Christopher Paul Stelling (born 19 February 1982 in Daytona Beach, Florida)… Read Full Bio ↴Christopher Paul Stelling (born 19 February 1982 in Daytona Beach, Florida) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist currently based Asheville, North Carolina. He has released a string of albums, including 2012's Songs of Praise and Scorn, 2013's False Cities, 2015's Labor Against Waste and 2017's Itinerant Arias.

Scarecrow
Christopher Paul Stelling Lyrics

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We were lost, and set adrift
on a red clay unmarked road,
with nothing 'cept what we could hold,
free of every debt we owed.
We'd left behind our sorted pasts
and all we had held dear.
We'd dropped the sails and climbed the mast,
made a promise in the mirror feeling so inspired.

So breathe, breathe it out, lay your burdens down,
to rest.
Breath, through the doubts,
never let them get the best, the best of you.
Hey now look yonder darling whats that i see,
don't that scarecrow on the hillside
look an awful lot like me,
with his arms all spread out wide
like he was measuring the fields,
or was he out there standing guard
over something long been concealed,
using his body as a shield,
or maybe he's more like Jesus Christ,
out there crucified
for what he held inside his heart
that he could no longer hide.
Did it make him out a liar?
So breathe, breathe it out,
lay your burdens down to rest,

breathe through the doubts,
never let them get the best, the best of you.

Overall Meaning

Christopher Paul Stelling's song Scarecrow tells the story of two individuals leaving behind their pasts and heading towards a new future, only to get lost and stranded on an unmarked road. They have nothing with them except for what they can carry and the promise they made to themselves in the mirror, a promise that inspired them to move forward. The song is a reflection of the struggles that people go through while trying to carve out a new path for themselves in life. The lyrics describe a sense of freedom that comes from letting go of your past, your troubles, your doubts, and allowing yourself to take a leap of faith.

The scarecrow on the hillside is a powerful image used in the song. It acts as a metaphor for the struggles and fears that are sometimes part of life's journey. The scarecrow seems to be standing tall, with his arms outstretched and his body acting as a shield, protecting something that has been concealed for a long time. In some ways, the scarecrow reflects the singer's innermost thoughts, his fears, doubts, and worries that he has left behind on his journey. The reference to Jesus Christ being crucified highlights the idea that those who dare to dream, to step out of their comfort zones, will inevitably face challenges and obstacles. But just like the scarecrow, they must stand tall, face their fears, and conquer them.

Line by Line Meaning

We were lost, and set adrift on a red clay unmarked road
We didn't know where we were going and we had no direction on a path that was not even marked.

With nothing 'cept what we could hold, free of every debt we owed
We only had what we were carrying and we were not burdened by any debts.

We'd left behind our sorted pasts and all we had held dear
We have left all our previous lives, memories, and belongings behind us in the past.

We'd dropped the sails and climbed the mast, made a promise in the mirror feeling so inspired
Just as sailors would lower their sails and climb the mast to reach the top, we have made a promise to ourselves while feeling inspired in front of a mirror.

So breathe, breathe it out, lay your burdens down, to rest
Take a deep breath and let all your worries go, let them rest.

Breath, through the doubts, never let them get the best, the best of you
Don't let your doubts overtake you, stay strong and be your best self.

Hey now look yonder darling whats that i see
Look out there, my love, what do you see?

don't that scarecrow on the hillside look an awful lot like me
Doesn't that scarecrow on the hill resemble me a lot?

with his arms all spread out wide like he was measuring the fields
The scarecrow has its arms wide open, just as if it is measuring the fields

or was he out there standing guard over something long been concealed
Or maybe he is standing there to guard something that was hidden for a long time.

using his body as a shield, or maybe he's more like Jesus Christ, out there crucified
He might be using his body as a shield to protect something, or perhaps he is similar to Jesus Christ, who was crucified for his beliefs and actions.

for what he held inside his heart that he could no longer hide, did it make him out a liar
Did what he believed in, and what he held in his heart, make him look like a liar to others because he could no longer hide it?

So breathe, breathe it out, lay your burdens down to rest, breathe through the doubts, never let them get the best, the best of you
Take a deep breath and release all your problems, let them rest. While facing doubts, keep breathing deeply and stay strong so that doubts never take over the best version of yourself.

Contributed by Aiden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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