Alan Walker - Lily Meaning
Lily Lyrics
Afraid of the big, wide world
She grew up within her castle walls
Now and then she tried to run
And then on the night with the setting sun
She went in the woods away
So afraid, all alone
They warned her, don't go...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:Elements to Interpret:
A: Lily
B: Big Wide World
C: Castle Walls
D: the Woods
E: Creatures hiding in the dark
F: the things Lily has been dreaming of, the magic story
G: The Mountain high and valley low
H: Letting the creature in / creature controlling lily / hypnosis
I: Ice breaking breaks G (hypnosis)
J: Lilys flight and call for help
Literal
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Lily (A) is a Princess living in a castle (C) being protected by her parents from the harsh world (B). Nearby there is a magical forest (D) populated by ill meaning creatures (E). Lily sometimes sneaks out of the castle (C) having heard stories (F) of adventure and magic. One day she stays out too late and gets enchanted by a magical creature (E). Lily (probably unwillingly) accepts this enchantment (H) the creature promising her safety and adventures (G). Lily succumbs to the enchantment but when walking over a frozen body of water the ice breaks, breaking the spell (I). She now realizes that the creature lead her far away from home and in danger and no longer wants to go with, and tries to run away (J) but the creature catches up and tries to enchant her again. Whether she gets enchanted again is unclear.
Political
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Lily(A) is the American People. The big wide world (B) is the worlds complexity and abundance of ways to go wrong / to interpret the world. Castle walls (C) are the pre-internet era national consensus on what is right or wrong / how the world should be viewed e.g. that newspapers and big TV stations are generally reliable, the president and politicians want the best for the country, terrorists, communists fascists are bad, USA good ... The woods(D) are non-mainstream media / people telling stories different from what is generally accepted as true. Creatures hiding in the dark (E) are populists, conspiracy theorists, communists, whoever main stream /the public deemed as unsavory, not fit to be seen with. The magic stories (F) are what populists tell. Easy solutions to complex problems. Lily wandering out too long is modern society where the internet has undermined the old fabric of national consensus making former fringe opinions electable. The creature is Trump who promises what if you give him power (H) and let him do whatever he wants (G) his stories will come true: Coal comes back, the border wall will solve anything, ... Ice breaking (I) is the next election. People again have to decide whether to elect him (H). Everyone looks for another candidate but Trumps style has lead American society far away from its old safe walls having an unclear way to go.
Religious (Christian)
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Lily (A) is a fallible human. The big wide world (B) is the world of flesh tempting humans to sin. Castle walls (C) are commandments / religious rules for proper behavior intended to keep us on the right path and safe from damnation. Humans are tempted by sin and leave the right path, being tempted by their desires and sin (D). Creatures in the dark are demons forever tempting us, promising is worldly bliss (F) that can be achieved through sinning (doing drugs, getting rich through immoral means, ...)(G) . This human gives in to temptation (H) and becomes depraved. Deep inside he knows that he is on the wrong way and in a moment of clarity and remorse (I) he tries to get back on the right path (J) but once you lived a life of sin it is hard to get righteous again.
Historical
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Lily (A) is Europe between before 1914 and 1945. Before WW1, the Great powers had their system of alliances (C) supposedly protecting Europe from a big war (B). The woods and the creatures hiding in it (D&E) are nationalism, racism, imperialism, militarism, communism which unseen threaten the entire continent to be thrown into chaos and war. The stories (F) are the myth of the glorious battlefield, heroism in war, that a master race must prevail over lesser humans. The creature (E) are people telling the war can easily be won, industrialists speaking of national honor but hoping to profit from the war. (G&H) Letting the creatures take over is going into the war which supposedly is easy to win. Ice breaking (I) is the inter war period where the seed for the new war was already sowed. The creature newly trying to enchant is Hitler and the Nazis promising to return German honor and glory (F). Going to Mountain High and valley low (G) is the total war effort. In this interpretation Lily succumbs again to the creature after awakening.
