a stark yet beautiful way.
The Unavoidable March of Time Revealed in Verse
The Maccabees invite us into an intimate introspection with ‘So soon we’re too old to carry’, instantly grounding us in the present’s fleeting nature. The lyrics whisper an acknowledgment of mortality often ignored, wrapping the listener in a sobering reminder that time’s wings are ever flapping, often carrying us to heights we are ill-prepared to navigate.
Taking cues from our collective consciousness, the band crafts an aural narrative that underscores our hurrying lives — ‘We knew we only had a little while’. In these lyrics, there’s a recognition of the finite, a careful urging to cherish the now before the mantle of care is passed on, ‘Before you know it, parent a parent’.
A Relentless Pursuit in the Face of Ephemera
The song doesn’t shy away from unfolding the crumpled desires of humanity in ‘To have it all and still want more’. Here, ‘Pelican’ inspects the insatiable human appetite for more — more time, more love, more life — as though each of us is racing against our own evanescence.
‘So we take a lover waiting in the corner’ hints at seeking solace, companionship, and perhaps a legacy in the limited time we have, before ‘pushing up the daisies’ — a frank euphemism for death that casts a stark and resonant image of our final destination.
The Inevitable Return: Dust to Dust
The chorus of ‘Pelican’ resounds with the cyclical echoes of existence. With each iteration of ‘And we go back to where we came from’, The Maccabees are evoking the eternal cycle of birth, life, and death that connects us across generations — ‘Like those before and those to come’.
‘And know its the ever and the more / And again and again and again’ reads almost like a mantra, a lyrical acceptance of the infinite loop of which we are all a part — a refrain that reflects the timeless rhythm of life itself.
Echoes of the Ancients in Modern Times
Delving deep into our ancestral roots, ‘Pelican’ touches a nerve that extends back to the dawn of civilization. ‘For the ones you love, there if they need to / Pharaoh, they’re not coming with you’ — these lines strike a chord with the age-old realization that not even kings can take their earthly possessions and relationships into the afterlife.
The Maccabees bind the listener to the past, stressing our shared lineage, and perhaps offering a leveled perspective that no matter one’s station in life, the end is a shared destination where our material and mortal concerns hold no sway.
Memorable Lines That Capture Life’s Fugitive Poetry
Among the most stirring moments in ‘Pelican’ are those that seamlessly blend brevity with depth. In the simplicity of ‘In the middle keep ticking over’, there’s a quiet call to persist, to continue beating on against the current, even when the end is acknowledged as inevitable.
‘Pelican’ isn’t just a song; it’s a momentary capture of life’s fugitive poetry. The Maccabees, with evocative mastery, have penned lines that linger long after the music fades — a tender reminder that in the grand tapestry of life, we are both the weaver and the thread.
