Heynderickx's music features a fingerstyle acoustic guitar technique inspired by Leo Kottke and John Fahey paired with introspective lyrics punctuated with "well-timed levity".
Drinking Song
Haley Heynderickx Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
where culprits on carpets make sense of it all
and the sky is all indigo,
and the young ones just want to go home.
And the edge of the world makes it seem,
that everyone gone is still singing the same song
and I can believe in these things;
the good the bad and the gone.
There's a light at the end of a dock,
sending green little postcards to a city I love so much,
and the water makes sense of her laugh,
and wrinkles the backs of my hands.
There's a light at the end where I smoke,
and my name puffs in colors with people I know.
The song that was stuck in her head,
becomes all the words you forget,
yet everyone is singing along,
the good and the bad and the gone.
In Haley Heynderickx's song "Drinking Song," the artist sings about finding solace in a light at the end of various settings throughout the song. She describes a light at the end where everything makes sense, where the sky is indigo, and where the young ones just want to go home. This light seems to represent a place of comfort and understanding, where even those who have left this world are still singing the same song. The artist believes in the power of this collective singing, where everyone can come together, despite their past, to sing along to both the good and bad parts of their lives.
In the next verse, Haley Heynderickx sings about a light at the end of a dock where she can see the city she loves so much. The water connects her to the city, and she finds humor in how her laughter seems to wrinkle the backs of her hands. This light seems to represent a place of joy and levity, where even the simple things in life can bring happiness. Finally, in the last verse, the artist describes a light where she smokes and puffs out her name in colors with people she knows. Here, the artist finds comfort in the familiarity of the people around her and the song that was stuck in her head becomes a communal singalong.
Overall, "Drinking Song" explores the power of community, song, and the comforting feeling of finding light at the end of different settings. The artist portrays a sense of hope and belonging that is anchored in the collective singing of the good, the bad, and the gone.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a light at the end where I know
There's a place where I am certain of things.
where culprits on carpets make sense of it all
Where people who have done something wrong can explain and understand themselves.
and the sky is all indigo
The sky is a deep blue color.
and the young ones just want to go home
Young people want to leave and go home.
And the edge of the world makes it seem
The farthest point of the world gives the impression.
that everyone gone is still singing the same song
Everyone who has left is still involved in the same thing.
and I can believe in these things;
I can trust these things to be true.
That everyone's singing along,
Everyone is participating in the same thing.
the good the bad and the gone.
The people who are still here, the people who have done something wrong and the people who have gone are all involved.
There's a light at the end of a dock,
There's a light coming from the end of a pier.
sending green little postcards to a city I love so much,
Sending small green postcards to a city that I care about.
and the water makes sense of her laugh,
The sound of the water helps me understand her laughter.
and wrinkles the backs of my hands.
It makes the back of my hands wrinkly.
There's a light at the end where I smoke,
There's a place where I go to smoke.
and my name puffs in colors with people I know.
My name is made of smoke when I'm with friends.
The song that was stuck in her head,
The song that she couldn't stop thinking about.
becomes all the words you forget,
It becomes words that you forget.
yet everyone is singing along,
Despite this, everyone is still involved.
the good and the bad and the gone.
Everyone is still participating, regardless of who they are or what they've done.
Contributed by Annabelle P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.