Sexual
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Lily(A) is a girl growing up, becoming a woman an sexually active. The castle (C) is the youthful innocence which she starts losing once she comes into puberty. The big wide world is the big wide world of sexuality. The woods (D) represents the hiding / suppression of sexuality in our society making its exploration a hidden / shady thing. Creatures hiding in the dark are (E) her own desires for sexual experience, telling her to explore this area of herself. The story / dream (F) is her hopes / dreams of a fulfilled sex life. The magic represents the romanticization of the topic. Mountain High and valley low are the full spectrum of sexual experience / practice that she desires to experience. Letting the creature in(H), is giving in to her desire. The hypnosis(H) is the losing of her innocence. The ice breaking (I) is the realization that she has now become a woman. Her flight and call for help (J) is her fear of the future and the unfulfillable wish to become a child again. This interpretation is not to say that sexual development is bad. It just shows that it is a scary thing and often people wish back the time of innocence.
Psychological
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Lily (A) is your conscious mind, that castle(C) is your self deception telling you that you are in control of things. The big wide world is your subconscious which actually steers your behavior much more than your conscious mind. The woods (D) is part of that subconscious where your suppressed desires (=the creatures E) lie. The magic story (F) is you believing you are a rational being and you have no dark subconscious. The creature taking over control of Lily (H) is when subconscious desire actually takes over your actions. Ice breaking (I) is the realization that you are actually not in control. The flight is your futile effort to suppress your subconscious. -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:I think that Lily is depressed because of bullying (afraid of the big, wide world) and just hides in her room (within her castle walls)
Then I think she tried to kill herself (she went in the woods away so afraid, all alone) but her parents warned her not to (they warned her, don't go there) but she's stubborn she still went and there she met a strange "creature" witch I think she's being followed by death (There's creatures who are hiding in the dark Then something came creeping)
I think it's persuading her to give in and kill herself (It told her, don't you worry just...Just let me in, ooh)
At first she is persuaded (She knew she was hypnotized and walking on cold thin ice) Then she realized what was happening and wanted to get out or probably save herself (Then it broke, and she awoke again
Then she ran faster than
Start screaming, is there someone out there?
Please help me
Come get me) but it still keeps on persuading her (It told her, don't you worry just...Just let me in, ooh)
in short: I guess it's a story of a girl wanting to escape depression and save herself
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3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:Lily was a shy young girl and was protected from the outside world for all her life. She wanted to be free though and left home. The setting sun is symbolic of the beauty and mystery of life. She left to the woods. The woods are not literal it is a metaphor for something mysterious, Such as the outside world and we know all know that the outside world is mysterious to her. So by the woods they mean society. Her parents warned her not to leave. Creatures hiding in the dark are meant to be the bad people in the world. She met another person. He told her not to worry and follow everywhere I go. either meaning he's kidnapping her or He means it in a romantic relationship kinda way. I think its the romantic relationship though because He then says later in the song," you'll be safe under my control." Witch a abusive partner would possibly say to make them feel comfortable but still being able to slip in the fact that they are superior. He is coming off as a nice guy and she goes along with it because she does know any better because she has not been in the outside world long enough to know the "wrong" crowd from the "good" crowd to be with. nobody knows when they are hypnotized so when that line came up I think it meant she knew she was so obsessed with him it almost felt like she was hypnotized to liking him. She realizes that He was making her obsessed with him in any way because He wanted to stay in the abusive relationship. when the cold thin ice broke meaning the last straw for her. She then ran out looking for help.
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I think Lily was being over pampered or over protected by her parents but the she had enough and ran away. Since she had no experience of being to the outside world she was easily led into an abusive relationship. She then knew what her parents were trying to protect her from and tried to run but it was isolated with no help. From what i know all of Alan Walkers songs have deep meanings. i really don't think it has to do with any thing spiritual. The lyrics of this amazing song might have something do with the experience of someone Alan Walker knows. This is my favorite song of all time. this is my perspective. (COMING FROM AN ELEVEN YEAR OLD.)
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I think it could be about a girl that’s tired of living all cooped up in her castle, (maybe she’s a princess?) and decides to run away to the city (the big wide world). But she’s afraid and pretty soon gets lost. The creatures the people were talking about (“they warned her, don’t go there, there’s creatures”) were bad people like kidnappers. But Lily was so afraid that when the ‘creature’ came up and promises all those amazing things, she gets hypnotized and follows them.
