One-man band Sam Duckworth, from Southend, Essex, UK, writes socially-motiv… Read Full Bio ↴One-man band Sam Duckworth, from Southend, Essex, UK, writes socially-motivated acoustic songs, set to a background of scatty electronic beats running from his laptop; what you might call "folktronica". Influences include Roni Size, Athlete, Gomez, Elbow, The Streets and Rival Schools.

Having released one EP and two splits (one CD, one 10") through Big Scary Monsters, Sam signed to Atlantic records in March 2006.

Since then he has released two albums. The first is titled "The Chronicals of a Bohemian Teenager" and the second released in 2008 called "Searching for the hows and whys"

An Oak Tree
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Take a look at the oak trees
In the park standing tall
Like a tower of resilience
Despite the leaves that fall.

Stripping them back to their
Fraught frames, all naked
And on display. Like us they

dress for the season.
It will soon be spring again.

[Chorus]
But you and I were not designed to be evergreens I guess
That it's time to long for April to come.

Am I willing to wait here again?
Although I'm hungry and I'm tired
And all the bridges I made on the way
Are quickly turning into fires
And as the embers are growing and no phoenix emerge
I guess another set back is another lesson learnt.

Let's strip it back to the bare bones,
Though not a matter of choice,
There's still something of worth
In just an acoustic and a voice.
As the new shoots start growing
At the start of the year,
The tree is ready to deliver
Despite initial fears.

[Chorus]

Am I willing to wait here again?
Although I'm hungry and I'm tired
And all the bridges I made on the way
Are quickly turning into fires

And as the embers are growing and no phoenix emerge
I guess another set back is just another lesson learnt.

Overall Meaning

In "An Oak Tree," Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly presents a powerful metaphor, using the resilience of trees to reflect on the challenges of human life. The song begins by drawing attention to the oak trees in a park, standing tall and seemingly invincible despite the changing seasons. Their resilience is compared to that of humans who must also adapt to the changing seasons of life. The metaphor is further explored as the song acknowledges that, like the falling leaves on a tree, we too must be stripped back to our bare bones, and it is only in moments of vulnerability that we can truly find our strength.

The chorus brings us back to the reality of our temporal existence, lamenting that we were not designed to be evergreens. We are reminded that life is never easy and that we must long for the arrival of the next season. However, in the face of setbacks and challenges, we must also be willing to wait, despite feeling hungry and tired. The bridges that we have built are turning into fires, but we must have faith that new growth will emerge from the embers.

As the song ends, we return to the metaphor of the oak tree, now in the process of growing new shoots at the start of a new year. The tree stands as a symbol of hope, despite the initial fears of what may come. The song concludes with the recognition that setbacks are simply lessons to be learned, and that we must be willing to wait for spring to come again.

Line by Line Meaning

Take a look at the oak trees
Observe the oak trees in the park

In the park standing tall
The oak trees are growing upright

Like a tower of resilience
They resemble a symbol of strength

Despite the leaves that fall
Even though their foliage drops off

Stripping them back to their
Removing their outer layer

Fraught frames, all naked
Revealing their vulnerable structure

And on display. Like us they
They also showcase themselves

dress for the season.
Adapting to their surroundings

It will soon be spring again.
Winter will eventually end

But you and I were not designed to be evergreens I guess
Humans were not meant to remain unchanged all year

That it's time to long for April to come.
We should anticipate the arrival of a new season