Sprawl II
Arcade Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose
But late at night the feelings swim to the surface
'Cause on the suburbs the city lights shine
They're calling at me, come and find your kind
Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small
Then we can never get away from the sprawl
Living in the sprawl
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there's no end in sight
I need the darkness someone please cut the lights
We rode our bikes to the nearest park
Sat under the swings, we kissed in the dark
We shield our eyes from the police lights
We run away, but we don't know why
And like a mirror these city lights shine
They're screaming at us, we don't need your kind
Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small
Then we can never get away from the sprawl
Living in the sprawl
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there's no end in sight
I need the darkness someone please cut the lights
They heard me singing and they told me to stop
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small
Can we ever get away from the sprawl
Living in the sprawl
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there's no end in sight
I need the darkness someone please cut the lights
Arcade Fire's Sprawl II is a reflection on the alienation and dissatisfaction of suburban life, and the sense of longing for something more that comes with it. The singer laments their lack of purpose in life and the emptiness of their surroundings, yet is drawn to the city lights that beckon from the distance. They feel trapped in the sprawl, with its endless strip malls and cookie-cutter housing developments, and long for escape.
The chorus reflects this sense of entrapment, with the repeating line "Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small, then we can never get away from the sprawl." The dead shopping malls that "rise like mountains beyond mountains" are a poignant symbol of the emptiness and decay of suburban life, while the police lights suggest the growing sense of surveillance and control.
Overall, the lyrics of Sprawl II capture the contradictions inherent in suburban life - the comfort of familiarity and routine, but also the stifling sense of conformity and the longing for something more.
Line by Line Meaning
They heard me singing and they told me to stop
The singer was singing, but someone else told them to stop.
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
The singer is being told to stop being pretentious and just work a normal job.
These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose
The singer is feeling unfulfilled and empty in their life.
But late at night the feelings swim to the surface
The artist's true feelings come out late at night when they are alone.
'Cause on the suburbs the city lights shine
The city lights are visible from the suburbs.
They're calling at me, come and find your kind
The city is calling to the singer to come be with others like them.
Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small
The singer reflects on how connected the world is.
Then we can never get away from the sprawl
The sprawl, or urbanization, is inescapable.
Living in the sprawl
The artist is living in a sprawling urban area.
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
Shopping malls are everywhere and are a symbol of the monotony and emptiness of urban life.
And there's no end in sight
The urbanization and consumer culture show no sign of slowing down.
I need the darkness someone please cut the lights
The artist wants to escape the bright lights of the city and find darkness.
We rode our bikes to the nearest park
The singer and someone else rode bikes to a park.
Sat under the swings, we kissed in the dark
The singer and someone else kissed under the swings.
We shield our eyes from the police lights
The police are present and the singer must shield their eyes from the flashing lights.
We run away, but we don't know why
The artist and someone else are running away for no apparent reason.
And like a mirror these city lights shine
The city lights reflect the artist's emotions.
They're screaming at us, we don't need your kind
The city is rejecting the singer and someone else.
Can we ever get away from the sprawl
The singer reflects on whether or not it is possible to escape urbanization.
Living in the sprawl
Again, the artist is living in a sprawling urban area.
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
Shopping malls are still everywhere and are still a symbol of the emptiness of urban life.
And there's no end in sight
Urbanization and consumer culture continue to dominate.
I need the darkness someone please cut the lights
The singer is still looking for darkness and a way to escape the urbanization.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jeremy Gara, Regine Chassagne, Richard R Parry, Tim Kingsbury, William Butler, Win Butler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@KanwarAnand
Well their music also says,
"Someone please shut the lights."
or
"Feel like I've been living in a city with no children.."
or
"Then I'll dig a tunnel from my window to yours"
or
"I don't want to live in America no more."
or
"They're screaming at me, come and find your kind" (Talking about street lights)
So it was very very relevant.
@naoma123yea
They heard me singing and they told me to stop,
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock,
These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose,
But late at night the feelings swim to the surface.
'Cause on the suburbs the city lights shine,
They're calling at me, 'come and find your kind.'
Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small,
Then we can never get away from the sprawl,
Living in the sprawl,
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains,
And there's no end in sight,
I need the darkness someone please cut the lights.
We rode our bikes to the nearest park,
Sat under the swings, we kissed in the dark,
We shield our eyes from the police lights,
We run away, but we don't know why,
And like a mirror these city lights shine,
They're screaming at us, 'we don't need your kind'
Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small,
Then we can never get away from the sprawl,
Living in the sprawl,
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains,
And there's no end in sight,
I need the darkness someone please cut the lights.
They heard me singing and they told me to stop,
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock.
Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small,
Can we ever get away from the sprawl?
Living in the sprawl,
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains,
And there's no end in sight,
I need the darkness someone please cut the lights.
@lizzieolsenwife
ive been looking for this song for 3 years, its my dads favorite song and he used to play it for me when i was a kid and we would dance around the living room. he passed away in 2018 and all ive been doing is looking for this song and i just remembered me calling it the angel song because he told mne the women singing were angels. i looked up arcade fire angel song so many times i cant count. then i remembered seeing something about mountains. i found it now and i can finally just listen to it.
@lox6887
I'm elated you've found it :) your da had great taste
@lizzieolsenwife
@@lox6887 thank you <3
@lizzieolsenwife
@Dark Chocolate you too, thank you so much
@therivergod849
my dad died in 2020...glad you found it...peace and love and beauty, and happiness.
@lizzieolsenwife
@@therivergod849 my condolences, im so sorry for you loss, peace love beauty and happiness to you too, my friend <3
@carlosenriquez3859
I’m 51 years old and I’m just discovering AF now. These guys are incredible
@fixinggood
I'm happy for you.. their entire discography is beautiful!
@alonsogutierrez6556
Music is good, band members... not so much
@juanalejandrogarcialay361
They're awesome