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 honestly think that this song was meant to influensce you to take in what you see around you, since it will one day no longer be here..and "i'd like to make myself believe that plant earth turns slowly" - he means that he feels like time is moving too quickly, and that sooner or later something will be gone, and you never know what you have until it's gone.
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I think this song is about someone who is really confused and can't sleep and lost in his daydreams and just can't find his way back to reality.
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The song is actually very deep, profound, is full of symbolism, and has meaning far beyond its simple words. At the root of the song is the fact that time moves by too fast, and the author's urge for youth. (I think all would agree with that)
"I'd like to make myself believe, that planet earth moves slowly" meaning that he would like time to slow down. However; he concedes this is not the case per "I'd LIKE TO make myself Believe."
Because of that (time moves to fast), and we lose our youth so rapidly, the author attempts plan B; which is fighting to stay awake in order to lose as little time as possible while asleep. Though he says "it is hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep" meaning that it is not to the extreme that he NEVER wants to sleep, but none the less, he want to waste as little time as possible sleeping; hence the fire flies lighting up his area and keeping him awake.
This is where the symbolism of the fire flies are important. The fire flies represent his attempt to stay awake as much as possible. IE) "to ten million fire flies, I'm weird cause I hate goodbyes, I got misty eyes as they said farewell" In other words, he is tired and losing the battle, the fire flies (representing his urge to remain awake) are now leaving and he is falling asleep. But he does not want to; thus his "misty eyes" as he is upset as the fire flies leave him, and drifts to sleep.
The fire flies dancing above his head, and beneath his bed also represent the fact that he is in bed, but still refuses to sleep. The "disco ball hanging by a thread" represents the fact that the disco ball is keeping the dance alive, (again his urge to stay awake) however he is so tired "it hangs by a thread" meaning he is fighting to stay awake, but barley.
He then mentions that even though the fire flies went away, (meaning he fell asleep) reperesents that even when he is asleep he always has some fireflies available to wake him up, again symbolizing urge to sleep as little as little as possible.
Other lines such as "leave my door open just a crack, I feel like such an insomniac" meaning he is awake so much the "FEELS LIKE and insomniac" but is not really one as he stays awake intentionally, where as true insomciancs want to sleep, but cannot, one again support the thesis that he does not want to sleep. (contrary to what the majority of the other interpret from this song)
Per the other interpretations; The fireflies and toys in the video symbolize that he has aged, and is sad to have lost his youth so fast, and would like to return to his younger days. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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I agree with most of the interpretations as above about Children disliking growing up.
What Im after is the literal meaning of the word sock hop. Im in a sign language choir who perform to popular old and new songs in the charts to raise awareness for deaf charities in our area and my 11 eleven year son adores this song and would like to translate it into sign language to perform and we are really stuck with 'Sock hop'.
Thanx in anticipation.
Our choir can be found via Google under 'Dee sign Choir' for anyone who is interested -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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I think one person said something along the lines of childhood and suddenly everybody is using that idea - it does relate to the song, in my opinion, but it's not all about that. Some people are looking to deeply into the song.
I think that a lot of the time he was referring to his insomnia, which by the looks of it must of had an effect on his life. Many of the lines are related to insomnia and he even says it in one line. A lot of people are also saying about the line "That planet Earth spins slowly" is something to do with his childhood. Personally I think it's about him feeling that whatever he does, the world won't change for him and it's always going to stay the same. -
Adam Young’s “Fireflies” heralds childhood and dreams through simplistic imagery in abstract phrasing. From the start of his verse, he “believe[s] that planet Earth turns slowly,” meaning he makes himself believe that time is slow. In this way, he can enjoy his youth; in addition, a dream-like world of childhood wonder gives more possible time to “capture” or “recapture” his dreams.
“It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep ‘cause everything is not as it seems,” connotes that with sleep comes some peace and goodness. When awake, Adam is seemingly deteriorating. He leaves his door open only a “crack,” he describes himself as an “insomniac,” and overall, lives more in looking at objects and desiring a dream world (“I’d stop and stare”). With each moment, he is one step closer to growth or adolescence because time can’t be stopped or slowed down; he wants to reassure himself that Earth turns “slowly,” the antithesis of its actual movements. What is a dream for one person on one side of the world is reality, or day, for another. Andrew wishes his dreams were his very reality. Asleep, Adam can escape (“Please take me away from here”). These escapist thoughts are internalized within parenthesis as well, depicting Adam’s deep down belief that his dreams are the only move away from “tired” feelings, where “things are never as they seem,“ thereby moving to a place where he will not be able “to believe his eyes.“ The very presence of that world will make him happy, in awe, and accepted (“a thousand hugs“).
