Detor's 2006 album 'Mudshow' was released in 2006 to international critical acclaim, garnering an average of 4+ star reviews, and reaching the #1 spot on the Euro-Americana Chart. Signed in Europe with Corazong Records, Detor’s follow-up album, Cover Their Eyes made similar waves in the European musical world when it was released in 2007. She defies genre, but the quality of her writing has been compared to the likes of Leonard Cohen, Laura Nyro, Tom Waits and Joni Mitchell, company she is more than happy to keep. She tours the U.S. and Europe consistently, has shared stages with Loudon Wainwright, Colin Linden, Luka Bloom, Slaid Cleaves, Carrie Newcomer, Pierce Pettis and John Gorka, among others and travels with her partner and producer, David Weber.
Icarus
Krista Detor Lyrics
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© Krista Detor, Cover Their Eyes
Spent the night under the dogstar chasing my tail
All out of things to say - No one to tell anyway
And the ambulance sped down the road in search of a heart
Whose beating had stopped - A life interrupted
PRE-CHORUS:
Statements were taken and solemnly filed in a drawer
I wish I had known, she said, that he’d go off alone, she said
CHORUS:
And Icarus fell while no one was looking
We had places to go, and what could we do
He fell out of the sky, disappeared in the blue unending
Maybe it’s better there on the other side
I hope that it is, for my sake and for his
It’s got to be greener, she said, when they’d left with their lights
All gone on their way - Nobody to save today
PRE-CHORUS:
He should have known better than flying so close to the sun
The wings couldn’t hold, but he never did what he was told
And Icarus fell while no one was looking
We had places to go, and what could we do
He fell out of the sky and disappeared in the blue forever
BR:
I could have saved him, I could have, just one minute more
Had I thought of it then, but you know how it’s been,
All this thinking I do lately takes all of my attention.
A minute has passed since the words dropped right off of the page
Nobody to catch them - May I live to at least forget him…
While Icarus fell and no one was looking
We had places to go, and what could we do
He fell out of the sky and disappeared in the blue unending
Blue unending … sea
In Krista Detor's song "Icarus," the lyrics delve into themes of regret, loss, and the inevitable fate of one's choices. The song begins with the singer feeling lost and alone while staring at the night sky. Suddenly, an ambulance rushes past her in search of someone who has stopped breathing, someone who she assumes has died. The singer then reminisces on a woman who wished she had known that someone would die alone, and the fact that life is precious and can end without warning.
The chorus of the song refers to the Greek myth of Icarus, who ignorantly flew too close to the sun and melted his wax wings before plummeting into the sea. The chorus repeats the line "And Icarus fell while no one was looking," emphasizing the inescapability of death and the fact that sometimes, tragedy can strike when we least expect it.
The bridge of the song takes a confessional turn, with the singer admitting that she could have potentially saved Icarus if only she had acted sooner. But, the moment passes without any action, and now she's left with the constant torment of thinking about what could have been.
Overall, the lyrics of "Icarus" reflect on the fleetingness of life and the realization that sometimes, there's nothing we can do to prevent a tragedy from occurring. It's a poignant reminder to cherish the time we have with loved ones and to appreciate life while it lasts.
Line by Line Meaning
Spent the night under the dogstar chasing my tail
I spent the night aimlessly without achieving anything or having any clear goal.
All out of things to say - No one to tell anyway
I have nothing more to say, and there is no one around to hear me even if I did.
And the ambulance sped down the road in search of a heart
An ambulance rushed to save a life that was in danger.
Whose beating had stopped - A life interrupted
The life that the ambulance was trying to save had stopped beating, which means it was coming to an end prematurely.
Statements were taken and solemnly filed in a drawer
People recorded the details of what happened and stored them away for future reference.
I wish I had known, she said, that he’d go off alone, she said
She regretted not knowing that the person in question would die alone.
And Icarus fell while no one was looking
Icarus died while no one was there to witness it.
We had places to go, and what could we do
We had our own lives to live, and there was nothing we could do to prevent Icarus from dying.
He fell out of the sky, disappeared in the blue unending
Icarus fell to his death and vanished into the vastness of the sky.
Maybe it’s better there on the other side
Perhaps death is better than life, and it's possible that Icarus found peace on the other side.
I hope that it is, for my sake and for his
I hope that Icarus found peace in death both for myself and for him.
It’s got to be greener, she said, when they’d left with their lights
She thought that death must be better than life because the people who died left with shining lights.
All gone on their way - Nobody to save today
Everyone had left, and there was no one else left to save.
He should have known better than flying so close to the sun
Icarus should have known better than to take such a great risk.
The wings couldn’t hold, but he never did what he was told
Although the wings were not strong enough, Icarus still chose to ignore the warning and continued to fly toward the sun.
I could have saved him, I could have, just one minute more
She regretted not being able to save Icarus and wished she had just one more minute to try.
Had I thought of it then, but you know how it’s been, All this thinking I do lately takes all of my attention.
She wished she had thought of this earlier, but her obsessive thinking had been taking up all her attention lately.
A minute has passed since the words dropped right off of the page
It has been a while since anyone cared about what happened, and the issue has been forgotten.
May I live to at least forget him…
She hoped that she would eventually forget about Icarus so that she could move on with her life.
He fell out of the sky and disappeared in the blue forever
Icarus was gone forever, and he would never return.
Blue unending … sea
The vast blue of the never-ending sea symbolizes the endlessness and indifference of life, whether in death or in living.
Contributed by Logan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.