Their debut album, "North Hills", was released in 2009. The album, "Nothing Is Wrong", follows in 2011.
More info: www.dawestheband.com
My Way Back Home
Dawes Lyrics
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The pines up north
The sunrise from a highway
That was not there before
If I can place it all together
Make out the nature of the call
I start to feel the love and the silence
And in my constant quest for truth
I am condemned to facts alone
And though my dreams all lead me nowhere
I won't forget my way back home
From the corner of a coffee shop
Or from the center of a stage
From the words used in a love note
Or from an empty page
While I struggle with these beauties
And my renditions end up dry
I'm like a bird that crashes into the window
That was drawn to the reflection of the sky
And the more I try to speak
The more I lose that earthly tone
And before heaven proves me hopeless
I won't forget my way back home
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
I admit that these answers that I seek
Are all to questions I've never known
But I pray to keep on looking for as long as I can roam
And when the world finally fulfills me
I will not forget my way back home
Dawes’ song, “My Way Back Home,” is a contemplative song about feeling lost and trying to find one’s way back to something familiar and grounding. The opening lines of the song, “A ballerina in Phoenix / The pines up north / The sunrise from a highway / That was not there before,” evoke feelings of displacement and disorientation, as if the singer is searching for something that will bring them back to a sense of home.
As the song progresses, the singer speaks of “constant quest for truth,” and feeling “condemned to facts alone.” The lyrics suggest a struggle between seeking meaning and finding it in hard, tangible evidence. The singer discusses struggling with the beauty of life and feeling like a bird that has flown too close to a window, crashing into the reflections of the sky. Despite this, the singer is determined to keep looking for answers and not lose sight of where they came from.
The chorus, “And though my dreams all lead me nowhere / I won't forget my way back home” becomes a mantra of sorts for the singer. They acknowledge that their pursuit of truth may not always be fruitful, but they will never forget their roots and where they came from.
Overall, “My Way Back Home” is a song about finding oneself in a world that can be disorienting and chaotic. The lyrics suggest that no matter how far we search for truth, there is always something grounding that we can come back to.
Line by Line Meaning
A ballerina in Phoenix
I find beauty and wonder in unexpected places, such as a ballerina in Phoenix.
The pines up north
The natural world provides me with a sense of peace and connection, like the pines up north.
The sunrise from a highway
That was not there before
Even amidst change and development, there is beauty to be found, like the sunrise from a highway that did not exist before.
If I can place it all together
Make out the nature of the call
I start to feel the love and the silence
That was always at the root of it all
By contemplating and understanding the world around me, I can connect with the deeper love and stillness that lies at the heart of everything.
And in my constant quest for truth
I am condemned to facts alone
While I strive for greater understanding and truth, I sometimes find myself limited by the cold, hard facts of reality.
And though my dreams all lead me nowhere
I won't forget my way back home
Even if my dreams and aspirations do not lead me where I thought they would, I will always remember the path that brought me to where I am.
From the corner of a coffee shop
Or from the center of a stage
From the words used in a love note
Or from an empty page
Inspiration and insights can come from any source, whether it be the world around me or the thoughts within my own mind.
While I struggle with these beauties
And my renditions end up dry
I'm like a bird that crashes into the window
That was drawn to the reflection of the sky
Although I may struggle to capture the beauty and truth I see in the world, I am drawn to it like a bird to the sky, even if that means making mistakes along the way.
And the more I try to speak
The more I lose that earthly tone
And before heaven proves me hopeless
I won't forget my way back home
As I try to express the deeper truths I see, I find myself increasingly disconnected from the physical world, but I will always remember the place where I come from.
I admit that these answers that I seek
Are all to questions I've never known
But I pray to keep on looking for as long as I can roam
And when the world finally fulfills me
I will not forget my way back home
While I may never find all the answers I seek, I will keep searching for as long as I live, always remembering the place that is home to me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Taylor Goldsmith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind