Born in California to a musical family, when she was one year old her family moved to Fort Collins, Colorado In college in the summer of 1997, Herzig formed the band Newcomers Home with Tim and Laurie Thornton and Andrew Jed. Two years later, Herzig released Weightless. She produced the album herself, recorded it at home using Pro Tools, and played most of the instruments: electric and acoustic guitar, banjo, keyboards, and percussion, in addition to her singing and songwriting. The song "Jack and Jill" appeared on the TV shows One Tree Hill and Pretty Little Liars, while several others appeared on Grey's Anatomy.
Her next album, Apple Tree (2008), was more pop-oriented. Her 2011 album was entitled The Waking Sleep. She then released Walk Through Walls (2014) and Moment of Bliss (2018).
Herzig has spent years playing festivals such as Bonnaroo and Summerfest and touring as a headliner and as support for Brandi Carlile, Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, The Fray, and as a member of 10 out of Tenn. She has had her music licensed for innumerable film, TV and commercial uses. Including over 10 songs on Grey’s Anatomy and most recently her song “Lost and Found” was featured in the trailer for Disney's Saving Mr. Banks and in a commercial for Carnival Cruises. Herzig can be heard on RAC's EP with their song collaboration "We Belong," featured on KCRW. Herzig also co-produced songs on Ingrid Michaelson's 2014 Lights Out album, including her first single “Girls Chase Boys.”
Wonderful World
Katie Herzig Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
breathing by the open sea
the back roads, I think they belong to you
drive away until you're free
baby, dont you love your life?
you go crazy by the ocean, and wild under the stars at night
if you let me follow you
look at all the world that you've seen
maybe it's larger than the one that I could ever be
you gave all that you had, true
and I would take it over any other one that I could
I looked away and you were gone
I should have known that it was time for you to move along
it seems so very long ago
like I dreamed it up and never let it show
and baby, don't you love your life?
could it ever be the same for you and I?
cuz every time I breath the open sea
I dream that you were waltzing your way back to me
Katie Herzig's "Wonderful World" is a song about freedom, adventure, and love. The lyrics describe a beautiful and "wonderful world that you can waltz into," where one can breathe by the open sea and drive away until they feel free. Herzig sings about someone who seems to love living in that world, going crazy by the ocean and being wild under the stars at night. She expresses her desire to follow the person, and even though they've seen a world larger than she could ever imagine, she would take their experiences over any other.
However, the song is also about the pain of loss and missed opportunities. The person Herzig sings about has moved on, and she reflects on how she should have known it was time for them to move along. It seems like a long time ago, and she feels like she dreamed it up and never let it show. Still, she remains hopeful that one day the person will come back to her and that they can dance their way through life together.
Overall, the song is a beautiful ode to the beauty and complexity of life, the sense of freedom, and the sadness that comes with letting go of someone you love.
Line by Line Meaning
wonderful world that you can waltz into
An amazing world that you can easily enter and groove in.
breathing by the open sea
Taking deep breaths while standing near the vast sea.
the back roads, I think they belong to you
I feel that the secluded countryside belongs to you.
drive away until you're free
Keep moving until you attain complete freedom and liberation.
baby, dont you love your life?
Hey dear, isn't your life amazing and lovely?
you go crazy by the ocean, and wild under the stars at night
You feel ecstatic near the sea and ecstatic under the starry sky.
if you let me follow you
If you allow me to accompany you on your journey.
you know I would have gone with you
I would have definitely gone with you if given a chance.
look at all the world that you've seen
Reflect on all the places in the world that you have visited.
maybe it's larger than the one that I could ever be
Perhaps the world you have experienced is vast, even more than what I can experience.
you gave all that you had, true
You gave your best, that's absolutely true.
and I would take it over any other one that I could
I would choose your experience over any other experience.
I looked away and you were gone
I looked away for a moment and you were no longer there.
I should have known that it was time for you to move along
I realize now that it was time for you to move forward with your journey.
it seems so very long ago
It feels like ages have passed since you left.
like I dreamed it up and never let it show
It feels like I imagined it and never revealed it to anyone.
and baby, don't you love your life?
Hey dear, isn't your life amazing and lovely?
could it ever be the same for you and I?
Would it be possible for us to ever have the same experience?
cuz every time I breath the open sea
Because every time I smell the salty breeze of the sea
I dream that you were waltzing your way back to me
I wish you were dancing your way back to me.
Contributed by Gabriel G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.