How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful Lyrics
Now there's a few things we have to burn
Set our hearts ablaze, and every city was a gift
And every skyline was like a kiss upon the lips
And I was making you a wish
In every skyline
How big, how blue, how beautiful
And every day I wore your face
Like an atmosphere around me
Set a life inside of me
And meanwhile a man was falling from space
As he hit the earth I left this place
Let the atmosphere surround me
Set a life inside of me
We opened the door, now it's all coming through
Till we see it too
We opened our eyes and its changing the view
Oh, what are we gonna do?
We opened the door, now its all coming through
How big, how blue, how...
And every skyline was like a kiss upon the lips
And I was making you a wish
In every skyline
And every day I wore your face
Like an atmosphere around me
Half the otherside of me
We opened the door, now it's all coming through
Till we see it too
We opened our eyes and it's changing the view
Oh, what are we gonna do?
We opened the door, now it's all coming through
How big, how blue, how beautiful
How big, how blue, how beautiful
How big, how blue, how...
Waiting for you to wake up
So much time on the other side
Waiting for you to wake up
Maybe I'll see you in another life
But this one wasn't enough
So much time on the other side
How big, how blue, how...
Seeing as how Ship to Wreck and What Kind of Man are her acknowledging how flawed she and her boyfriend are,this song is that feeling of love reborn after two lovers both changed themselves for the better. When they set ablaze everything the past of their relationship did to them,they see everything as immensely beautiful now. What I can't seem to figure out the meanings of though are the first two lines and the stanza right before the building brass section at the end. One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard,either way.
When my ex died, I used to search the sky for any sort of sign that he still existed- somewhere, anywhere. I would spend every "dreaming" moment searching for him, forgetting in dream world that he had died at all. I would open my eyes and stare into darkness until I would see his face forming in the "static" of night. I would even think about events in my life from his point of view, and react to them how I would imagine that he would have reacted. I got to the point where I felt I could no longer live in the city that I was born and raised in. I joined the military and enjoyed the frequent movement. Even after getting out, anytime I have felt restless, I will move to a new city. However, no matter where I have relocated to, I still have moments where I will stare into the sky and just pray that somehow.. he exists; that I don't still love a nonexistent person. These lyrics speak deeply to me, and I have a hard time seeing any other meaning based on my own experiences. The beauty in Florence Welch's verbal imagery is modern day poetry, and I'm grateful she shares her talent openly with the world. I hold it very close to my heart.
"..and every city was a gift And every skyline was like a kiss upon the lips And I was making you a wish In every skyline"
"And meanwhile a man was falling from space And every day I wore your face Like an atmosphere around me The satellite beside me"
"So much time on the other side Waiting for you to wake up So much time on the other side Waiting for you to wake up Maybe I'll see you in another life If this one wasn't enough So much time on the other side"
She fell in love with a Kree.
I agree with Toonlink13 about the meaning. I think the end of the song is either her looking back on the "rejoining" that the rest of the song talks about - or possibly that it was all just wishful thinking and she's letting go of the man she loved, finally.
Either way, I think it just means it didn't work out, and she's waited a long time for him to wake up, to her love, to life, to what's going wrong, or to whatever, and she can't wait anymore and now she feels herself opening to life's possibilities on her own (pure speculation).
As for the first stanza, I think it's referring to the two lovers deciding to get back together even though they know it will end in pain.
I really identify with this music and I feel like I relate to relationships in a similar way to Florence. This piece in particular in very beautiful and joyful, but at the same time bittersweet. The work is a great accomplishment.
So much time on the other side Waiting for you to wake up So much time on the other side Waiting for you to wake up Maybe I'll see you in another life If this one wasn't enough So much time on the other side
I think its from the point of view of somebody who has died ("on the other side") and is waiting for their love to join them ("wake up") .