Owl City: Paper Tigers Meaning

1. anonymous

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   Feb 21st 2018 !⃝

   I believe this is a song about a breakup.
   
   Well I've been huddled up alone
   By the fire even though
   I'm not exactly feeling cold
   He's trying to regain a sense of normalcy and doesn't really know what to do with himself.
   
   I've been bundled up for days
   Too confused to be amazed
   At all the icy water in my veins
   He hasn't done much since the breakup
   
   Why do I feel so alone?
   He's single and feels like a part of him is missing.
   
   Yeah I've been moving in and out
   Of this old split level house
   But I'd just as soon burn the whole place down
   He feels lonely in his house all by himself. Things around there remind him of his ex
   
   Cause I quit working lumberyards
   To build a mansion out of cards
   But I feel so thin behind these paper walls
   He quit something steady to do something risky (music business). He's built himself up (lives in a big house and is famous) but he still feels empty.
   
   'Cause the angriest bark is always worse than the bite
   Maybe when the breakup occurred, they had a fight, and insults were exchanged. Things said in their anger hurt even more than the breakup and her leaving.
   
   Like the ache in my chest my heart didn't invite
   He didn't realize it would hurt like this
   
   'Cause if the prettiest romance isn't perfectly right
   Then every love lost is a holiday every night
   If all relationships have flaws, then why bother? He might as well be better off single
   
   Well I've been painting through the night
   In the basement out of sight
   Brushing paper tigers black and white
   He's been trying to do things to occupy his time. He tries to simplify the complex issues. Paper tigers are a metaphor for a tough exterior but weaker interior. These represent complex issues. Brushing them black and white represents trying to simplify his problems.
   
   'Cause come tomorrow afternoon
   I'll fill a helium balloon
   And set them free into the baby blue sky
   He'll let go of his problems
   
   So they won't have to be alone
   Taking the paper tigers as literal in this line, he doesn't want anything else to feel his loneliness. In a way, he is saying he wishes he were like the paper tigers and not alone
   
   But when I close these heavy lids after dark
   Each sweet dream is a target
   And all my shots are so consistently wide of the mark
   He is unable to sleep because of nightmares. These are most likely caused by his breakup. This could also represent that he believes he makes bad decisions in picking partners, as he's always wide of the mark. The dream could represent a dream relationship.
   
   But how my heartache hit the trail
   When a paper tiger tail
   Fluttered down, I guess I'll never know
   A part of his past problems came back to haunt him, but they now seemed insignificant to him. He felt better, because he saw his problems in a different light. He felt that they could be tackled and that his heartache and loneliness were temporary. This could also be that he saw a reminder of something positive in his sadness (painting paper tigers) which made him feel better.
   
   This is all my interpretation. Who knows, he could've had something totally different in mind
2. anonymous

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   Aug 25th 2013 !⃝

   This song is about someone who's been alone for a long time, either physically or emotionally, and he feels lonely and unappreciated. It's gotten to the point where he's starting to hurt others without realizing it. (too confused to be amazed at all he icy water in my veins)
   He's having problems deciding what to do with his life, and is considering just starting again from scratch. (just as soon burn the whole place down) Even with his desire to be noticed and appreciated, he'd much rather do or be something that he wants rather than what society wants him to do or be. (I quit working lumber yards to build a mansion out of cards)
   He attempts to convince himself that things will turn out all right, and if relationships don't work out, then new ones will form. (‘Cause the angriest bark is always worse than the bite
   Like the ache in my chest that my heart didn’t invite
   But if the prettiest romance isn’t perfectly right
   That makes every love lost just a holiday every night)
   He makes a last-ditch attempt at getting people to notice his efforts,(painting through the night, paper tigers, black and white) yet doesn't expect anything to go differently then it already has. (each sweet dream is a target, and my shots are so consistently wide of the mark)Then maybe he sees his name in print, or something else happens that finally acknowledges all the hard work he's done, and he starts to believe what he's been trying to convince himself for so long: Things just might turn out ok.
3. anonymous

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   Mar 6th 2013 !⃝

   This song was written and released in 2012 sung by adam young.

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