Eleni Mandell, a singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, California, often cite… Read Full Bio ↴Eleni Mandell, a singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, California, often cites Tom Waits and X as her biggest influences. Mandell self-released her Jon Brion-produced debut album Wishbone in 1998. Thrill followed in 2000 on Zedtone Records - the label that has released all of her subsequent full-length albums: Snakebite, the all-country album Country for True Lovers, Afternoon, Miracle of Five, and Artificial Fire. I Can See the Future is her first release on Yep Roc. Mandell also has several releases on the Minneapolis based Heart of a Champion record label: vinyl pressings of Snakebite and Country for True Lovers, two 7" singles, and a limited edition jazz vocal CD EP titled Maybe, Yes. Mandell's songs have appeared in several movies and television shows (including Six Feet Under), and she received much acclaim for her cover of the song "I Love Paris", which was used in a fast food commercial starring Paris Hilton. Mandell also sings, plays guitar, and writes for the L.A. pop supergroup The Grabs. She is also one-third of The Living Sisters.

The Future
Eleni Mandell Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I want to fall in love again, I know where it will happen
Along the California coast, where the ocean meets the mountains.
I can see the future.

Driving north a winding road I had a premonition
A golden badge and rolling hills living pointless station.
I can see the future.

Someday will the clouds blow away
Watch me as the fall creeps in, I wonder when I’ll make it.

Stopping for the night somewhere, the old hotel Arcada.
I can see the future.

Overall Meaning

In the song "The Future," Eleni Mandell expresses her desire to fall in love again. She believes that it will happen along the California coast, where the mountains meet the ocean. Mandell has a premonition while driving down a winding road. She envisions herself living in a beautiful place where hills roll and a golden badge shines. She has an epiphany that puts her on a trajectory toward this idyllic future.

Mandell continues to contemplate the future as she wonders about the passage of time. She muses on the fate of the clouds and the changing seasons. She is also uncertain about the outcome of her journey. She stops for the night at an old hotel called Arcada. Whether this will be a pleasant or unpleasant experience for her is unclear. Mandell concludes that she can see the future, but the song suggests that this vision of the future is somewhat vague and unsettled.

Line by Line Meaning

I want to fall in love again, I know where it will happen
I desire love once more and I am certain that it will occur at a specific location along the California coast, where the vastness of the ocean meets the majesty of the mountains.

Along the California coast, where the ocean meets the mountains.
Describing the exact setting where love's rekindling is believed to occur - where the endlessness of the sea meets the magnitude of the mountains.

I can see the future.
Feeling an intuitive understanding, apprehension, or foreknowledge that transcends the present time and place.

Driving north a winding road I had a premonition
Traveling by car on a serpentine path, experiencing a feeling of knowing beforehand an event which will happen in the future.

A golden badge and rolling hills living pointless station.
A description of a life or location, dressed in sentimental language, that has ceased to have any purpose or value to the artist.

Someday will the clouds blow away
At some point, the figurative fog or uncertainty of life will lift, and clarity will be revealed.

Watch me as the fall creeps in, I wonder when I’ll make it.
Observing as the autumn season approaches, while the singer muses on their ability to survive, thrive or succeed.

Stopping for the night somewhere, the old hotel Arcada.
Taking a break from the journey of life - checking into an old but nostalgic hotel, Arcada, for rest and reflection.

I can see the future.
Reiteration of an innate ability to anticipate or predict events, circumstances, or outcomes that have yet to transpire.

Lyrics © RIFF CITY SOUNDS, LLC
Written by: ELENI ILENE MANDELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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