That same month, Amber from Dirty Projectors was walking along a ridge on Mount Wittenberg, north of San Francisco. She was looking out at the ocean and saw a little family of whales, as you sometimes do in April on the Northern California coast. Dave wrote some songs about it and sent them to Björk, who agreed to sing the part of the mom whale. The songs became Mount Wittenberg Orca. Amber and Angel and Haley sang the part of the kid whales, and Dave sang the part of Amber.
Mount Wittenberg Orca was released on June 30. All the money that it generates goes to the project of creating international marine protected areas.
All We Are
Dirty Projectors + Björk Lyrics
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Where ocean meets the shore
In the place where we could meet
You will be all alone
So as we angle to the new
Tow on a thawing frontier
Never a woman on the shore
I looked out for you
But looking never meant less
I could feel that you were gone
And I despondent turned and left
I reached out for you
But reaching never meant less
I could feel that you were gone
And I despondent turned and left
We looked out across the long horizon
We looked in each other's eyes
And realized that we are only one
Through a moment we could glimpse an infinity
And through an infinity we could see
All in all is all we are
The lyrics to Dirty Projectors' song "All We Are" convey a sense of longing for a connection with another person in a vast and daunting world. The opening lines describe a location by the ocean where two people could meet, but the singer acknowledges that this person will likely be "all alone." This sets the stage for the rest of the song, which explores the difficulty of forming meaningful connections with others despite our desire for love and companionship.
The second verse suggests that the singer and this other person are on the cusp of something new and exciting ("angling to the new / tow on a thawing frontier"), but there is a sense of unease as they move forward. They are surrounded by vastness and uncertainty, and there is no woman or witness to anchor them to the shore. The chorus of the song captures the essence of this feeling: "I looked out for you / But looking never meant less / I could feel that you were gone / And I despondent turned and left." Despite their shared desire to connect, the singer senses that this person is slipping away, and he is left to face the vastness of the world alone.
The final verse offers a moment of clarity amidst the uncertainty. The two people look out across the horizon and realize that they are only one, glimpsing an infinity that suggests a unifying force underlying all things. In this moment, the vastness of the world and the sense of isolation that they feel dissipates, and they recognize that "all in all is all we are." The song offers a poignant reflection on the challenge of finding connection in a world that can often feel vast and unforgiving.
Line by Line Meaning
In the nursery
This place symbolizes a starting point, maybe childhood, where everything was simple and easy
Where ocean meets the shore
A scenery of the sea delivering waves to the shore suggests that something bigger than us is at work
In the place where we could meet
This place is not physical, it represents a relationship where two people can connect
You will be all alone
In any relationship, there is a possibility of feeling isolated and hopeless despite being together
So as we angle to the new
We are looking ahead, adjusting to change
Tow on a thawing frontier
We are being pulled towards a new horizon that is both unknown and exciting
Never a woman on the shore
The shore here symbolizes the destination, but it also represents the end of the journey. The author understands that they will never reach their final goal, so they accept it and prepare to move on
A witness or a love
The author now knows that nobody will be there to share their success with them. There will be no one they love to witness their achievements
I looked out for you
The author was trying to be there for someone, possibly a friend or a loved one
But looking never meant less
Despite the author's efforts, they couldn't prevent that person from leaving, and their attempt seemed futile
I could feel that you were gone
The author felt a sense of loss and realized that that person had already moved on without them
And I despondent turned and left
The author couldn't bear the pain anymore and decided to give up on their pursuit
I reached out for you
The author wanted to reconnect with someone they've left behind
But reaching never meant less
However, it seems that their attempt was not meaningful at all
I could feel that you were gone
Again, the author felt their distance, and the gap between them was too wide to fix
And I despondent turned and left
The author felt the same way as before, hopeless and left the situation behind
We looked out across the long horizon
Despite everything, both parties still felt hope for the future
We looked in each other's eyes
They acknowledged each other's existence and their connection
And realized that we are only one
They knew that they only existed for each other, and nobody else mattered to them
Through a moment we could glimpse an infinity
They had a moment that was so perfect that they felt like it would last forever
And through an infinity we could see
Their connection was so strong that they could see past their own limitations
All in all is all we are
In the end, everything they did and experience somehow led up to this moment which they both cherished as it reflected their true identity and self-worth
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
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