Synesthesia
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness Lyrics


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I saw pictures from the space shuttle, North America at night
I could almost see my house, I could almost see the rest of my life
Now my mother's in the hospital and my friends are in the news
Collecting trophies for the songs they wrote when we lived in the shadow of the moon

Guess I've never made a gold record and I've never been to Mars
But I've traveled 'round this world shooting fireworks at falling stars
And my father's got a decent job, I hear he's finally pulling through
There's more to life than singing songs we write when we are in the shadow of the moon

And I see colors when I hear your voice
Grab your wings, they're putting gravity on trial
I see colors, I don't hear the noise
Because we're only flying for awhile
Because we're only flying for awhile

I saw this picture of my niece twisting high above the narrow beam
And my brother looked so proud like he woke up in this perfect dream
I've known you all my life but I knew you long before that too
Let's go dancing to the songs we wrote when we lived in the shadow of the moon

And I see colors when I hear your voice
Grab your wings, they're putting gravity on trial
I see colors, I don't hear the noise
Sometimes we're only flying for awhile

I could love you in the falling rain,
Grab your things this is a storm we're meant to ride
Like synesthesia aboard a stalling plane
It's like we're only flying for awhile,
Flying for awhile

Woah..

And I see colors when I hear your voice
Grab your wings they're putting gravity on trial
I see colors, I don't fear the choice
Sometimes we're only flying for awhile

And I could love you in the falling rain
Grab your things this is a storm we're meant to ride
Like synesthesia aboard a stalling plane
It's like we're only flying for awhile
Flying for awhile

I can see the colors running, when they hear the music playing...





Flying for awhile...

Overall Meaning

In Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness's song "Synesthesia," the singer reflects on life and the various experiences that bring color to his world. The song begins with McMahon contemplating North America from space and almost spotting his home and the rest of his life. However, the focus shifts to darker times, as his mother sits in a hospital while his friends enjoy success and accolades from music they wrote when everyone lived in the shadow of the moon. McMahon acknowledges that, though he may not have achieved the same level of success or traveled to space, he has still lived a full life with its own unique set of experiences that bring color to his world. These experiences include shooting fireworks at falling stars on his travels, and watching his niece on the beam while his brother looks on with pride.


The song is ultimately about enjoying the small moments in life that are often overlooked in pursuit of grander aspirations, and finding beauty and meaning in those moments. McMahon finds joy in hearing his loved ones' voices, even if he can't see them, and compares the feeling to synesthesia, a phenomenon in which stimulation of one sense causes a person to experience sensations in another sense. The song ends on a hopeful note, as McMahon expresses his willingness to weather any storms with his loved ones, even if it means only flying for a little while.


Line by Line Meaning

I saw pictures from the space shuttle, North America at night
The singer saw pictures taken from the space shuttle showing North America at night.


I could almost see my house, I could almost see the rest of my life
The pictures made the singer feel close to home and they imagined their future from that moment.


Now my mother's in the hospital and my friends are in the news
The singer's mother is currently in the hospital and their friends have achieved success in their respective fields.


Collecting trophies for the songs they wrote when we lived in the shadow of the moon
The friends' successes come from the time they spent together in the past when life felt more surreal and anything seemed possible.


Guess I've never made a gold record and I've never been to Mars
The artist has never achieved mainstream success in their career nor have they been able to travel to space.


But I've traveled 'round this world shooting fireworks at falling stars
Despite their lack of personal achievements, the singer has traveled the world and lived life on their own terms.


And my father's got a decent job, I hear he's finally pulling through
The singer's father has a good job and is doing better recently.


There's more to life than singing songs we write when we are in the shadow of the moon
The artist realizes that life has more to offer than the moments when they were dreaming big dreams under the influence of something greater.


And I see colors when I hear your voice
The artist sees different colors when they hear the person they're talking about singing.


Grab your wings, they're putting gravity on trial
The artist encourages someone to join them to try new, exciting things in life.


I see colors, I don't hear the noise
The singer is so focused on seeing the colors they associate with this other person that they don't notice other things happening around them.


Because we're only flying for awhile
The artist knows that their time to do things together is limited and they want to make every moment count.


I saw this picture of my niece twisting high above the narrow beam
The singer saw a picture of their niece doing gymnastics, up high on a narrow beam.


And my brother looked so proud like he woke up in this perfect dream
The singer's brother was proud of their niece and was joyful like he was in a perfect dream.


I've known you all my life but I knew you long before that too
The singer has known this person for their entire life and feels like they knew them even longer.


Let's go dancing to the songs we wrote when we lived in the shadow of the moon
The artist wants to celebrate and dance together to the songs that they wrote during the time when life was more surreal, under the influence of something greater.


I could love you in the falling rain
The artist loves this person no matter the situation, even if it's raining heavily.


Grab your things this is a storm we're meant to ride
The singer encourages the person to come with them and face whatever challenges come their way together.


Like synesthesia aboard a stalling plane
The experience of facing these challenges together feels like synesthesia (the crossing of senses) on a plane that's running into trouble.


It's like we're only flying for awhile,
The artist is once again reminded of the impermanence of their time together, hoping to make it count in every moment.


I can see the colors running, when they hear the music playing...
The artist is reminded once more about the connection between music and seeing colors.


Flying for awhile...
The song ends with the repeated phrase, 'flying for awhile', as a reminder that life is fleeting and that we should make every moment count.




Contributed by Jackson K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@patriciamcreynolds7158

"I see colors when I hear your voice." - Beautiful.

@makaylaa2317

I know i kinda got chills

@rachelistrash4371

Well for synesthetes that’s actually sometimes true

@saralynncampbell

His songs are the soundtrack to the most beautiful time in my life.

@robertseal5758

Your cute. Anyway, the most beautiful time of you life is now....

@saralynncampbell

Robert Seal i needed to hear that.

@robertseal5758

I'm currently studying Zen and Tao fulltime. I have no agenda, if you need to talk let me know.

@saralynncampbell

Robert Seal my email is saralynncampbell@gmail.com if you want to talk! 

@draggboy

His music has accompanied me through many very hard and very brilliant time periods in my life. I assume you mean all of his music, not just the music under his actual name, but if you don't know Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate, those are his old solo project and band, and they're his very best music, in my opinion.  Everything In Transit is his first solo album by Jack's Mannequin and he finished writing it on the day he found out he had leukemia. It's probably my favorite of all his material.  The Glass Passenger was the next Jack's Mannequin album that he put out after his battle with leukemia, and it's also really powerful. His music with his actual band (Something Corporate) is all amazing, too, but North is probably my favorite album.  I'm sure you already know these albums, but just in case you only knew his recent music under his real name, you REALLY have to get his other music.  At least start with Everything In Transit :) I do like his newer stuff, but Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin is some of the best music I've heard in my life.  He's an amazing person.

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@saralynncampbell

WHAT?! Your high! His music is nothing short of phenomenal! If you don't get chills when you hear it, there's definitely a problem. In every song you can hear the passion and hard work that he puts into EVERY song he writes. He is great at making you feel that. His passion is what makes him remarkable as an artist. He will always be my favorite, along with Matt Nathanson. 3

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