Long Flight
Future Islands Lyrics
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You said you'd meet me there,
I've been tripping off constellations and stars.
I found you at home, what was our home,
With another man, oh man.
Been keeping you in my heart.
And so I whispered into your ear,
You just looked up at the stars
And so I whispered into your ear,
"Who are you thinking about?"
It couldn't be me
You can't look me in my eyes anymore,
Without the rivers to tend.
Because you remember our love was true,
But you just needed a hand,
And you can't look me in my eyes anymore,
Without yourself to defend.
You know you hurt me so bad,
Just 'cause you needed a hand.
And I went off and saw things I've never seen,
I really wanted you there.
But you ruined what was love
Just 'cause you needed a hand
This is the way that it all falls.
This is how I feel,
This is what I need,
You, by me right hereby me,
Right now.
And so I whispered into your ear,
"What are you thinking about?"
You just looked up at the stars
And so I whispered into your ear,
"Who are you thinking about?"
It couldn't be me
You can't look me in my eyes anymore,
Without the rivers to tend,
'Cause you remember our love was true,
But you just needed a hand.
And you can't look me in my eyes anymore,
Without yourself to defend.
You know you hurt me so bad,
Just 'cause you needed a hand.
And I went off and saw things I've never seen,
I really wanted you there.
But you ruined what was love,
Just 'cause you needed a hand
Just 'cause you needed a hand.
The lyrics of Future Islands' Long Flight depict the emotional turmoil of coming back to a place that was once considered home, only to find that your ex-partner, who you thought would be there to welcome you, has moved on with another man. The singer has been away, possibly travelling or soul-searching, and has returned, hoping to rekindle their love with the person they've always had in their heart. However, their hopes are crushed by the sight of their partner with someone else. The imagery of constellations and stars emphasizes the vastness of the universe, and how love can feel like a cosmic force that binds two people together, even when they are physically apart.
As the song progresses, the singer confronts their partner, asking them what they are thinking about, only to realize that they are no longer the person they are thinking of. The partner's eyes avoid contact, and they are unable to face the truth of their actions. The singer feels hurt and betrayed by how their partner ended their relationship solely because they needed help, and not because their love was fading away.
Overall, the song is about the bittersweet experience of returning to a place that used to be a source of comfort and love, only to find that the person you care for has moved on. It speaks to the pain of unrequited love and the disappointment of realizing that sometimes, relationships end not because of a lack of love, but because of a lack of willingness to make it work.
Line by Line Meaning
I got back from a long flight,
After being away, I returned home from a long journey.
You said you'd meet me there,
You promised to be there waiting for me when I came back.
I've been tripping off constellations and stars.
During my travels, I was fascinated by the stars and the cosmos.
I found you at home, what was our home,
I arrived at the place that used to be our home.
With another man, oh man.
To my disappointment, I found you with another man.
Been keeping you in my heart.
Despite our current situation, I still hold feelings for you in my heart.
And so I whispered into your ear,
I softly spoke to you.
"What are you thinking about?"
I wanted to know what was going through your mind.
You just looked up at the stars
Instead of answering, you gazed at the starry sky.
It couldn't be me
I realized that your thoughts weren't about me.
You can't look me in my eyes anymore,
You avoid eye contact with me now.
Without the rivers to tend.
Our relationship is like a river that requires care and attention.
Because you remember our love was true,
You know that our love was authentic and genuine.
But you just needed a hand,
You betrayed our love because you needed someone else's help.
And you can't look me in my eyes anymore,
You still can't bring yourself to meet my gaze.
Without yourself to defend.
You feel guilty and ashamed of your actions.
You know you hurt me so bad,
You're aware that your betrayal caused me a lot of pain.
Just 'cause you needed a hand.
You justified hurting me because you needed assistance.
And I went off and saw things I've never seen,
I embarked on an adventure and experienced new things.
I really wanted you there.
Despite everything, I wished you had been by my side.
But you ruined what was love
Your actions destroyed what used to be a loving relationship.
Just 'cause you needed a hand
You threw away our love because you needed help.
This is the way that it all falls.
This is how our relationship ended up crumbling apart.
This is how I feel,
These are the emotions that I'm experiencing.
