"House by the Lake" is a hidden pearl among the many indie folk acts nowadays. Behind the artist name, stands singer songwriter Sondre Strandskog Arnesen, who with this delivers a lovely acoustic folk-pop track. It sounds like if Fleet Foxes and The Hollies had a baby. Full of yearning vocals and beautiful harmonies, this track is worth having a listen to." - The 405
Redwood
House by the Lake Lyrics
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To let it all out
Still I don't know if I'll
Make it in the end
You ought to know
Much better now
For I gave you all I had
You were like redwood
With your roots stuck in the ground
And then you set yourself on fire
To go higher off ground
When it all came tumbling down you said
I was no more than the feeling you had longed for
A stranger in your land, just another grain of sand
Little by little we moved towards the end
If I follow your lead then I might come around
If I don't then I'll regret it the rest of my time
Oh and no one's gonna care for you more than I do
More than I do
You were like redwood
With your roots stuck in the ground
And then you set yourself on fire
To go higher off ground
You were like redwood
With your roots stuck in the ground
And then you set yourself on fire
To go higher off ground
You were like redwood
With your roots stuck in the ground
And then you set yourself on fire
To go higher off ground
Well, I don't know anymore
If I'm ever to see you again
You ought to know
Much more than I
For I gave you all I had
The House by the Lake's song Redwood is a beautiful song that talks about a relationship that has gone through tough times, and the hope that things can still be salvaged. The singer talks about how it took some time for him/her to express his/her emotions and feelings to the partner. Despite giving all that he/she had, the singer still does not know if the relationship is sustainable. The partner, on the other hand, has discovered that setting oneself ablaze can lead to greater heights, but at what cost? The singer feels like a stranger in the relationship, and even though he/she has tried to follow the partner's lead, there is still a lingering doubt that things will work out. The song ends with the singer not knowing if he/she will ever see the partner again.
The symbolism of Redwoods is used to describe the partner in the song. Redwoods are beautiful and majestic trees that have been known to grow up to 300 feet high. They have deep roots that go as far as 100 feet deep and can have a spread of over 100 feet. The redwoods' ability to stand tall is due to their deeply ingrained roots in the soil. The partner's character is portrayed as a redwood with roots firmly stuck in the ground, symbolizing the stability and steadfastness the singer was looking for in a partner. However, the partner sets themselves on fire to go higher off-ground reminiscent of the partner's ambition and the price of success.
Line by Line Meaning
Took some time
It took me some time to gather up my thoughts and feelings
To let it all out
To express everything that was bottled up inside me
Still I don't know if I'll
Make it in the end
But even after releasing everything, I'm still unsure if I'll be okay in the end
You ought to know
You should understand this by now
Much better now
Better than you did before
For I gave you all I had
Because I gave you everything that I had
You were like redwood
With your roots stuck in the ground
And then you set yourself on fire
To go higher off ground
You were like a redwood tree, firmly planted but you set yourself on fire to grow higher than ever before
When it all came tumbling down you said
I was no more than the feeling you had longed for
A stranger in your land, just another grain of sand
Little by little we moved towards the end
But when everything fell apart, you told me that I was just a temporary feeling you longed for, a stranger in your life, and our relationship slowly moved towards its end
If I follow your lead then I might come around
If I don't then I'll regret it the rest of my time
Oh and no one's gonna care for you more than I do
More than I do
I'm torn between following your lead and trying to salvage our relationship or moving on and potentially regretting it forever, because no one will ever care for you as much as I do
Well, I don't know anymore
If I'm ever to see you again
I'm not sure if we'll ever cross paths once more
You ought to know
Much more than I
For I gave you all I had
You should know more than I do, because I already gave everything I had to you
Contributed by Elizabeth N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.