Owl City: Fireflies Meaning
Song Released: 2009
Fireflies Lyrics
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep
Cause they fill the open air,
And leave teardrops everywhere,you'd think me rude but I would just stand, and stare
I'd like to make myself...
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I gave up reading your interpretations after the first few being about just childhood innocence. It's about so much more than that and it pisses me off that nobody seems to realize it when it seems so obvious to me. The main thing this song is about is insomnia. I guess it's easier to see if you've experienced insomnia though. But he even helped by throwing the line "cause I feel like such an insomniac" in there to help and nobody even mentioned that that I saw... The song is about the constant struggle of the conscious and unconscious minds. It can get a little confusing because it's hard to tell which one of him is the conscious mind and which is the unconscious mind, just like when you have insomnia. The chorus is the best example "I want to make MYSELF believe that planet earth turns slowly. It's hard to say that I'D rather stay awake when I'M asleep, because everything is never as it seems.". It's hard to explain... But like when you have insomnia it's such a battle between your minds. The thing about time is sort of right in other interpretations but they Aren't getting why or what it means. During the night time goes by so slowly. Durin the day, too, if there aren't enough distractions to keep your minds off the lack of sleep. But when you look back... It seems like such a short time. But it feels like an eternity. I'm sorry that I can't explain it more than that. To fully understand it you have to experience it.
The childhood innocence thing is there though... How many innocent child insomniacs are there? None. So the fireflies could represent that he wants to escape his insomnia by becoming a child again, but everything I read missed the very important concept of insomnia -
This is a great song. There are many very interesting inerpretations of it. I think the song lyrics are more about dreams and his desire to fall asleep. He wants to be able to sleep so he can have fantastic dreams. He also is writing about having insomnia (take me away from here). He wants to be able to sleep and has a difficult time waking up due to his lack of sleep. The most interesting part of the song, to me, relates to "The plant Earch turns slowly." He sings this with a lot of inflection. I am not sure, but I would guess this relates to either insomnia (time goes by very slowly when you cannot fall asleep) or his desire for the Earch to turn slowly so he can spend more time asleep with creative and wild dreams. The song was really well written.
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I agree that he wants to recapture his childhood innocence. And he wants to go back to where life was like way simpler.
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so along the lines of his sleep disorder could the fireflies not symbolize the meds he's taking. He keeps some in a jar in case his dreams get real bizarre...
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The post about his day dreams and his sleep disorder is right on. You try being in a state of constant awakeness but being tired from not sleeping then take some meds to help you sleep and you'll understand where hes comeing from. a state of mind that intrigues me very much. i think this is why i like the song so much.
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i think its about missing childhood of a person.... You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep.. this might say that you would not believe that, as a grown adult, childhood (fireflies) are still there lighting up the sky or feeling and innocentness. .... You'd think me rude but I would just stand and stare ... When I fall asleep leave my door open just a crack ... Please take me away from here ...'Cause I feel like such an insomniac. these lines suggest that if he falls asleep, we would want to feel that childhood feeling again. opened the door just a crack so that he could "see" his childhood again. please take me away from here 'Cause I feel like such an insomniac. he really wants to feel that child feeling again.
To ten million fireflies
I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes
I got misty eyes as they said farewell
But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar
The author says that he does not like to let go of these feelings of being a child again, being carefree etc. He got misty eyes as they said farewell, this suggest that his eye sight got blurry when it comes to reminiscing about his childhood. but he still knows some of his memories because he save few in a jar.
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams
this suggest that he has unfulfilled dreams when he was a kid that are itching to be fulfilled. -
fireflies is about Adam's daydreams because of his sleepless nights. "leave my door open just a crack, I feel like such an INSOMNIAC, why do I tire of counting sheep when I'm far to tired to fall asleep hence his sleeping disorder. He thinks of his insomniac as a gift rather than a curse because that is when he is most creative in his music and if he is asleep he might miss something "It's hard to say I rather stay awake when I'm asleep cause everything is never as it seems" . A lot of his music when he talks about sleeping and sleeping pills he is talking about his disorder
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At first listening, I didn't quite capture the message behind the lyrics itself. I can't stand to think the "Fireflies" is something else, something that illuminates the night, and my guess would be, People.
"Cause they'd fill the open air
And leave teardrops everywhere
You'd think me rude but I would just stand and stare"
That verse kind of goes along with my hypothesis, because people are everywhere, and people are happy, or in this case sad.
"I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems"
The chorus states that Earth spins much too fast, thus making time faster.
In conclusion I would think this song states a very deep message on how Fireflies (people) are so vulnerable and how they live very little time.
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I agree. The song seems so complex once you really thing about it, though the concept itself is simple. The lyrics do appear to depict the fact that childhood and all of its wonderful innocence is lost to quickly and that we should indeed hold on to the simplicity of childhood things such as finding magic and entertainment out of catching fireflies.
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It's about the magic the world has to offer. When you go to sleep, maybe you are missing out on the beauty of nature, or something along those lines. When he says "it's hard to say I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep," it means he would rather be staying asleep because he doesn't want to wake up to what reality is. He wishes that he could see the magic in the world again!
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I agree with all of this except for those of you who said he doesn't want to sleep and he wants to stay up and live life to the fullest. That's not what he says. He says, "It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, 'cause everything is never as it seems.": Implying he'd rather sleep and stay in this nostalgic dreamland.
~Ace -
I agree with previous posts of an adult wanting to hold on to child like innocence, simpleness. I can understand the feeling of wanting to exscape this chaotic world. Children have little worry and responsibility. I just wanted to add that at the end he says, "... because my dreams are bursting at the seams." Its like he's got so many unfulfilled dreams that they are "bursting" or all falling apart. Kinda sad, and frustrating.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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"Cause Id Save a Few
And Id Keep Them In A Jar"
Meaning the artist wants to hold on to some of his hopes and dreams.
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