This is what I need,
This is what I desire and require in a relationship.
You, by me right here
I want you to be next to me.
by me, right now.
I want you to be with me right at this moment.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@evanberry2682
"Long Flight"
I got back from a long flight,
You said you'd meet me there,
I've been tripping off constellations and stars.
I found you at home, what was our home,
With another man, oh man.
Been keeping you in my heart.
And so I whispered into your ear,
"What are you thinking about?"
You just looked up at the stars
And so I whispered into your ear,
"Who are you thinking about?"
It couldn't be me
You can't look me in my eyes anymore,
Without the rivers to tend.
Because you remember our love was true,
But you just needed a hand,
And you can't look me in my eyes anymore,
Without yourself to defend.
You know you hurt me so bad,
Just 'cause you needed a hand.
And I went off and saw things I've never seen,
I really wanted you there.
But you ruined what was love
Just 'cause you needed a hand
This is the way that it all falls.
This is how I feel,
This is what I need:
You, by me--right here--by me,
Right now.
And so I whispered into your ear,
"What are you thinking about?"
You just looked up at the stars
And so I whispered into your ear,
"Who are you thinking about?"
It couldn't be me
You can't look me in my eyes anymore,
Without the rivers to tend,
'Cause you remember our love was true,
But you just needed a hand.
And you can't look me in my eyes anymore,
Without yourself to defend.
You know you hurt me so bad,
Just 'cause you needed a hand.
And I went off and saw things I've never seen,
I really wanted you there.
But you ruined what was love,
Just 'cause you needed a hand
Just 'cause you needed a hand.
@ANTWO91
Lyrics
I got back from a long flight,
You said you'd meet me there,
I've been tripping off constellations and stars.
I found you at home, what was our home,
With another man, oh man.
Been keeping you in my heart.
And so I whispered into your ear,
"What are you thinking about?"
You just looked up at the stars
And so I whispered into your ear,
"Who are you thinking about?"
It couldn't be me
You can't look me in my eyes anymore,
Without the rivers to tend.
Because you remember our love was true,
But you just needed a hand,
And you can't look me in my eyes anymore,
Without yourself to defend.
You know you hurt me so bad,
Just 'cause you needed a hand.
And I went off and saw things I've never seen,
I really wanted you there.
But you ruined what was love
Just 'cause you needed a hand
This is the way that it all falls.
This is how I feel,
This is what I need:
You, by me--right here--by me,
Right now.
And so I whispered into your ear,
"What are you thinking about?"
You just looked up at the stars
And so I whispered into your ear,
"Who are you thinking about?"
It couldn't be me
You can't look me in my eyes anymore,
Without the rivers to tend,
'Cause you remember our love was true,
But you just needed a hand.
And you can't look me in my eyes anymore,
Without yourself to defend.
You know you hurt me so bad,
Just 'cause you needed a hand.
And I went off and saw things I've never seen,
I really wanted you there.
But you ruined what was love,
Just 'cause you needed a hand
Just 'cause you needed a hand
@martinlepiller4251
Man, i listened this song like 10 years ago , i was in absolute love with it and then i forget about it , until few months ago i was thinking about those dancers and the melody but impossible to remember the name of the song neither the band.
just found a paper with the lyrics on it written by hand by myself a decade ago.
glad i'm back here , this song was important to me i couldn't forget it!
@shakulaka
May I please ask which lyrics you had written down? This song means a lot to me too, saw Future Islands live yesterday, but all I wanted to hear was this song. Luckily they played it - Pretty much left right after.
@eddiecarpenterbum
I had a very similar experience this last month. This song and this video are a gem.
@ScorpionGaming5
Possibly the best "unofficial" music video I've ever seen. So good, to me it IS the actual music video.
@bxrmejo864
https://youtu.be/reifFcUoTKw?si=K2z-TGSJblYGam47
@Sam-bd7gp
What the fuck, I always thought this was the official video! Hahahaha
@supersoftfloormat
Same!
@ModernSynthesist
I love the use of the Yoyogi park dancing Elvis's ♥
@OmDetSkulleRegna
This song makes me wanna dance and cry at the same time. Effin heartbreak...
@florin604
which is a beautiful thing