Meadowlarks
Fleet Foxes Lyrics


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Meadowlark, fly away down
I hold a cornucopia and a golden crown
for you to wear upon your fleece'd gown

A meadowlark sing to me

Hummingbird, just let me die
Inside the broken holes of your olive eyes.
I do believe you gave it your best try

A hummingbird sing to me

Mmmmmmm...

A hummingbird sing to me

Don't believe a word that I haven't heard,
Little children laughin' at the boys and girls,
The meadowlark singin' to you each and every day,
The archon on the hillside and the market in the hay.





Ooooh

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are part of the song Meadowlarks by the American indie folk band Fleet Foxes, released in 2011. The song starts with the singer calling out to a meadowlark and requesting it to fly away while holding a cornucopia and a golden crown for it to wear. The meadowlark is a type of bird, often associated with happiness or joy. The singer addresses the bird as if it were a person, and the imagery of the golden crown and fleece'd gown evoke a sense of royalty, possibly alluding to the bird's beauty and grace.


The next verse shifts to a hummingbird, which the singer asks to let him die. The hummingbird symbolizes energy, speed, and agility, and the singer seems to be drawn to the bird's vibrant, colorful eyes. The verse ends with the singer recognizing the hummingbird's effort, implying that the bird may have tried to save the singer from something but failed. The hummingbird could also represent the fragility of human life, and the singer may be asking for its help to pass onto the next life.


The chorus of the song repeats the lines "A meadowlark sing to me" and "A hummingbird sing to me" before transitioning to the last verse, which features a series of paradoxical statements. The singer cautions the listener not to believe anything they haven't heard and describes the contradiction between the innocence of children's laughter and the harsh reality of life. The meadowlark's cheerful singing is juxtaposed with the image of an archon, a ruler or monarch, on a hillside, and a marketplace in a hayfield.


Overall, the lyrics of Meadowlarks are open to interpretation, allowing listeners to find their own meaning and emotional resonance in the symbolic images and metaphors used in the song.


Line by Line Meaning

Meadowlark, fly away down
The singer is addressing a Meadowlark to go down and fly away.


I hold a cornucopia and a golden crown
The singer has something valuable to give the Meadowlark as a gift- a cornucopia and a golden crown.


for you to wear upon your fleece'd gown
The golden crown is to be worn on the Meadowlark's fleece gown.


A meadowlark sing to me
The singer is asking the Meadowlark to sing to him/her.


Hummingbird, just let me die
The singer is addressing a Hummingbird to let him die.


Inside the broken holes of your olive eyes.
The singer wants to die inside the Hummingbird's eyes that seem damaged.


I do believe you gave it your best try
The singer appreciates the Hummingbird for trying its best.


A hummingbird sing to me
The singer is asking the Hummingbird to sing to him/her.


Don't believe a word that I haven't heard,
The singer advises not to believe anything that he/she has not heard directly.


Little children laughin' at the boys and girls,
There are children laughing at boys and girls, possibly because they are different in some way.


The meadowlark singin' to you each and every day,
The Meadowlark keeps on singing to the person every day.


The archon on the hillside and the market in the hay.
There is an archon on the hillside and a market in the hay, which could be a reference to the ancient Greek concept of a ruler or magistrate.


Ooooh
This is a vocalization that doesn't convey a specific meaning.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: STEPHEN SCHWARTZ

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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