Owl City: Alligator Sky Meaning
Song Released: 2011
Alligator Sky Lyrics
Where was I when the rockets came to life
And carried you away into the alligator sky?
Even though I'll never know what's up ahead
I'm never lettin' go, I'm never lettin' go
Shawn Chrystopher:
Uh uh, that's not a plane, that's...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:I agree much with Antiaxiom about the concept of the 'Alligator Sky' referring to the Challenger disaster. In this song, Adam sings about conquering fears and using your imagination to propel you through challenges. The 'Alligator Sky' is a stigma to remind man of the dangers of space voyage in of which Adam doesn't want that to hinder man's dream to reach the stars. For Adam though, the 'stars' he refers to doesn't only literally mean reaching new territories but also to achieve your dreams.
Further proof of this claim can be heard in an interlude 'January 28, 1986'; we hear the narrator give his condolences for the crew of the Challenger. Followed by this interlude is the song 'Galaxies' which centers around being lost and having God as the north star to guide you. The song uses interpretations of space travel as a theme for the album possibly to not discourage space travel, all the more a song about not giving up because "God's there"(Christian motif... I know).
NASA had shut down its Space Shuttle program on July 21, 2011 which for many saw it as a possible end for space exploration. The song 'Hospital Flowers' refers to Adam's awareness of the dangers of space especially of what transpired to the space shuttle Challenger. But the happiness he gains out of this is the journey that begins with this challenge. The song 'Dreams Don't Turn To Dust' affirms this claim; referring to the Challenger's dream turning literally into dust! 'Honey and the Bee' refers to the desire to get out on the first onset of an opportunity because of a dream. 'Kamikaze' refers to facing truths head on, meaning facing realities head on. 'Plant Life' is about a haunting dream (Challenger's dream to reach beyond).
The 'Yacht Club' refers to joining NASA for adventure. 'The Real World' refers to Adam's need to escape reality constraints (troubles). 'Deer in the Headlights' sings about Reality and the problems it throws at you; Adam just wears shades to show he isn't afraid. 'Angels' is about the beauty that lies beyond his earthly home (escapism). 'How I Became the Sea' is Adam's journey to how he's gotten where he is (a dream that shows). 'Shy Violet' referred to someone (or something) that inspired Adam to see his problems in a different perception.
Adam's 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' album is a collection of songs that pays homage to the Challenger and space exploration. Pay attentively to some of the songs and you can pretty much hear hints of the theme about optimistically adventuring into places unknown. Dreams Don't Turn To Dust if you don't wish it. :3 -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:(I listened to the version without Shawn, so this is my interpretation of that version)
Personally, I believe the song is describing the kind of feeling that a parent has when their kids grow up and leave.
To start, he first says, "Where was I, when the rockets came to life, and carried you away?" It's like he was looking the other way when a teenager is about to leave home and go out into the world, he's sort of wondering where he's been that he didn't see it when it happened, and life carried that kid away, and he's never letting go even if they're being carried off by life.
From there, I think a lot of it is kind of nostalgic advice on how to live a great life. I think he's referring to the life we all have to live from the point of the starry-eyed young adult out in the world for the first time, with all it's limitless wonder (remember to live, cause you're gonna be thrilled to death; remember to dream, it's gonna be a starry night; etc...) and with all the amazing things that happen to everyone. It's all fresh and new and novel, he hasn't experienced the pain that life brings yet (Let's hear it for the universe, where it never hurts, diving in head-first). He reminisces about those things throughout the song as he offers advice, then acknowledges that his kid is leaving and probably going on further than he ever has, or at least in a long time (Give the outer limits my regards) and goes back to wondering at how quickly his kid grew up, and wondering where he was, why he didn't see it when he was finally about to leave on his own.
Now, I have no idea if he has a kid or not (I doubt it) but that's the impression this song left me with. It's purely speculation and interpretation, of course, but I think it fits. What about you? -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:The song, I think, is about opportunity and using imagination to get there. I think Adam is basically saying ideas and creativity are endless--a "sky is the limit" thing. When he says "Where was I when the rockets came to life and carried you away into the alligator sky?" I think he may have lost someone to fame or to a promotion, etc--lost someone to opportunity's clutches.
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It's just matter of someone absent when something happen.
