Air War
Crystal Castles Lyrics

Bronze by gold heard the hoofrons,
The sound of horses' hooves could be heard from afar, as if different metallic elements melded to produce a unique ring.

Steelyringing imperthnthn thnthnthn.
The hoofrons rang evenly and quickly with a metallic sound that echoed through the air.

Chips, picking chips off rocky thumbnail, chips.
Someone was picking and scraping off pieces of dirt or debris from under their fingernails, with chips falling away one by one.

Horrid! And gold flushed more.
The person doing the nail scraping was disgusted by what they found, and this caused their face to turn red with emotion.

A husky fifenote blew.
A low-pitched and throaty note was played on a flute.

Blew. Blue bloom is on the Gold pinnacled hair.
The sound of the flute faded away, and the singer describes a blue floral ornament placed on top of golden hair that's styled into a point or peak.

A jumping rose on satiny breasts of satin, Rose of Castille.
The image of a rose suddenly comes to mind, which appears to be bouncing on the smooth and silky breasts of a woman wearing satin clothes. The rose is referred to as the Rose of Castille.

Trilling, trilling: I dolores.
A rapid series of musical trills are heard, coming from someone who identifies themselves as Dolores.

Peep! Who's in the... peepofgold?
A high-pitched sound is emitted, followed by a question about someone being inside what could be a small golden container of some sort.

Tink cried to bronze in pity.
A small, tinkling sound is made, perhaps in response to the previous sound, and the artist expresses sympathy towards something made of bronze.

And a call, pure, long and throbbing. Longindying call.
A pure and long-lasting sound is heard, its vibrations felt throughout the air. The sound is described as being both alive and dying out at the same time.

Decoy. Soft word. But look! The bright stars fade. O rose! Notes
A trick or deception is attempted with a gentle word, but the sight of the bright stars fades away, and the artist exclaims about a rose once again, followed by notes of music.

Chirruping answer. Castille. The morn is breaking.
A chirping sound is heard in response to something, and once again the word Castille is used. It's announced that the morning is beginning to dawn.

Jingle jingle jaunted jingling.
A series of jingling sounds are made, as if coming from a jingling sleigh ride or other equally festive activity.

Coin rang. Clock clacked.
The sound of a ringing coin and the ticking of a clock are heard.

Avowal. Sonnez. I could. Rebound of garter. Not leave thee.
A declaration of love is made, followed by the sound of a bell ringing. The artist expresses that they could not leave the object of their affection, and mentions the sound of a garter snapping back into place.

Smack. La cloche! Thigh smack. Avowal. Warm. Sweetheart, Goodbye!
A loud smack is heard, followed by someone shouting 'The bell!' in French. Another word is used to describe the sound of a slap or strike, followed by another avowal of love, warmth, and a bittersweet farewell.

When love absorbs. War! War! The tympanum.
As love takes over, the violent sound of war drums can be heard, reverberating through the air.

A sail! A veil awave upon the waves.
The image of a sail or a veil being waved around by the waves of the ocean is evoked.

When first he saw. Alice!
The artist remembers the first time they saw someone named Alice.

Full tup. Full throb.
A deep and resonant sound echoes and throbs through the air.

Warbling. Ah, lure! Alluring.
A bird-like warbling sound is heard, followed by an exclamation of temptation and allure.

Martha! Come!
Someone calls out the name Martha, and urges her to come.

Clapclop. Clipclap. Clappyclap.
The sound of footsteps, perhaps from horses or people, can be heard in quick succession and in different rhythms.

Goodgod henev erheard inall.
An exclamation of shock, as if the singer has never heard anything like it before.

A moonlight nightcall: far: far.
A call can be heard in the distance, under the light of the moon, and the singer emphasizes how far away it seems to be.

I feel so sad. P. S. So lonely blooming.
The singer expresses sorrow and loneliness, followed by what could be an abbreviation for 'post script,' and a term that conjures up images of solitary flowers blooming in an empty field.

Listen!
Someone implores listeners to pay attention, as if something important is about to happen.

The spiked and winding cold seahorn. Have you the? Each and For other plash and silent roar.
The artist describes a cold and spiky horn-like object related to something in the sea, and then asks whether others have it. The line describing its effects on the sea is ambiguous, with the words 'each' and 'for' implying various possibilities of what it does.

Pearls: when she. Liszt's rhapsodies. Hissss.
The word 'pearls' is mentioned, followed by an incomplete sentence about someone or something. Then, the name of a composer's music is mentioned, followed by the sound of a hissing noise.