All the Distant Ships
Electric President Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

It passed through me into you*
Used our blood as the glue
Their hands pulled me into the earth
Where I laid until they figured my worth
Then they moved on to you
Said that we would have to do
The words fell from my mouth
And stained our new ground
And I called out to you
But you told me you were through
And we'd meet again once the voices were gone

I woke up near the sea
With the sky bruised over scrap metal ground
And all the distant ships were sinking
And I wondered how you were

And as the sun burned my skin
I watched you swimming
And as your body drifted in
I sat and told you everything
About how I condone everything that they used to tear us on down
And all of the air we breathed just helped me choke a little more down
Now this is where we are

The sky is spinning around, around
We'll grind our teeth from the sound, the sound
We'll watch the spectators drown, oh, they'll drown
While I dig through the bones of all this
And find all the things our heads missed
And strap them across my scraped fists
Like using a crane to scratch an itch
One that never goes away

And all of the world will drink as the clouds come pouring on down
And we'll dream of distant things while they strap our legs to ground




'cause this is where we are
Yeah, this is where we are

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Electric President's song All the Distant Ships paint a forlorn picture of a love that has been torn apart by outside forces. The opening lines suggest a deep connection between the two, where one's blood is used as glue to hold them together. However, they are separated when some unknown people pull the singer down into the earth, where they remain until they are deemed worthy again. The lyricist then speaks of the connection between them as they are joined and says that they stained the ground with their words. However, before the bond could be cemented, the other person turns away and leaves. The lyricist expresses hope that they will meet again once the voices have gone.


The song takes a dreamlike turn and moves to a different space where the singer wakes up by the sea. They seem to be in a post-apocalyptic world, where the "sky is bruised over scrap metal ground," and the "distant ships are sinking." Despite the chaos around them, the lyricist can't help but wonder how the other person is doing. As the sun beats down, they watch the other person swimming, and they tell them everything. They express a begrudging acceptance of "everything that they used to tear us on down."


The last verse switches back to the chaos of the world, where the sky is spinning around, and they'll grind their teeth from the sound, and they'll watch as the spectators drown. However, even in this world of oppression and control, the lyricist will dig through the bones to find what their heads missed and fight back against the injustice. The song ends with the world drinking as the clouds come pouring down, and they dream of distant things while they're bound to the ground. The lyricist accepts this reality, and the final line drives home the point of the song - that this is where they are.


Line by Line Meaning

It passed through me into you
Our shared experience and pain has affected us deeply and inextricably bound us together


Used our blood as the glue
Our connection and bond was formed through a traumatic experience that we both endured


Their hands pulled me into the earth
I was taken by some outside party and buried alive


Where I laid until they figured my worth
I was buried until those who took me deemed me valuable enough to release


Then they moved on to you
After they were done with me, those who took me moved on to you


Said that we would have to do
They told us that we would have to stick together and face the situation together


The words fell from my mouth
I spoke my truth


And stained our new ground
My words had a profound impact and felt like they permanently marked our experience


And I called out to you
After being separated, I tried to reach out to you


But you told me you were through
You refused to continue our connection and pushed me away


And we'd meet again once the voices were gone
We would reconnect after the pain and trauma subsided


I woke up near the sea
I regained consciousness by the ocean


With the sky bruised over scrap metal ground
The environment I woke up in was harsh and damaged, with scars from past events


And all the distant ships were sinking
Even things that seemed far away and unrelated to our experience were being affected by some catastrophic event


And I wondered how you were
I was concerned about your well-being


And as the sun burned my skin
I was exposed to the harsh elements


I watched you swimming
I observed you from a distance, unsure of how to approach you


And as your body drifted in
I saw you being affected by the same event that was affecting everything else around us


I sat and told you everything
I opened up to you and shared my experiences and emotions


About how I condone everything that they used to tear us on down
I accepted the actions of those who hurt us and blamed ourselves for our own pain


And all of the air we breathed just helped me choke a little more down
I felt suffocated and trapped in our shared pain and trauma


Now this is where we are
Our current situation is a result of our past experiences and choices


The sky is spinning around, around
Our surroundings feel chaotic and unpredictable


We'll grind our teeth from the sound, the sound
The things happening around us will continue to be painful and stressful


We'll watch the spectators drown, oh, they'll drown
Those who were spectators to our pain will now face similar consequences


While I dig through the bones of all this
I am actively trying to process and understand our shared trauma


And find all the things our heads missed
I am trying to uncover new insights and understandings that we may have overlooked


And strap them across my scraped fists
I will hold onto these new insights tightly and use them to move forward


Like using a crane to scratch an itch
The process of healing and moving forward will not be easy or comfortable


One that never goes away
The pain and trauma will always be a part of us and will influence our experiences and choices in the future


And all of the world will drink as the clouds come pouring on down
The world and everything in it will be affected by serious and catastrophic events


And we'll dream of distant things while they strap our legs to ground
Even in the face of adversity and confinement, we will aspire to and imagine a better future


'cause this is where we are
We must accept and deal with the situation we are currently in




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: ALEXANDER KANE, BENJAMIN COOPER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Edgelord McTryhard

one of my favorite songs of all time and definitely one of the best songs ever written

More Versions