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Alligator sky; just like alligator tears means fake tears, alligator sky means fake sky. If you watch the music video, you will see that this song takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, where the air has been so poluted that you can't see the sky anymore. Adam Young, in this song, is singing and giving advice to a dear friend who has left the planet, in search for a better world. Adam can only sit on his planet and dream about how life is out in outerspace. However, he couldn't make it to his friends flight to say goodbye (Where was I, when the rockets came to life, and carried you away, into the alligator sky). He regrets this deeply. However, Adam's stubbernness has made him decide to stay behind on the planet, despite how hard life will be in the post-apocalyptic world (Even tough I'll never know, what's up ahead, I'm never letting go). If you watch the music video, you will see he stayed behind to photograph how life is now, on this post-apocalyptic world. Listening to the version with rap, you will notice that the person rapping, his said friend, singing about how life is out in the universe, and sending his thoughts back to his dear old friend he left behind. In the music video, you see that there has just been a festival, in honor of the planet, of some anniversary, where 1 million people gathered on the planet to celebrate. The video takes place shortly after said festival, where we see Adam's friend walking around searching for his friend. At the end of the song, he has found Adam, and takes him aboard the shuttle to go into outerspace with him, thus correcting the mistake that caused them so much regret so long ago. As they are leaving the planet, in a duet, the friend is giving Adam advice on how it's going to be, and how he should do. However no matter what Adam does, he cannot let the regret go, of not being there to say goodbye to his friend all those years ago.
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Imagination is high and if you got it you can meet me in the alligator sky with a few other. Only the choosen few know what this song is about, there are those who felt the power and thought it was by their own will. But as for me and my few others we know it is God and He sent his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and show us what we feel is real and we are guranteed success. Keep beliving in God and yourselves, there is so much power in you.
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I don't know anything. So don't get mad at me.
I think that while this song could easily be religious, I feel like I can relate it to being lost in the age of technology. That while it enables us to reach for our limits, it can still fail and take away people you love.
That's just me. Judge all you want. -
whoa whoa whoa... hold up. yes, Adam IS christian. but not all of his songs are christian! some are love songs, just innocent.
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I think it's a rather sad story, where the Earth is full of destruction, and it has been completely ruined.
Adam's lover went to space along with the other people, and he is left here wandering through the ruins?...
Yeah, I know, I make it sound so cheesy but... the music video .-. -
I listened to the no rap version
I think it tells a sad story. I think it's about the singer is a man who was left behind while his love got on a rocket and went into space. And the song is about the man left behind telling his love to live on and have fun. And that even though he doesn't know what's up ahead for him. He is never letting go of her. You have to listen to the no rap version to get this. "remember to breathe, cause it'll take your breath away, when the engines cough. And you blast off.." see he's telling her to breath because going up is going to be so amazing that it will take her breath away -
I think its saying that taking off can be scary, hence Alligator. Alligators can be scary. But hes also saying you did it, so hes sure he can.
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I think it means that there are these vicious, nuclear capable Alligators living in our atmosphere and we need to get rid of them or else we will all be eaten.
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I think that this song is about both how he lost someone close to him and how he's one of the last people to go on the earth because it has become inhabitable. It really speaks to me, especially th end of the music video where you see a cementary and maybe his dad and a plate on the wall of his house that say "YOUNG"(his last name). It could also be about how there can no longer be anyone on earth because of maybe pollution( *hint hint* people) sonar his family could have died during that time so he just really wants to get to see them again.( I know this sounds like WALL-E, but that's MY interpretation). But then again, I'm probably also wrong. ;(
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The ALLIGATOR SKY is heaven!!
"Where was I when the rockets came to life
And carried you away into the alligator sky?"
This part is talking about when Jesus died and arose again three days later and ascended into the heavens.
"Even though I'll never know what's up ahead
I'm never lettin' go, I'm never lettin' go"
This part means, and if you are a follower of Jesus you know what i mean, that we never know the temptations we are going to come upon, but whenever we get to the we're never gonna let go of God.
"A house on the cloud and God's my landlord
And for my rent all I pay is my drive, I got that"
A house on the cloud... he's talking about being in heaven! God's my landlord and all i pay is my drive... that one is pretty much self explanatory.
So if you need me you can find me in the alligator sky"
Same thing.. heaven is refered to asthe alligator sky.
~I love this song and every other song of his... I love how they make me think about what they mean.. some I can understand immediately, but others not so much:)lol -
i think it's talking about maybe a really close person to him passed away and went to heaven(alligator sky) and the rockets that took him or her are angels be.
my second idea is that the song is encouraging people not yo be afraid to explore their potential, so like the person Adam is talking about explored their potential and is way high. so Adam is also exploring his potential(roller coaster through the alligator sky....). while Shawn Christopher has explored his potential and realized the sky is not the limit(... we've been lied to that the sun can't be flied to) and he's having a great time and that he's continuing to make progress(...miss me if you blink twice). i hope this helps!!:D -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
- of the shuttle disaster it adds weight to the suggestion that the song is about someone who died in the accident. it is also without doubt a song about faith and certainty of a place to go to after death where God with be our landlord More Owl City songs »
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