With guitar in hand, Craig can turn any setting into an intimate affair, infusing his music and lyrics with an uncompromising humanism rarely seen in today's production-heavy climate.
Craig makes it a point to keep the relationship with his fans personal, inviting and accepting any opportunity to make his audience as much a part of the performance as he is. Don't be surprised if one day you find yourself enjoying one of Craig's renowned shows in the comfort of your own living room.
In 2012, Cardiff was nominated for a Juno Award for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Solo, and for a Canadian Folk Music Award as Contemporary Singer of the Year.
For more information, tour dates, and music, please visit the official Craig Cardiff site.
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Craig Cardiff's Bandcamp page
Miles To Go
Craig Cardiff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For what seems like hours
The cars and our blood thick and slow
Trading miles for inches and we've got miles to go
And heavy loads
And I can see the clouds changing in the mirror behind
And my moods are the weather they change with the sky
It's been coming for all this year
Then it's the film screen
Blue greens
Thunder and lightning movie scene
What amazes me the most
Is that we've come so close
And then it all comes undone
Then it all comes undone
And I'm making things harder in my usual way
And I'm growing through stages and mistakes I've made
But there's pages and pages of things I can't seem to say
And I know that I should come clean
Somewhere in between
The thunder and lightning
What amazes me the most
Is my fear of the ghosts
And then it all comes undone
Then it all comes undone
I don't know exactly what it's about
But I know it's been at least three times now
All the shit I put you through
Was relentless and useless
And my solution is I'm no good for you
And we're still driving this main state
And our state of driving
The cars and our blood thick and slow
Trading smiles and pinches and we've got miles to go
Miles to go
And miles to go
Miles to go
Miles to go
The lyrics of Craig Cardiff's "Miles To Go" describe a long and difficult journey, both literally and figuratively. The singer has been driving through a state for what feels like hours, with heavy loads and the feeling that there are still many miles to go. The atmosphere in the car is thick and slow, with the cars and their blood(?) trading miles for inches. In this sense, the physical journey is a metaphor for a larger struggle, likely emotional or psychological.
Throughout the journey, the singer's mood is constantly shifting, much like the clouds they can see changing in the mirror behind them. The character's emotions are the weather and they change with the sky. But despite this instability, there is a sense of excitement – "god how it feels to get up and fly". This excitement has been building for a long time, "It's been coming for all this year".
The turning point of the song comes when the lyrics shift to a "film screen", complete with "blue greens", "thunder and lightning", and a "movie scene". It's as if the journey has taken on a surreal quality, and the singer is now seeing their life as a cinematic experience. The contrast between the magical movie scene and the harsh reality of their situation makes the singer reflect on their life and relationships. They realize how close they've come to something, and how easily it can all come undone.
The final stanza brings the song full circle, with the characters still driving through the state, their journey likely to continue on for some time. But now, there is a sense of hopefulness – they've traded their "miles for inches", they're trading "smiles and pinches", and despite everything, they still have miles to go.
Line by Line Meaning
We've been driving this main state
We've been traveling down this same road for a while now
For what seems like hours
It feels like it's been a long time
The cars and our blood thick and slow
We're tired and everything feels slow around us
Trading miles for inches and we've got miles to go
We're making progress, but we still have a long way to go
And heavy loads
We're carrying a lot of emotional weight
And I can see the clouds changing in the mirror behind
I can see the world changing behind me
And my moods are the weather they change with the sky
My emotions are like the weather, always changing
But god how it feels to get up and fly
But it feels amazing to break free
It's been coming for all this year
I've been building up to this moment all year
Then it's the film screen
Then everything goes black and white like a movie screen
Blue greens
The colors in the world turn blue and green
Thunder and lightning movie scene
Everything feels like a dramatic movie scene with thunder and lightning
What amazes me the most
What surprises me the most
Is that we've come so close
Is that we're almost there
And then it all comes undone
But then everything falls apart
And I'm making things harder in my usual way
And I'm causing more problems like I usually do
And I'm growing through stages and mistakes I've made
I'm learning and improving from the mistakes I've made
But there's pages and pages of things I can't seem to say
But there are so many things I can't bring myself to say
