Third of May / Ōdaigahara
Fleet Foxes Lyrics

Light ended the night, but the song remained
Despite the darkness, the music still persisted

And I was hiding by the stair
I sought refuge in a hidden spot

Half here, half there, past the lashing rain
Caught between two worlds amidst the relentless downpour

And as the sky would petal white, old innocent lies came to mind
Amidst the pure white sky, memories of naive falsehoods surfaced

As we stood, congregated, at the firing line
Gathered together, we faced a critical moment

Night ended the fight, but the song remained
The conflict may have ended with the night, but the music endured

And so I headed to the wall
I made my way towards the barrier

Turned tail to call to the new domain
Retreating momentarily to beckon the unfamiliar

As if in the sight of sea, you're suddenly free
In the presence of the vast ocean, liberation is felt

But it's all the same
However, the outcome remains unchanged

Oh, but I can hear you, loud in the center
I can clearly perceive your voice amidst the commotion

Aren't we made to be crowded together, like leaves?
Are we not meant to exist closely intertwined, resembling leaves on a branch?

Was I too slow?
Did my actions lack swiftness?

Did you change overnight?
Did you undergo an abrupt transformation?

Second son, on the other line
Another individual, perhaps a sibling, trying to reach out

Now, back in our town as a castaway
Returning to our hometown feeling like an outsider

I'm reminded of the time it all fell in line, on the third of May
The memory resurfaces when everything aligned perfectly, on May 3rd

As if it were designed, painted in sand to be washed away
As if orchestrated and fragile, meant to be ephemeral like a sand painting washed away

Can I be light and free?
Can I attain a sense of weightlessness and liberation?

If I lead you through the fury will you call to me?
If I guide you through the chaos, will you reach out to me?

And is all that I might owe you carved on ivory?
Is the debt I owe you inscribed on something as precious as ivory?

But all will fade
However, everything will eventually diminish

All I say
All my words and expressions

All I needed
All that I required

As a flash in the eye, I wouldn't deny, all receded
Like a fleeting moment, I cannot deny that everything receded

Life unfolds in pools of gold
Existence reveals itself in shimmering golden moments

I am only owed this shape if I make a line to hold
This form is only owed to me if I create a purpose to cling to

To be held within one's self is deathlike, oh I know
To be trapped within oneself is akin to a lifeless existence, and I'm aware of it

But all will be, for mine and me, as we make it
However, everything will come into being, for both myself and my loved one, as we shape it

And the size of the fray, can't take it away, they won't make it
The magnitude of the conflict cannot erase our creation, they will not succeed

I was a fool
I acted foolishly

Crime after crime to confess to
A series of wrongdoings to admit

But I hold the fleet angel, she'll bless you
Yet, I embrace the fleeting angel who will offer blessings

Hold fast to the wing
Grasp onto the wing tightly

Hold fast to the wing
Grasp onto the wing tightly