The Future
Jolie Holland Lyrics

Everything around here makes me sad
The singer is unhappy with her surroundings and feels a sense of sadness.

Everything is part of the dreams that we had
The things around her are all a part of the idealized version of life that she once dreamed of.

That will never be the way we wanted them to be
Her ideals for life have fallen short of expectations, and her dreams will not come true in the way that she hoped for.

When we dreamed these dreams that we had
These visions of a perfect life were the result of prior dreaming.

We wanted them to be the future
The idealized vision of life was meant to manifest in the future.

That is now is not how we dreamed of the future
However, the present reality does not match that vision of the idealized future.

With a house and a love that I would ride into the future
The perfect future included a home and a loving partner to ride out the years with.

With my arms around you tight
The perfect future included an intimate connection with her partner.

My love in your heart, my lust on your shoulder
She wishes for her partner to hold both her love and her sexual desire in their heart and on their shoulder.

Is like a beautiful [Incomprehensible]
The way that love and desire are held by a partner is like something indescribably beautiful.

Flashing gallant as a stallion on parade through the city
This beauty is visible for all to see and admire, like a stallion on display.

A beautiful dream, a bohemian love song
These ideals for the future were like a beautiful dream or romantic song, perhaps associated with a bohemian lifestyle.

That would only sound more gallant as the years would perfect it
As time passed, these ideals would only become more beautiful in her mind.

But I can see in my heart which is beating in the present here and now
Despite these idealized visions, she can see the reality of her heart, which is experiencing pain in the present moment.

I can see that this is only a dream
She recognizes that these visions of the future were just that - dreams that did not come true in reality.

Come on and wake up with me
She wants someone to share the realization of the disparity between her dream and reality, to wake up and acknowledge that things have not gone as planned.

Everything around here is so beautiful
Despite the sadness she feels, her surroundings are still visually stunning.

Everything is part of the dreams we will paint
Her future dreams remain vivid, and she intends to paint them beautifully.

That will never look the way we thought that they would look
However, the reality will not match up to the vividness of these dreams once again.

When we began to step into the future
As they moved forward into the future, there was a sense of hope that their dreams would come true.

From the place that we are standing
Despite the current sense of disappointment, they are still standing in the present moment, looking ahead towards the future.

It don't look too good right now
However, the future does not look positive at the present moment.

But I know you're a wonderful painter
She has hope that the people around her, like her partner, will be able to paint a beautiful picture of the future.

You're a master with your colors
She admires her partner's talents and skills in bringing color to the world.

And as mine get fainter and your pallet
As her own abilities and hopes diminish, she has faith that her partner will maintain their skills and hope for the future.

There will always be an afterglow of a beautiful dream
Even after the disappointment of these dreams, there will be a lingering memory of the beauty once imagined.

That will never be the way we dreamed it to be
However, the reality will never match up to the vividness and intensity of those dreams.

Hey, come on and wake up with me
She reiterates her desire for someone else to acknowledge and wake up to the reality of the situation with her.

Hey, come on and wake up with me
Again, she emphasizes the importance of sharing this realization with someone else.

Hey, come on and wake up with me
In the last line, she repeats her invitation, stressing the importance of not facing the reality alone.

Hey, come on and wake up with me
In the last line, she repeats her invitation, stressing the importance of not facing the reality alone.

Hey, come on and wake up with me from our beautiful dream
She and another person must rise from the dream they once shared and face the reality of their current situation.