Against The Sky
Bunyan Lyrics
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It had it bring a tree down
Untidy lime tree holding tight
To the end of my last garden
One of five against the sky
An elegant surrender
It broke the wall and bent the gate
And warmed us through the winter
Whatever pulls the wind tonight
Will have the roof slates fly
But rows of chimney pots don't wave
Like trees against the sky
The hill behind the old house
I can trace it with my finger
Against the sky I see it still
And draw it down on paper
Whatever pulled me over here
You were the main contender
And with the tress against the sky
Another life's remembered
Some evening skies are yellow
And over my head they're blue
What happened to the green between
It happened to me
Too
Bunyan’s “Against The Sky” is a song about the power of nature and its impact on our lives. The song opens with the singer describing a stormy night that caused a tree in their garden to come down. The tree was one of five, and its fall had a profound effect on the singer. The imagery of the tree holding tight to the end of the garden is powerful, suggesting that sometimes we hold onto things until we absolutely cannot anymore, and then they fall away. The tree falling was an “elegant surrender,” and its impact on the wall and gate added warmth to the winter that followed.
As the song continues, the singer reflects on the power of the wind and the impact it has on other parts of nature. Row of chimney pots don't wave like trees against the sky, and the hill behind the old house can still be traced with the finger against the sky. The wind represents a force that is beyond human control, and as the singer notes, whatever pulled them over to their current location, it was the main contender. The song ends on a reflective note. Some evening skies are yellow, and over the head, they are blue, but what happened to the green between suggests that time has passed and things have changed. It happened to the singer, too.
Line by Line Meaning
Whatever pulled the wind that night
Unknown force made the wind blow that night.
It had it bring a tree down
The wind blew strongly enough to bring down a tree.
Untidy lime tree holding tight
The tree that fell was a messy lime tree.
To the end of my last garden
The tree was at the edge of the artist's garden.
One of five against the sky
Five trees were visible against the sky.
An elegant surrender
The tree fell gracefully.
It broke the wall and bent the gate
The tree falling also caused damage to the wall and gate.
And warmed us through the winter
Using the fallen tree provided warmth throughout the winter.
Whatever pulls the wind tonight
Unknown force will make the wind blow tonight.
Will have the roof slates fly
The wind may be strong enough to lift roof slates.
But rows of chimney pots don't wave
Unlike trees, chimney pots don't move with the wind.
Like trees against the sky
Trees are a prominent, visible feature against the sky.
The hill behind the old house
There is a hill behind the old house.
I can trace it with my finger
The singer can follow the outline of the hill with their finger.
Against the sky I see it still
The hill is still visible against the sky.
And draw it down on paper
The artist captures the image of the hill on paper.
Whatever pulled me over here
Unknown force caused the artist to come to this place.
You were the main contender
The person being addressed was a significant factor in the singer's arrival here.
And with the tress against the sky
The trees against the sky contribute to the memory of this place.
Another life's remembered
The artist recalls another time in their life.
Some evening skies are yellow
Certain evening skies are a shade of yellow.
And over my head they're blue
Looking up, the artist sees a blue sky.
What happened to the green between
There used to be green between the yellow and blue skies.
It happened to me
The artist has undergone a change, similar to the disappearance of the green between the two colored skies.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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