Sunblind by Fleet Foxes Lyrics Meaning – An Elegy Bathed in Light and Legacy
Lyrics
For John and Bill
For every gift lifted far before its will
Judee and Smith
For Berman too
I’ve met the myth hanging heavy over you
I loved you long
You rose to go
Beneath you, songs, perfect angels in the snow
So time to stage
Forget reserve
The type of great coronation you deserve
I’m going out for a weekend
I’m gonna borrow a Martin or Gibson
With Either/Or and The Hex for my Bookends
Carrying every text that you’ve given
I’m gonna swim for a week in
Warm American Water with dear friends
Swimming high on a lea in an Eden
Running all of the leads you’ve been leaving
I’m overmatched (for Arthur Russell)
I’m half as wise (Duncan and Curtis)
If this is flat, brother I apologize
(Jimi and David, for Nick and Otis)
No one alone (For Bell and Buckley)
Can leave the cave (Marvin and Adam)
And all you’ve loaned won’t be kept inside a grave
(For Arthur Russell, for Arthur Russell)
I’m gonna swim for a week in
Warm American water with dear friends
Just intending that I would delight them
Swimming high on a lea in an Eden
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
So I dream, dream
So I dream, dream
I’m gonna swim for a week in
Warm American water with dear friends
Swimming high on a lea in an Eden
Running all of the leads you’ve been leaving
And in your rarified air I feel sunblind
I’m looking up at you there high in my mind
Only way that I made it for a long time
But I’m loud and alive, singing to you all night, night
(Warm American water)
The gossamer threads of nostalgia, loss, and homage weave through the ethereal tapestry of Fleet Foxes’ ‘Sunblind’. As listeners, we are ushered into a sacred space where reverence for the pillars of musical genius is both palpable and profound. With ‘Sunblind’, the band continues to solidify their identity as bards of modern folk, crafting a lyrical eulogy that transcends time and cements the legacies of those who have passed into the very marrow of the song.
Within this luminous offering from their fourth studio album, ‘Shore’, Fleet Foxes conjure up a shrine of melodies and memories that honor lost legends, while also bathing the listener in the sunlight of healing and inspiration. ‘Sunblind’ is not just a song; it is a vessel carrying the essence of influential artists, the weight of their absence, and the iridescent power of their impact.
Tribute to the Fallen Icons: The Lyrical Homage
‘Sunblind’ opens with a roll call of venerated artists who have ascended beyond our reach. Honoring Richard Swift, John and Bill, and the array of talent referenced, the song represents a roll call of the beloved departed. It is in this roll call that we find the heart of ‘Sunblind’—a heart filled with adoration for the indelible marks left by these musicians.
The song reaches beyond the veil, connecting with these icons in a prose of pure affection. Each mention is a delicate brushstroke on a canvas of remembrance, granting immortality to the legacy of these creative souls. Once more, their names echo in our world, freed from the confines of their corporeal limits.
Sonic Waves of Euphoria: The Musical Journey
Musically, ‘Sunblind’ is a scintillating swim through warmth and luminosity. The Fleet Foxes masterfully blend their signature indie-folk sound with a sunny, expansive aura that encapsulates the listener in an all-encompassing glow. It’s as though the melodic currents carry us through a tranquil river of reflection, each chord a ripple upon the surface.
The strings of borrowed Martins and Gibsons personify the continuation of an artist’s voice through the instruments they leave behind. And in the mingling of old folk with hints of ‘60s California surf, the band ensures that the spirit of each commemorated musician is as vivid and present as the notes in the air.
Swimming in the Legacy: The Hidden Meaning
Metaphors of aquatic bliss thread through ‘Sunblind’, painting a serene picture of camaraderie and unison within the hallowed waters of creativity. But underneath the surface, the water also functions as a symbol of the subconscious, the depths holding the influence and teachings of the late artists that continue to shape lives.
To swim in ‘Warm American Water’ with friends is to immerse oneself in a culture rich with heritage and history, honoring it, basking in it, and ultimately contributing to the continuum of its flow. It is a profound nod to those who have come before and a recognition of the collective journey music embarks upon through each generation.
Ethereal Echoes: Memorable Lines and Their Weight
And in your rarified air I feel sunblind, I’m looking up at you there high in my mind,’ these lines catapult the listener into a place of humble acknowledgement, where the immensity of one’s influences renders us awestruck, or ‘sunblind’. Here, we grasp the immense bounty of inspiration drawn from the figures held in high regard and the sensation of being dwarfed by their towering presences.
The act of ‘looking up’ speaks to admiration and aspiration, acknowledging the heights these icons have reached while encapsulating the longing to touch just a fraction of their altitude. Yet, there’s power and beauty in singing to them ‘loud and alive,’ indicating that their influence does not wane but instead reverberates through each living note.
An Ode to Permanence Amidst Transience: The Takeaway
In the coda of ‘Sunblind’, we uncover the celebration of what remains when the flesh fades—the melodies and moments, the impressions left on the human soul, the art that outlives the artist. It’s a declaration that the cave of oblivion has no hold over the legacies of these giants; their contributions are not kept ‘inside a grave’.
The song beckons us to participate—to learn from these maestros, to swim through their waters, and to feel empowered in their inspirational wake. It transforms mourning into motivation, grief into creativity, ensuring that the song, like the memory of each artist it extols, will shine undimmed, an eternal reflection of the undying light of artistic genius.
