Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The… Read Full Bio ↴Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band's music covers a variety of genres, including blues rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock.
Currently, the group comprises singer and harmonica player John Popper, guitarist Chan Kinchla, drummer Brendan Hill, bassist Tad Kinchla and keyboardist Ben Wilson. Tad Kinchla and Ben Wilson joined the band following the death of original bassist Bobby Sheehan in 1999.
While Blues Traveler is best known among fans for their improvisational live shows, the general public is most familiar with the group from their Top 40 singles "Run-Around" and "Hook". They gained mainstream popularity after their fourth studio album four, released in 1994. Sheehan's death and Popper's struggle with obesity put a damper on the group's success, and A&M dropped the band in 2002.

The Poignant And Epic Saga Of Featherhead And Lucky Lack
Blues Traveler Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I remember hearing a story
About a girl who wanted to fly
Something about dreams as fragile as bubbles
Well perhaps it won't apply
It seems she'd flap her arms every day and every night
As hard and as long as she could
She knew her dream needed all the love she could give it
For it to do her any good

One night her heart spoke in a dream
It told her if you really love this believe, because

It takes the guiltiest of eyes
To condemn the man who dies
It takes a thousand of his best spies
To expose as many lies
It could take weeks for me to say
How it'll take forever to go away
And it takes everything you have
Everything to be in love

Well across the street there lived a little boy
Sad disfigured child with two humps on his back
Pitiful autistic little mess in a wheelchair
The other kids all named him lack
But lack started to take an interest
In that girl across the way
He'd watch in amazement from his window
While she flapped her arms
And that's how they'd spend their days
She'd soon inspire him to stand
That girl everyone called Featherhead
Made him clearly understand
That

It takes the guiltiest of eyes
To condemn the man who dies
It takes a thousand of his best spies
To expose as many lies
It could take weeks for me to say
How it'll take forever to go away
And it takes everything you have
Everything to be in love

Soon lack could walk and talk and hide his humps
And people realized how clever he could be
Feather still dreaming about the skies
Unaware of how in love lack was with she
One day she quit flapping her arms at last
Convinced that she'd accomplished nothing at all
When lack heard this he ran, not walked to her house
And he begged her, yes he begged her not to let Rome fall

He said "everything I am now is for and because of you
You see I understand your secret and I swear to God it's all true"

It takes the guiltiest of eyes
To condemn the man who dies
It takes a thousand of his best spies
To finally realize
That it takes the strength of Samson's hair
To enter if you dare
And it takes Icarus in flight
To provoke the gods to fight
It could take weeks for me to say
And it'll take forever to go away
And it takes everything you have
Everything to be in love

Well time wears on, and soon Featherhead and Lack had to grow up
Featherhead didn't quit and would be finishing flight school soon
She works for NASA exploring space
Flying regularly to Jupiter's seventh moon
Lack defying all laws of gravity and otherwise flew away
You see those humps on his back grew into great big gossamer wings
He changed his name to luck because he had so much
He still flies where he's needed, doing all sorts of nifty and amazing things
From time to time they meet up in the sky to celebrate
Tax dollars and miracles can let the weirdest people date

It takes the guiltiest of eyes
To condemn the man who dies
It takes a thousand of his best spies
To expose as many lies
It could take weeks for me to say
How it'll take forever to go away
And it takes everything you have
Everything to be in love

I remember hearing a story

Overall Meaning

"The Poignant And Epic Saga Of Featherhead And Lucky Lack" is a complex and metaphorical song by Blues Traveler that tells the story of two individuals, Featherhead and Lucky Lack, who support and inspire each other to pursue their dreams and overcome challenges. The song delves into themes of love, perseverance, and the transformative power of belief.

Featherhead is a girl who aspires to fly, symbolizing her dreams and aspirations. Despite the fragility of her dreams, she dedicates herself to making them come true through constant effort and love. She flaps her arms tirelessly, believing that her dream requires her unwavering commitment. One night, her heart speaks to her in a dream, reminding her to believe in her love for flying.

Across the street from Featherhead lives a disfigured boy named Lucky Lack, who is initially named and isolated by other kids. However, he becomes fascinated by Featherhead's determination and watches her from his window. This sparks an interest in him, and he eventually finds the courage to stand up for himself and overcome his own obstacles. Lack's love for Featherhead drives him to convince her not to give up on her dream.

As time passes, Featherhead continues to pursue her dreams and becomes an astronaut working for NASA, flying to Jupiter's seventh moon. Lack, on the other hand, grows wings from the humps on his back and changes his name to Luck. He embraces his newfound abilities and uses them to do remarkable things wherever he is needed. Despite their different paths, Featherhead and Luck continue to meet and celebrate their extraordinary journeys.

The lyrics highlight the significance of love, belief, and determination in achieving one's dreams. It explores the idea that love and support from others can inspire and empower individuals to overcome obstacles and achieve greatness. The metaphorical references to Icarus, Samson, and spies further emphasize the importance of strength, courage, and the risks associated with pursuing one's dreams.