“Cuz I get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs as they try to teach me how to dance“ portrays Adam‘s associated reality and dreams. Fireflies do truly dance, as do we when trying to catch them. That frenetic enjoyment of a kid’s playtime is expressed here. That loss of time, that loss of consciousness almost as a kid of this experience affects him. His dream, as well, that memory, teaches him of the joy he once had. Adam, however, is having a hard time with either realistic dreams or maintaining his dreams. If his dreams get too “bizarre,“ or older, mature, or shortened, he will use his “bottled” up memories to suffice. Eventually, Adam will grow beyond such dreams, so the memory (or the jar) must be constant to support growth.
Simple images characterize his feelings about life: “A foxtrot above my head; a sock hop beneath my bed; the disco ball is just hanging by a thread.” Foxtrots, sock hops, and disco balls conjure up fun, fancy, and specifically refer to childhood images. The directions associated with each are out of reach or beyond reach, specifically above, beneath, and hanging by a thread. These images that represent fun, excitement, music (rock and roll) all hang by a thread. These images are all old, antiquated, and components of his past which are, literally and figuratively, beyond his reach and only representative in the fireflies (their dance -foxtrots and sock hops- and emanating light -dancing, illumined, flickering fireflies).
Adam also references the fireflies’ “teardrops.” Possibly, this is the literal fireflies caught in a jar, unable to breathe. Or more metaphorically and fitting with the message thus far, the ten million fireflies represent his dreams and goals. His dreams are vanishing, hence the firefly’s teardrops, and he stands weakly. As children, we watch helplessly as that life gives way in the jar. As adults, we watch and understand what we once saw as play and fun. As adults, we reflect and ruminate about time moving too fast.
Adam goes on to sing, “Please take me away from here,” saying that he wants to escape time to enjoy himself without any worries of the constant measure of growing up.
The quote, “To ten million fireflies, I'm weird ‘cuz I hate goodbyes. I got misty eyes as they said farewell,“ emulates some of his lost dreams and those he has tried to maintain (saved a few in a jar).
The lines, “Leave my door open just a crack ‘cause I feel like an insomniac. Why do I tire of counting sheep when I’m far too tired to fall asleep,” characterizes Adam as restive, very much like those once frenetic fireflies. More accurately, he is tired of not sleeping and possibly no longer dreaming. When he says he is far too tired to fall asleep, it means that growing up is taxing for him. Despite his pleas, growth and time are inevitable. No matter our dreams, no matter what we are doing, time is always ticking. Owl City discusses the universal theme of wanted dreams over intervening reality as his dreams “burst at the seams” overpowering him and his emotions. -
i have 3 iders :)::
1.I think it's a song about childhood - maybe it's specifically more about a child's summer. Not wanting to end the day. Trying to stay awake so as not to miss any of the excitement going on. Staying up till you're too tired to sleep and falling asleep dreaming of fireflies. Knowing that eventually summer will end and trying to squeeze the last little piece of enjoyment out of the day
2.I think he tries to fall asleep, but he is unable to do so (metaphorically represented by the "ten million fireflies"). The rest of the song seems pretty much an extension of this metaphor. The fireflies performing the "foxtrot about [his] head", a "sockhop" etc.
The seemingly happy tune of the song is juxtaposed to the background vocals: "(please take me away from here)", which may suggest that he wishes for the insomnia to stop, as fun and bizarre the "fireflies" or dreams he sees may be.
3.I think this song has both a happy and sad tint to it. He'd like to believe that planet earth turns slowly becuase he doesn't want to let go of his childhood. Where's he's gone in his adulthood is not someplace he wants to be, so he would rather sleep than stay awake. He wants the fireflies to take him away back to the days where everything was good and simple. Not everything in his life is how it seems, and he just wants to go back to the 'fireflies' in his past. (it kinnda goes with #1)
-hope i helped :)- -
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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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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