And I know that I should come clean
And I know that I should tell the truth
Somewhere in between
Somewhere in the middle
The thunder and lightning
The dramatic storm around us
What amazes me the most
What surprises me the most
Is my fear of the ghosts
Is my fear of the past
Then it all comes undone
Then everything falls apart
I don't know exactly what it's about
I'm not sure what's going on
But I know it's been at least three times now
But I know this has happened at least three times now
All the shit I put you through
All the problems I've caused for you
Was relentless and useless
Were constant and did nothing to help
And my solution is I'm no good for you
And my answer is that I'm not the right person for you
And we're still driving this main state
And we're still on this long road
And our state of driving
And the way we feel while driving
Trading smiles and pinches and we've got miles to go
We're laughing and joking around, but we still have a long way to go
Miles to go
We have a long way to travel
Miles to go
We have a long way to travel
Miles to go
We have a long way to travel
Miles to go
We have a long way to travel
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave
Written by: Craig Cardiff
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mitdave3442
Dirty old town, dirty old town
I've got all your little problems clearly written down
But you don't even know, and can't even see
All the butterfly that you're going to be
All the butterfly that you are becoming
[Pre-Chorus]
All the roads, all the miles
But hair goes grey, eyes stay wide
Fall into bed, turn off the lights
Fall asleep inside
[Chorus 1]
You're the one, you're the one, you're the one
Hearts grow into hearts until hearts become one
But you're the one, you're the one, you're the one
I carry your heart in my heart, sung with every song
But you're the one, you're the one
[Verse 2]
Poised with grace in this poisoned place
And how you ever manage to keep it off your face
But you don't even know and you can't even see
All the butterfly that you're going to be
All the butterfly that you are becoming
[Verse 3]
Dirty old town, dirty old town
They've got all of your little secrets fairly written down
And you don't even know and you can't even see
All the butterfly that you're going to be
All the butterfly that you are becoming
[Chorus 2]
But you're the one, you're the one, you're the one
Hearts grow into hearts until hearts become one
But you're the one, you're the one, you're the one
I carry your heart in my heart, hearts become one
But you're the one, you're the one, you're the one
Hearts grow into hearts until hearts become one
But you're the one, you're the one, you're the one
I carry your heart in my heart, sung with every song
Fall asleep inside
[Instrumental]
@ela2168
dirty old town, dirty old town,
they've got all your little problems clearly written down.
you don't even know, don't even see
the butterfly that you're going to be,
the butterfly that you are becoming.
all the road, all the miles,
hair goes grey, eyes stay wide.
come to bed, turn off the lights
fall asleep inside of you. you're the one,
you're the one.
hearts grow into hearts until hearts become one.
you're the one, you're the one.
i carry you heart in my heart sung with every song.
poised with grace in this poisoned place.
how you ever manage to keep it off your face.
you don't even know, don't even see
the butterfly that you're going to be,
the butterfly you are becoming.
@CraigCardiffMusic
bits and pieces from everywhere -
and ee cummings of course!
[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]
BY E. E. CUMMINGS
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
@mchaggins3294
Been one of my favorite songs for about 4 years. Kind of timeless in a way.
@CraigCardiffMusic
thanks for listening to the music - new music coming out september! https://artists.landr.com/055120958717
@vaniagomes374
I was listening to some songs on Spotify when suddenly this song came on.
Now It's been one of my favs. I can't stop listening it ♥️
@CraigCardiffMusic
thanks for listening / subscribing to the channel - cc
@claregomez4741
Let me just say this... Last month I heard this song randomly on spotify. I loved it but I was washing the dishes and I was listening to it on a random playlist on shuffle... So the worst thing happened, the lyric and tune "you're the one, you're the one, you're the one" got stuck in my head. I got so depressed when I couldn't find this song anymore. I had no idea where to begin looking. I tried searching for this song on google, simply typing "you're the one 3x indie song" but the results never went to my favor. Fast forward: today I was randomly listening on Daily Mix on spotify and a familiar tune came in. Yes. It's this song. I got my little miracle today.
@CraigCardiffMusic
:) check out new music coming out in the fall
https://artists.landr.com/055120958717
@strawburri
Deserves way more recongition. One of my faves!
@CraigCardiffMusic
thanks for sharing / supporting the music - please consider subscribing to the channel! - cc
@fredysaavedra1
This music seems beautiful to me, I am a truck driver and this music makes my trips a beautiful scenario where I can really see the road
@CraigCardiffMusic
thanks for your ears - check out the song 'lake michigan' and 'lenny bruce lee'