And The Hazy Sea
Cymbals Eat Guitars Lyrics

Do you know how many cities had been built
The singer is asking if the listener knows the exact number of cities that have been established.

On the mainland and the trains there
The cities on the mainland were well-connected by a network of trains.

How they'd glide over the marshes
The trains would smoothly move over the swampy lands of the cities.

And the hazy sea
Along with the marshes, the cities were also surrounded by a foggy sea.

Carrying business men in starched collar shirts
The trains carry professional businessmen who wore formal shirts with crisp collars.

Who peered out windows that would fog
The businessmen would look out of the windows, but they would fog up quickly.

Faster than you could wipe them, man
The fog would settle on the windows so fast that it became impossible to clean them quickly.

Why are there mountains
The artist is questioning the existence of mountains.

Then the last fire dies
The end of a certain era is indicated by the extinction of the last fire.

We rebuild with foundations
After every destruction, the cities are rebuilt from the ground up with stronger foundations.

Set just slightly higher
The new foundations are elevated just a little bit higher to avoid flooding or other kinds of disasters.

On compacted ash and bone
The new foundation is constructed on top of compacted ash and bone that remained from the previous build.

Spiralling skyward at the GWB
The new buildings and structures in the reconstructed cities are tall and reach for the sky.

Will you take the wheel for a while
The singer is requesting the listener to take the lead for some time.

I'm suddenly real tired
The singer has grown suddenly tired and wants the listener to take over.

We two running our course
The artist is reminiscing about the times when they were together just the two of them.

Your summer version
The listener's company was a source of happiness and energy for the artist, like a summer season.

Was so fresh and fertile emerald green
The listener's presence was new, alive and stimulating; like an emerald green color which is a symbol of freshness.

The wind in your hair
The wind is a metaphor for the refreshing and energizing effect of the listener's presence.

Like wind Russian through the canopy
The wind is represented like the sound of Russian flowing through the forest canopy.

And I was green too with robust fucked envy
The artist was also green with envy, a reference to the emerald green metaphor; implies that the listener was with someone else.

And the way suspension bridges shake
The artist is fascinated by the way suspension bridges shake when vehicles drive across them.

When you're stopped behind trucks
The singer is recalling a time when they were behind a truck and witnessed the shaking of the suspension bridge.

Sailing into 1999
This is possibly a reference to Y2K, the Y2K bug, or the anticipation of the new millennium.