Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
"Neighborhood 1# (Tunnels)" was Arcade Fire's first single, released severa… Read Full Bio ↴"Neighborhood 1# (Tunnels)" was Arcade Fire's first single, released several months before their debut album, Funeral as a 7" vinyl record on June 20, 2004, to a pressing of 1500 copies. The B-side to the album is a recording of the song "My Buddy" by swing musician Alvino Rey. Rey is the maternal grandfather of Arcade Fire members Win and William Butler.

In August 2009, the song was named #10 on Pitchfork Media's "Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s". In a 2012 Beats Per Minute (website) article on The Essential Arcade Fire, it was named the band's most essential track by writer Lucien Flores. Flores writes, "'Tunnels' has all the elements of a great Arcade Fire song: a head-bobbing rhythm section, lyrics that harken back to an imperfect past, a seamless blend of instruments, and a cathartic coda."

Neighborhood #1
Arcade Fire Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

And if the snow buries my, my neighborhood
And if my parents are crying
Then I'll dig a tunnel from my window to yours
Yeah, a tunnel from my window to yours

You climb out the chimney
And meet me in the middle, the middle of the town
And since there's no one else around
We let our hair grow long
And forget all we used to know
Then our skin gets thicker from
Living out in the snow

You change all the lead
Sleepin' in my head
As the day grows dim
I hear you sing a golden hymn

Then we tried to name our babies
But we forgot all the names that
The names we used to know
But sometimes, we remember our bedrooms
And our parents' bedrooms
And the bedrooms of our friends
Then we think of our parents
Well what ever happened to them?

You change all the lead
Sleepin' in my head to gold
As the day grows dim
I hear you sing a golden hymn
The song I've been trying to sing

Purify the colors, purify my mind
Purify the colors, purify my mind




And spread the ashes of the colors
Over this heart of mine

Overall Meaning

In Arcade Fire's song Neighborhood #1, the lyrics explore the emotion of nostalgia, particularly the longing for childhood memories and the people associated with them. The imagery of snow burying the neighborhood is symbolic of time erasing and covering up the memories of the past. The lyrics of "If my parents are crying, then I'll dig a tunnel from my window to yours" highlights the desperation to connect with someone who understands the pain of growing up and longs to escape the confines of their reality. The chimney becomes the passageway to escape, and the "middle of the town" represents a place where they can be free from their past and create new memories.


The second verse delves into those new memories, specifically the naming of babies, which serves as a metaphor for the creation of new beginnings. However, even in their attempt to move forward and create a new life, they find themselves longing for the past and the warmth of their childhood memories. The line "you change all the lead, sleepin' in my head to gold" represents a shift in their perception of the past, where the once dull and heavy memories are now transformed into something brighter and more precious. The "golden hymn" represents a connection to a higher power or a higher ideal that they strive to achieve, even in their moments of despair.


Finally, the repetition of "purify the colors, purify my mind" represents a desire to cleanse oneself of the clutter and confusion of everyday life and connect with something pure and simple. The ashes of the colors serve as a reminder of the beauty that can be found in the darkness and the hope that can be found in times of struggle. Overall, the song represents a search for connection and meaning in a world that can often feel cold and disconnected.


Line by Line Meaning

And if the snow buries my, my neighborhood
If the snow buries my neighborhood


And if my parents are crying
If my parents are sad


Then I'll dig a tunnel from my window to yours
I'll create a path from my window to yours


Yeah, a tunnel from my window to yours
A path from my window to yours


You climb out the chimney
You exit out of the chimney


And meet me in the middle, the middle of the town
You meet me in the center of town


And since there's no one else around
Since there's no one else nearby


We let our hair grow long
We grow out our hair


And forget all we used to know
We forget our previous knowledge


Then our skin gets thicker from
Our skin thickens due to


Living out in the snow
Living in the snow


You change all the lead
You transform all the negatives


Sleepin' in my head
Lingering in my mind


As the day grows dim
As daylight fades


I hear you sing a golden hymn
I hear you singing a beautiful tune


Then we try to name our babies
We attempt to name our children


But we forgot all the names that
But we can't remember any of the names


The names we used to know
The names we were familiar with


But sometimes, we remember our bedrooms
Occasionally, we recall our childhood rooms


And our parents' bedrooms
And our parents' rooms


And the bedrooms of our friends
And our friends' rooms


Then we think of our parents
Then we remember our parents


Well what ever happened to them?
Wondering what occurred to them


You change all the lead
You transform all the negatives


Sleepin' in my head to gold
Replacing negatives with positives


As the day grows dim
As daylight fades


I hear you sing a golden hymn
I hear you singing a beautiful tune


The song I've been trying to sing
The song I've been attempting to perform


Purify the colors, purify my mind
Cleanse the colors, cleanse my mind


Purify the colors, purify my mind
Cleanse the colors, cleanse my mind


And spread the ashes of the colors
Sprinkle the remains of the colors


Over this heart of mine
Over my heart




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Regine Chassagne, Richard R Parry, Tim Kingsbury, William Butler, Win Butler

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@BgFutre

And if the snow buries my...
My neighborhood

And if my parents are crying,
Then I'll dig a tunnel from my window to yours
Yeah, a tunnel from my window to yours

You climb out the chimney
And meet me in the middle
The middle of the town
And since there's no one else around,
We let our hair grow long and forget all we used to know
Then our skin gets thicker from living out in the snow

You change all the lead sleeping in my head
As the day grows dim, I hear you sing a golden hymn...

Then, we tried to name our babies
But we forgot all the names that,
The names we used to know
But sometimes,
We remember our bedrooms and our parent's bedrooms and the bedrooms of our friends
Then we think of our parents...
Well, whatever happened to them?!

You change all the lead sleeping in my head to gold
As the day grows dim, I hear you sing a golden hymn
It's the song I've been trying to sing...

Purify the colors, purify my mind
Purify the colors, purify my mind
And spread the ashes of the colors over this heart of mine!



All comments from YouTube:

@christiankellerman9206

This is one of the greatest songs of all time

@juancarloshernandezflores9518

Yes It is

@juancarloshernandezflores9518

Also listen to Interpol

@howardsmith6609

I'll second that. It's most certainly in my top 10 favourite tracks of all time.

@Goofballhero

@@juancarloshernandezflores9518What do you recommend for someone who has unsuccessfully tried getting into Interpol?

@asaZOMG

agreed

12 More Replies...

@evanjones-hazledine2404

I love how this song builds and builds and builds

@sharonhousden605

That is the beauty of it. I thought that too 💕

@Winterharbourmusic

Yeah the way the tempo gets quicker and quicker is so good

@karenlimcardenas3292

Hey tu "L" si llegas a ver mi mensaje GRACIAS , gracias por haberme mostrado está gran banda!! (Hace 12 años) 🖤

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