Eventually, she realizes that this isn’t normal, and that’s when she walks on thin ice, and it breaks. She runs out the door, and starts crying for help, but it was too late. Eventually I think she escapes, but I don’t think her life was ever the same. (Also, I’m pretty sure she was like, 17 at most, right?) Anyways, that what I think. -
What could have happened afterwards?
1. Lily escaped and went back to her castle walls
2. Lily got hypnotised again and never woke back up
3. Lily does get hypnotised again but awakens again
4. Lily gets hypnotised again but awakens again and then wakes up from her deep slumber realizing it was just a dream
5. Lily flies and becomes helicopter -
“Lily” is – or “was” – “a little girl”. She grew up in a sheltered environment, i.e. “within her castle walls”. However, she was bored of such an existence and/or curious of the outside world.
So occasionally she tried to run away. And then one evening she did in fact succeed at this goal. She made her way into the woods, i.e. the unknown, “so afraid” and “all alone”.
Indeed she had been warned not to venture out into the woods. For those in the know advised her that there are “creatures who are hiding in the dark”. And verily once she did make such a move, “something came creeping” up on her.
However, said entity did not present itself as a threat. Rather it assured Lily that to the contrary, everything was all good.
In fact this being, whatever it is, offers to protect her. In exchange, what she has to do is basically trust and follow him wholeheartedly. So in other words, said entity seduced her.
This is something she becomes blatantly aware of by the time the second verse comes around, where something transpires which frees her from being under his spell.
So conclusively the story ends with Lily running from said being – fleeing for her very life, in search of anyone who will help her. It is never specified what type of fate she eventually meets.
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I think lily is like anyone else who tries to live his/her life but people tries to change their life. The phrase" she could here it say follow everywhere i go ."means that a voice from deep within tells her to be herself no matter what
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I think lily is a overprotective child. She is curious one day and runs away cuz she’s tired of saying no. The creature, I think is actually good because I think it is her biological mom. I think that she is scared because she is used to a normal life at the castle. Her mother begs her to wake up and realize but she doesn’t. The ‘thin ice broke’ is when she realizes she was scared or in danger. The hypnotizing is when she realized it was a trick. I think this story reminds me a lot of the Ursa Minor and major. He is scared and even try’s to slay the bear but he realizes it is his mother. I think lily will eventually realize that she is safe with her mom.
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I relate it in religious terms...lily represents most humans and the devil is the one who is telling her that he is gonna give her everything she has been dreaming of she just have to let him in .....even when she tries to run after know the nature of the devil ...he still haunts her...and this represents temptations....in short that's what I think.
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When I first heard this, I didn't know the meaning, but the second time I did, it led me to believe that lily is a little girl who was kidnapped, and her family are living in the woods, once, she left her castle walls and saw her people[i don't know what species/race they are], she was scared, via the lyrics: "afraid of the big wide world", I am still trying to find out the rest[i'm still a little girl].
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Genuinely i interpreted this song as a fantasy-fairytale sad story. Lily was like a 5 year old princess who was protected by her parents because there were evil hypnotizing elves who would steal her. She hated that she was overprotected by her parents. As she grew up, she made a plan to runaway. She finally did it, and ran away. Then, she realized why her parents were overprotective. She was in the woods, alone, afraid, and then, her worst fears came true. An elf went and took lily and ran around showing her everything that she could ever want. “The elf is trying to hypnotize me” lily thought. Then, she ran away, onto cold, thin, ice. It broke, and she realized she needed to runaway again. Then the elf got to her again. Did all the thing they had done before. Except this time, she told her EVERYTHING she could ever want. Except this time the elf told her more genuine things. Like, “no more being held in a castle. FREEDOME!” Lily was finally hypnotized. She was about to give her own soul to the elf. Then, a beautiful nice spirit helped lily. It killed the monster while being killed itself. Then it turned into a human. It was a handsome man who was being tortured from the inside out. Lily fell in love. She thanked him dearly, then kissed him, and let him rest in peace knowing that he had just helped a person that truly and sincerely needed his help. Then, she tried to run home again, but just couldn’t take it. The love of her life had died, and she was devastated. She killed herself after leaving a note on her parents doorstep, saying “I love you. And I’m so, so sorry.” She died with a purpose. And with the love of her life finally in her arms.
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Here's my take. Lily is a young girl overprotected by her parents. Abused maybe, not necessarily- but sheltered being the keyword- the "castle" in question. Now and then she tried to "run" in my opinion is her running to the internet to find new people to talk to, ran in the "woods" away so afraid and all alone could be her dealing with emotions and unable to communicate to her parents so she consoles a stranger online- aka the "creatures who are hiding in the dark"- who lure her into maybe a fake relationship or into meeting her in person- "just let me in" could be interpreted as an abusive statutory situation or in general an inappropriate controlling relationship, or even abduction. I think it could definitely be taken as a little girl warned of the dangers of the dark internet but so sheltered that the internet is exactly where she turns, which ends up being to her detriment because then she finds out she was tricked (hypnotized) but it's too late.
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I have 2 theories about lilly. 1.lilly is about over protective parents thinking even if she (lilly) puts a single foot outside the castle walls she is in danger(e.g "They warned her, don't go there"). Of course lilly doesn't belive that and sneaks out realising her parents were telling the truth.
2.lilly is based off of the story of the pied piper. Lilly is a child of hamlen(the town the pied piper is set in) and when she hears the flute of the pied piper she leaves the house and is taken away forever the breaking ice could be her mind being taken over by the fluet music. -
This is a song about happiness. The creatures (“it”) is happiness. Lily doesn’t understand what that is because of a sheltered youth. Raised by unhappy people is why she escaped to the woods. Her allowing happiness into her life is the biggest challenge. Her comfort is in what she knows. Yet happiness pursues her and wants in. However Lily is the most happy being unhappy.
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I'm pretty sure this song talks about an overprotected girl. the line "She grew up within her castle walls" Indicates that she's probably a princess.If someone knows, in movies from children ones to adult ones, princesses are over protective. The line "She went in the woods away" Is probably a metaphor that just shows how creepy and weird the world is for an inexperienced little girl like her. The line "And on the night with the setting sun" Indicates the mystery of the world. The line "They warned her, don't go there" They as if in for her parents. And in the line that follows, "There's creatures who are hiding in the dark" refer to bad people on the planet.
"Then something came creeping" Is probably a bad relationship with a man in means of "Follow everywhere I go, Top over the mountains or valley low" Shows that this person is bugging her or dragging her to do whatever he wants, I think.
"Give you everything you've been dreaming of, Just LET ME IN OOH" let me in (your heart). The line "She knew she was hypnotized" By the love of this man. Then she noticed she was "Walking on cold thin ice" Not literally, just a metaphor to indicate she finally found out that this person is just abusing her after "It broke" Then she noticed and ran away, trying to escape the relationship. yet the `Thing` still insists for her to "Follow everywhere I go.." Meaning the `thing` doesn't wanna leave this relationship.
She "Started screaming" "is there someone out there?" To come save her. Yet the `thing` is still insisting.. "Just let me in ooh.." Since Lily keeps getting hypnotized and un-hypnotized her ending is unknown. I think it keeps going on for infinity. She keeps losing and earning trust in the `thing` every time. -
So this is a sad song, and the story told in the lyrics sounds very fantasy-ish. This probably means that it’s based on a true, more realistic story. Basically, the lyrics say there’s a little girl who runs away, gets lost in the woods, and there’s a monster there who she runs into, and he tries to get her to do come with him, do things for him, and he’s promising anything she wants. She doesn’t believe him, knows it’s a trick, so she runs, wanting to get away and go home. She’s very scared. The true story is maybe about being kidnapped, but that’s from a child’s perspective. So maybe if it was from the experience of an adult or teen, it could be about a relationship with a narcissist, who lured her in with money or promises of a good relationship, and then hurting them, cheating on them, getting them to steal for them. It’s a good song, deep meaning, more people should listen to.
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I think the song is actually about a relationship that ended up not going to plan,
lily was a young lady who got to see the outside world for the first time, or something like that, she met a man who says he loved her and, he can protect her the lines just let me in, means the man all his life had relationships that went wrong and ended with break ups.
she didn't love him back though, and ran away from him because, he kept stocking her.
i can relate to this plausibility i never had a relationship last and some i didn't know were possible.
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