Wanderlust by Björk Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Quest for the Unfamiliar
Lyrics
Giving urban a farewell
Its habitants seem too keen on god
I cannot stomach their rights and wrongs
I have lost my origin
And I don’t want to find it again
Whether sailing into nature’s laws
And be held by ocean’s paws
Wanderlust, relentlessly craving
Wanderlust, peel off the layers
Until we get to the core
Did I imagine it would be like this
Was it something like this I wished for
Or will I want more
Lust for comfort
Suffocates the soul
Relentless restlessness
Liberates me (sets me free)
I feel at home
Whenever the unknown surrounds me
I receive its embrace
Aboard my floating house
Wanderlust, relentlessly craving
Wanderlust, peel off the layers
Until we get to the core
Did I imagine it would be like this
Was it something like this I wished for
Or will I want more
Wanderlust, from island to island
Wanderlust, united in movement
Wonderful, I’m joined with you
Wanderlust, wanderland
Can you spot a pattern
(Relentlessly restless)
Can you spot a pattern
Can you
With an artist as enigmatic as Björk, each song is a tapestry woven with intricate threads of emotion, intuition, and a vivid imagination. ‘Wanderlust,’ from her 2007 album ‘Volta,’ is no exception. This song navigates the vast seas of desire and the innate human impulse to seek out what lies beyond our comprehension and experience.
To decode the essence of ‘Wanderlust’ is to embark on a voyage through the psyche of a restless soul. Here lies a composition that is not only a harmonic arrangement but also a map that guides us through the caverns of our own longing for exploration and the relentless pursuit of personal evolution.
The Siren’s Call: Leaving the Comfort Zone Behind
The line ‘I am leaving this harbor, giving urban a farewell’ serves as the song’s opening alarm, jolting us awake from the stagnancy of the familiar. Björk articulates the pull of wanderlust with poetic clarity, casting off the shackles of societal norms represented by the harbor — the epitome of human structure and predictability.
‘Its habitants seem too keen on god, I cannot stomach their rights and wrongs,’ she sings, highlighting a disconnection from the collective mindset. It’s this relentless yearning for something more, something beyond, that becomes the driving force of the song’s narrative.
An Odyssey Of The Spirit: Beyond The Horizon Of Self
The chorus reveals a ceaseless craving that overpowers the tangible; ‘Relentlessly craving, peel off the layers until we get to the core,’ Björk professes. Here, wanderlust transcends physical movement, delving deep into the layers of the soul in search of the raw, untouched self.
This pursuit is a transformative ritual, a shedding of the accumulated identity — the labels, the roles, the societal definitions — that confine us. Björk invites listeners to join her in this pilgrimage to the genuine essence of our being.
Profound Discontent: The Rigors of Comfort and Complacency
‘Lust for comfort suffocates the soul,’ declares Björk, pointing to a truth often unspoken. Comfort, in its excess, becomes a gilded cage, lulling the soul into a false sense of fulfillment.
Despite achieving what many may view as success, there lies an undercurrent of unrest, a relentless restlessness that liberates. Björk’s portrayal of satisfaction is not found within the confines of comfort, but rather in the boundless realm of the unknown.
Home Is Where The Unknown Is: Embracing The Cosmic Embrace
Within ‘Wanderlust,’ home is an abstraction rather than a location, signifying not a place of physical dwelling but a state of receptivity to new experiences: ‘I feel at home whenever the unknown surrounds me, I receive its embrace aboard my floating house.’
Björk turns the very idea of stability on its head, suggesting that true belonging is found amidst the waves of uncertainty and in the welcomes of foreign shores. The ‘floating house’ here becomes a beautifully poignant metaphor for the self — self-sufficient, untethered, and in a constant state of becoming.
In The Rhythm Of Wanderlust: Deciphering The Pattern Of Desires
The song’s bridge, ‘can you spot a pattern,’ whispers over and over like a mantra or a riddle left for the listener to unravel. It’s a challenge to recognize the designs of our deepest yearnings, the motifs that repeat across our decisions and our dreams.
In this refrain lies the hidden meaning of ‘Wanderlust’: the understanding that our patterns, fueled by innate desires, propel us on a journey without a definitive destination, where the act of movement itself becomes the purpose — a relentless, purposeful, beautiful wander.
