4 AM
Antemasque Lyrics
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Look through the curtain but no sign of life
She stumbles longing over
All the secrets she hides
And suddenly sweeps it all under the rug
How many times times have I heard that sound?
The hair on the back of my neck stands tall
Everybody slowly starts closing the blinds
I hope I never become him
Stuck behind the morning light
I've had enough to defy me [?], yeah
Watching, waiting
Black and white surveillance
I hope that nothing's going wrong
I hope that nothing's going wrong
And when he sees me look him eye-to-eye
On the only off-hand chance that he strikes
A pantomime motion where I am
Miscast a play in the antemasque
I hope I never become him
Stuck behind the morning light
I've had enough to defy me [?], yeah
Watching, waiting
Black and white surveillance
I hope that nothing's going wrong
I hope that nothing's going wrong
Watching, waiting
Black and white surveillance
I hope that nothing's going wrong
I hope that nothing's going wrong
Sharp shock
Yeah I'm gonna put on
Never looking back
Never looking back
Sharp shock
Yeah I'm gonna put on
Never looking back
Never looking back
Sharp shadow
Break that mirror
Never looking back
I'm never looking back
Yeah I'm never looking back
Watching, waiting
Black and white surveillance
I hope that nothing's going wrong
I hope that nothing's going wrong
Watching, waiting
Black and white surveillance
I hope that nothing's going wrong
I hope that nothing's going wrong
In Antemasque's song 4AM, the lyrics describe a deep sense of anxiety and paranoia. The singer hears a cry in the middle of the night, yet upon looking out the window, there is no sign of distress. The singer watches as a woman stumbles and hides her secrets, sweeping everything under the rug. This scenario seems to play out frequently, as the singer has heard that sound many times before, causing the hair on the back of their neck to stand tall. However, the singer notes that everyone else seems to be closing their blinds, trying to ignore the situation. The singer seems to feel a sense of responsibility to recognize and confront the problem instead of sweeping it under the rug like everyone else.
The singer hopes they never become the man that is stuck behind the morning light. This man seems to be the source of their anxiety and surveillance, and the singer wants to make sure that nothing is going wrong. The lyrics use the metaphor of a play to describe the situation, with the singer feeling miscast as a part of the "antemasque." The chorus repeats the sense of watching and waiting, with the hope that nothing is going wrong. The song ends with a sense of determination to break free from the anxiety and never look back, symbolized by the repetition of "sharp shock" and "never looking back" in the final lines.
Line by Line Meaning
Four AM and I hear that cry
It's 4am and I can hear someone crying out in the distance.
Look through the curtain but no sign of life
I look through the curtains but cannot see anyone around.
She stumbles longing over
I see her stumbling over and longing for something.
All the secrets she hides
She's hiding secrets that no one knows about.
And suddenly sweeps it all under the rug
She suddenly brushes everything under the rug, trying to keep her secrets hidden.
How many times times have I heard that sound?
I have heard this sound many times before.
The hair on the back of my neck stands tall
I get goosebumps as I hear the sound again.
Everybody slowly starts closing the blinds
Everyone around starts to close their blinds, maybe to avoid some kind of trouble.
Am I the only one who can recognize?
Am I the only one who can recognize the danger?
I hope I never become him
I hope I never become like him.
Stuck behind the morning light
I hope I never get trapped behind the morning light, maybe stuck in a bad situation.
I've had enough to defy me [?], yeah
I've had enough challenges to face already.
Watching, waiting
I'm watching and waiting for something to happen.
Black and white surveillance
I'm monitoring the situation in black and white, like watching footage from a security camera.
I hope that nothing's going wrong
I hope that everything is okay.
And when he sees me look him eye-to-eye
If he catches me looking him in the eye...
On the only off-hand chance that he strikes
...then there's a small chance he might attack.
A pantomime motion where I am
I try to move around discreetly like a pantomime.
Miscast a play in the antemasque
It feels like I'm playing the wrong role in this situation.
Sharp shock
It's a sudden and intense shock.
Yeah I'm gonna put on
I'll put up a facade or pretend to be someone else.
Never looking back
I won't look back at my past mistakes.
Sharp shadow
I'm a dark and mysterious shadow.
Break that mirror
I want to break free of my past and everything that holds me back.
I'm never looking back
I'm determined to move forward.
Watching, waiting
I'm still watching and waiting.
Black and white surveillance
I'm still monitoring the situation in black and white.
I hope that nothing's going wrong
I'm still hoping that everything is okay.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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Mikey
on Drown All Your Witches
The song is about poorly helping the people of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina