Erin McKeown (pronounced "mick-YONE") is an American multi-instrumentalist,… Read Full Bio ↴Erin McKeown (pronounced "mick-YONE") is an American multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer/songwriter. Recent tour dates can always be found at www.erinmckeown.com. McKeown's music is difficult to categorize in terms of genre; it has touched upon pop, swing, rock, folk, and electronic music, as well as many other genres.

Where McKeown cites The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as an influence on her music, the Philadelphia Weekly recently described McKeown's music, saying:
"More singer-songwriters should follow the lead of Erin McKeown, the kooky songbird who's proved both playful and daring throughout her career. With a lilting delivery and chameleonic instrumentation, she even slipped into French for "Coucou", a gem off her unlikely standards album Sing You Sinners. But with McKeown, is anything really unlikely?"
McKeown's latest record, Hundreds of Lions, was released under Righteous Babe Records on October 13, 2009. Additionally, "CabinFever", a series of web concerts recorded in 2009 are available at McKeown's website.

McKeown began her career in the folk scene. She released her first album, Monday Morning Cold, on her own label (TVP Records), travelling throughout New England while still a student at Brown University in order to promote the record. Although she had begun studying ornithology, she graduated from Brown with a degree in ethnomusicology.

Earlier works include the roots and folk-orientated Distillation (2000), mainly pop and swing-orientated Grand (2003), We Will Become Like Birds (rock and pop, 2005) and the jazz and swing-orientated Sing You Sinners (2006, USA: 2007)

Considering she's praised for vivid and entertaining live shows, Erin McKeown released several live records such as an EP featuring live performances on KCRW Radio in 2006 and live recordings from Sirius FM by the end of 2009.

Float
Erin McKeown Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Our love in little heaps
Our love now fast asleep
Our love was taking leaps
Don't land

You're so pretty floating through the air
How you pause by despair
Bullet flies toward disrepair

Don't land

Alleluiah! Alleluiah!

Bright trails lit against the sky
So much destruction, how does it fly?
I must avert my eyes
Don't land

Alleluiah! Alleluiah!

Our love was built on heavy things
Our love survives and sings

Our love always it had wings
Don't land

Overall Meaning

In Erin McKeown's song "Float," the lyrics depict a relationship that once took risks, real leaps, and soared high. However, it seems to have hit a rough patch or ended altogether. The lines "Our love in little heaps, our love now fast asleep" imply that the relationship has come to a standstill or an end. Despite this, the person singing still sees beauty in their loved one and their ability to glide through the pain with grace. The lyrics "You're so pretty floating through the air, how you pause by despair, bullet flies toward disrepair, don't land" captures the singer's admiration for the way the other person moves on from their pain.

As the song progresses, the chorus repeats the phrase "Alleluia" twice. It is unclear whether it is an expression of joy or sorrow. However, the next verse seems to provide a clue as to the interpretation. The lines "Bright trails lit against the sky, so much destruction, how does it fly? I must avert my eyes, don't land" give the impression that the singer might be watching fireworks, but with destruction in the background. The phrase "how does it fly?" suggests disbelief or awe, and "I must avert my eyes" implies turning away from something unbearable.

The last verse offers some hope for the relationship, with the lyrics "Our love was built on heavy things, our love survives and sings, our love always had wings, don't land." These lines suggest that their love was strong, resilient, and had the ability to fly, and that it can still do so if they don't give up on it.

Line by Line Meaning

Our love in little heaps
Our love is not grand or extravagant, but rather in small piles

Our love now fast asleep
Our love is not active or alive, but instead dormant

Our love was taking leaps
Our love was once adventurous and daring

Don't land
Don't put an end to what we have

You're so pretty floating through the air
You look beautiful and graceful as you move without constraint

How you pause by despair
You have moments of sadness or hopelessness that cause you to slow down

Bullet flies toward disrepair
There are many things that are hurtling towards chaos and destruction

Alleluiah! Alleluiah!
A cry of praise or worship to a higher power

Bright trails lit against the sky
There are streaks of light in the sky creating an interesting visual

So much destruction, how does it fly?
With so much devastation around, how can something continue to exist?

I must avert my eyes
I cannot bear to watch