Line by Line Meaning

I remember hearing a story
I have a memory of hearing a narrative or account

About a girl who wanted to fly
About a young woman who had a desire to soar through the air

Something about dreams as fragile as bubbles
Some information regarding aspirations that are as delicate as soap bubbles

Well perhaps it won't apply
Well, maybe it does not pertain to the present situation

It seems she'd flap her arms every day and every night
It appears that she would repeatedly move her arms up and down each day and night

As hard and as long as she could
With as much effort and duration as she was capable of

She knew her dream needed all the love she could give it
She understood that her aspiration required the utmost affection and devotion

For it to do her any good
In order for it to have a positive effect on her life

One night her heart spoke in a dream
During a single evening, her innermost feelings expressed themselves in a dream

It told her if you really love this believe, because
It communicated to her that if she truly loved her aspiration, she should have faith, because

It takes the guiltiest of eyes
It requires eyes burdened with guilt

To condemn the man who dies
To pass judgment upon the man who perishes

It takes a thousand of his best spies
It necessitates the involvement of a multitude of his most skilled spies

To expose as many lies
To reveal a great number of falsehoods

It could take weeks for me to say
It might require weeks for me to express

How it'll take forever to go away
The amount of time it will take for it to disappear permanently

And it takes everything you have
And it demands the complete depletion of all your resources

Everything to be in love
Everything in order to experience the state of being deeply in love

Well across the street there lived a little boy
In close proximity, on the opposite side of the road, resided a young boy

Sad disfigured child with two humps on his back
An unhappy, physically abnormal child with two protuberances on his rear

Pitiful autistic little mess in a wheelchair
A pathetic, neurologically impaired small disaster confined to a wheelchair

The other kids all named him lack
The rest of the children referred to him as 'lack'

But lack started to take an interest
However, 'lack' started to develop a curiosity

In that girl across the way
In that young woman who lived nearby

He'd watch in amazement from his window
He would observe with astonishment from his window

While she flapped her arms
While she moved her arms up and down

And that's how they'd spend their days
And that is how they would occupy their time

She'd soon inspire him to stand
She would soon motivate him to rise to a standing position

That girl everyone called Featherhead
That young woman who was called 'Featherhead' by everyone

Made him clearly understand
Enabled him to comprehend without ambiguity

That it takes the guiltiest of eyes
That it requires eyes burdened with guilt

To condemn the man who dies
To pass judgment upon the man who perishes

It takes a thousand of his best spies
It necessitates the involvement of a multitude of his most skilled spies

To expose as many lies
To reveal a great number of falsehoods

It could take weeks for me to say
It might require weeks for me to express

How it'll take forever to go away
The amount of time it will take for it to disappear permanently

And it takes everything you have
And it demands the complete depletion of all your resources

Everything to be in love
Everything in order to experience the state of being deeply in love

Soon lack could walk and talk and hide his humps
After a short time, 'lack' gained the ability to ambulate, communicate, and conceal his protuberances

And people realized how clever he could be
And individuals became aware of his intellect and resourcefulness

Feather still dreaming about the skies
However, Featherhead continued to have aspirations of soaring in the heavens

Unaware of how in love lack was with she
Unconscious of 'lack's deep affection towards her

One day she quit flapping her arms at last
Eventually, she ceased the repetitive motion of moving her arms up and down

Convinced that she'd accomplished nothing at all
Persuaded that she had achieved absolutely nothing

When lack heard this he ran, not walked to her house
Upon hearing this, 'lack' acted with urgency, sprinting rather than walking to her residence

And he begged her, yes he begged her not to let Rome fall
And he pleaded with her, emphatically imploring her not to allow their relationship to crumble

He said 'everything I am now is for and because of you
He expressed, 'everything that I have become at present is due to and influenced by you'

You see I understand your secret and I swear to God it's all true'
You see, I comprehend your hidden truth, and I solemnly affirm that it is unquestionably accurate and valid'

It takes the guiltiest of eyes
It requires eyes burdened with guilt

To condemn the man who dies
To pass judgment upon the man who perishes

It takes a thousand of his best spies
It necessitates the involvement of a multitude of his most skilled spies

To finally realize
To ultimately comprehend or grasp

That it takes the strength of Samson's hair
That it necessitates the power found in the hair of Samson

To enter if you dare
To access or enter if you have the courage

And it takes Icarus in flight
And it requires Icarus while in the act of flying

To provoke the gods to fight
To incite the deities to engage in conflict

It could take weeks for me to say
It might require weeks for me to express

And it'll take forever to go away
And it will endure eternally before disappearing

And it takes everything you have
And it demands the complete depletion of all your resources

Everything to be in love
Everything in order to experience the state of being deeply in love

Well time wears on, and soon Featherhead and Lack had to grow up
Well, as time progresses, Featherhead and Lack soon had to mature and become adults

Featherhead didn't quit and would be finishing flight school soon
Featherhead did not give up and would soon complete her education in aviation

She works for NASA exploring space
She is employed by NASA, engaged in the exploration of outer space

Flying regularly to Jupiter's seventh moon
Frequently traveling to the seventh moon of the planet Jupiter by means of flight

Lack defying all laws of gravity and otherwise flew away
Lack, disregarding all principles of gravitational force and any other restrictions, departed by means of flight

You see those humps on his back grew into great big gossamer wings
You observe that those protuberances on his rear evolved into large, delicate wings made of gossamer

He changed his name to luck because he had so much
He altered his name to 'luck' because he possessed an abundance of good fortune

He still flies where he's needed, doing all sorts of nifty and amazing things
He continues to travel to places where his presence is required, engaging in various impressive and remarkable activities

From time to time they meet up in the sky to celebrate
Occasionally, they rendezvous in the sky to commemorate or rejoice

Tax dollars and miracles can let the weirdest people date
Funding from taxes and extraordinary occurrences can enable the most peculiar individuals to engage in romantic relationships