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The Drying of the Lawns
The Tallest Man on Earth Lyrics


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She said I cannot tell you why, she said I'm in a rush
There are softer dreams for you to think about now love
Things that you have seen this night that run by that the river's flow
I can use you if you're in the flame, I'm a growin' old

And no this is not the summer dream she said
It's just the drying of the lawns I want to leave out there

Well I've said I've sailed the frozen corners of the dark Atlantic Sea
And I drifted on the waves and the mirage beneath
And never have I felt such numb and pointless searchin' true
As when I set my eyes and torched the plans on the mark of you

And no this is not the summer dream she said
It's just the drying of the lawns I want to leave out there

She said you follow me like sheep that think this king could do some harm
But I tell you boy I'm frightened still with a sister's heart
I set my eyes upon the shore whenever you wake up
I'm leavin' because you don't feel what you're dreamin' of

And no this is not the summer dream she said
It's just the drying of the lawns I want to leave out there

But I will stand down in the hallway with no thought to leave the set
Of a movie I will sure as hell not end just yet
If pain and awful romance then this mornin' is for us
It will never ran and our last dream will leave this house

And no this is not the summer dream I said
It's just the drying of the lawns that want to leave us here
Oh it's the drying of the lawns that want to leave us here

Overall Meaning

The Tallest Man on Earth's song "The Drying of the Lawns" starts off with the singer being told by a woman that there are softer dreams to think about now and that things he has seen that night are just flowing by the river. She tells him that she can use him if he is in the flame as she's growing old. The woman then clarifies that what they're experiencing is not a summer dream but just the drying of the lawns that she wants to leave outside.


The singer then talks about his experiences of sailing through the dark Atlantic sea and drifting on the waves, feeling a numb and pointless search. He torched the plans on the mark of someone and never felt the same as he did in that moment. The woman says that he follows her like sheep and that she fears for him because he doesn't feel what he's dreaming of. She's leaving because of that, and not because of any harm she might do.


The chorus then repeats, with the singer saying that he will stand down in the hallway with no thought of leaving the set of a movie he won't end just yet. Pain and awful romance is what they have, but it will never run, and their last dream will leave the house. Ultimately, they both acknowledge that it's not a summer dream, but just the drying of the lawns that want to leave them there.


Line by Line Meaning

She said I cannot tell you why, she said I'm in a rush
She spoke of the urgency needing immediate attention and could not express why she felt that way


There are softer dreams for you to think about now love
She suggested that there are more gentle, peaceful and perhaps less complicated things to ponder on


Things that you have seen this night that run by that the river's flow
The things that you have witnessed tonight that moved quickly, like the current in a river


I can use you if you're in the flame, I'm a growin' old
She proposes that she can use him if he is passionate, whilst she herself is maturing fast


And no this is not the summer dream she said
She denied that it was anything like a summer daydream or a fanciful wish


It's just the drying of the lawns I want to leave out there
What she actually wants to abandon is the withering, drying of grass outside


Well I've said I've sailed the frozen corners of the dark Atlantic Sea
He reminisces of having traveled to the cold and barren parts of the vast Atlantic Ocean


And I drifted on the waves and the mirage beneath
He drifted aimlessly on the waves and what appeared to be an illusion of some kind beneath them


And never have I felt such numb and pointless searchin' true
Despite his tireless endeavours, he finds himself feeling helpless and without any clear purpose


As when I set my eyes and torched the plans on the mark of you
He regrets the moment he had focused solely on the idea of her and abandoned his other plans


She said you follow me like sheep that think this king could do some harm
She pointed out how he blindly imitates and follows her, even though he believes that she could hurt him


But I tell you boy I'm frightened still with a sister's heart
She reassures him that she herself is scared, and possesses the fears of a protective sibling


I'm leavin' because you don't feel what you're dreamin' of
She is departing as she believes that he is not experiencing the sensations he has been dreaming of


But I will stand down in the hallway with no thought to leave the set
He declares that he will loiter in the hallway, not yet ready to exit the familiar stage


Of a movie I will sure as hell not end just yet
He is determined to remain part of the plot, which he refuses to let finish


If pain and awful romance then this mornin' is for us
If affliction and distress represent love, then that's what they will encounter this morning


It will never ran and our last dream will leave this house
Their last dream together will not flee and will be confined within these walls


It's just the drying of the lawns that want to leave us here
The dying grass is symbolic of their surroundings that seem to tie them down to this place




Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Kristian Matsson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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