Hope in the Air
Laura Marling Lyrics


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There is a man that I know
For seventeen years he never spoke
Guess he had nothing to say
He opened his mouth on judgment day

I listened with all of my might
But was scared by the look in his eyes
Like he'd already lost the fight
And there was no hope ever in sight

No hope in the air,
No hope in the water,
Not even for me,
Your life serving daughter

I have seen men provoked
I have watched lives revoked
And I looked at my life and I choked
And from there, no more ever has spoke

Why fear death?
Be scared of living
Our hearts are small and ever thinning
There is no hope ever of winning
So why fear death?
Be scared of living

But I won't give up that quick
My life is a candle and a wick
You can't put it out but you can't break it down
In the end, we are waiting to be lit

There's hope in the air
There's hope in the water
But no hope for me, your life serving daughter

Speak minds handed down to you
By the lies handed down by your truth
Your angels that dance at your will
Will mask your scrambling youth

I forgave you your shortcomings
And ignored your childish behavior
Laid a kiss on your head
And before I left said,
"Stay away from fleeting favour"

Oh, pick up your rope, Lord
Sling it to me
If we are to battle, I must not be weak.
And give us your strength, World
and your food and your water
Oh I am your saviour,
Your life serving daughter

There's hope in the air




There's hope in the water
But sadly, not me, your life serving daughter

Overall Meaning

The song "Hope in the Air" by Laura Marling is a powerful and poignant piece about the struggle of finding hope in the midst of fear and doubt. The lyrics describe a man who never spoke for seventeen years until he opened his mouth on judgment day, but the singer is scared by his eyes and the look of defeat in them. The man embodies a sense of hopelessness that pervades the world. He seems to represent disillusionment, failure, and the inevitable battle we all face - the struggle to find hope in the midst of darkness. The singer contemplates this on-going struggle, noting that their hearts are small and ever-thinning. She tells us: "There is no hope ever of winning / So why fear death? Be scared of living."


The singer uses powerful imagery of hopelessness by saying "there's no hope in the air, no hope in the water, not even for me, your life-serving daughter," implying that hope has vanished from completely. But nevertheless, she refuses to give up hope. She recognizes that life is fragile but also resilient, like a "candle and a wick" that can't be put out. In the end, the singer seems to be asking for help from a higher power to overcome the struggle. The words "Pick up your rope, Lord, sling it to me" imply that she needs the strength and support of others to keep going.


Line by Line Meaning

There is a man that I know
The singer knows a man who didn't speak for seventeen years out of a lack of anything to say.


Guess he had nothing to say
The man in question had nothing to say for seventeen years; it isn't a guess, it is the truth.


He opened his mouth on judgment day
The man spoke only on Judgment Day.


I listened with all of my might
The artist listened to what the man had to say with a great deal of attention and focus.


But was scared by the look in his eyes
The artist was frightened by the expression on the man's face when he did speak.


Like he'd already lost the fight
The man appeared defeated in his demeanor.


And there was no hope ever in sight
The man believed there was no hope.


No hope in the air,
The artist sees no hope around her.


No hope in the water,
There is no hope to be found in the natural world.


Not even for me,
The artist believes she too is hopeless.


Your life serving daughter
The singer thinks of herself as a servant to life.


I have seen men provoked
The artist has seen men who have been pushed to the edge.


I have watched lives revoked
The singer has seen people lose what they worked hard for.


And I looked at my life and I choked
The singer became overwhelmed in looking at her own life.


And from there, no more ever has spoke
The singer stopped speaking afterward.


Why fear death?
The artist questions why people should be afraid of death.


Be scared of living
The artist argues that it's living people should be afraid of.


Our hearts are small and ever thinning
Human hearts are fragile and always growing weaker.


There is no hope ever of winning
The singer recognizes the futility of trying to win.


But I won't give up that quick
Even so, the artist won't abandon all hope so easily.


My life is a candle and a wick
The artist's life is brief and burning down like a wick on a candle.


You can't put it out but you can't break it down
The artist emphasizes the strength and resilience of their life.


In the end, we are waiting to be lit
Ultimately, people are waiting to be animated by a spark of something deeper.


Speak minds handed down to you
People tend to repeat the ideas and beliefs of those who came before them.


By the lies handed down by your truth
The truth people believe in can be just another form of deception.


Your angels that dance at your will
People have an idealized, fanciful version of themselves they promote to the world.


Will mask your scrambling youth
That self-image can obscure or deny their actual growing pains and uncertainties.


I forgave you your shortcomings
The artist forgave someone for their imperfections or failings.


And ignored your childish behavior
Despite bad, immature behavior, the artist was able to overlook it.


Laid a kiss on your head
The singer showed affection or love toward someone.


And before I left said,
These actions were performed before the singer departed.


Stay away from fleeting favour
The artist advised someone not to seek out temporary, superficial approval.


Oh, pick up your rope, Lord
The artist is asking their deity for help and guidance.


Sling it to me
The artist wants that divine help to be directed specifically to themselves.


If we are to battle, I must not be weak.
The singer wants to be strong enough to fight any overwhelming obstacles.


And give us your strength, World
The artist seeks strength and aid from the world around them.


and your food and your water
They ask the world for the basic necessities of life.


Oh I am your saviour,
The singer imagines themselves as a sort of savior-figure.


Your life serving daughter
And they consider themselves to be in service to the concept of life itself.


There's hope in the air
The artist notes that hope does exist out in the world.


There's hope in the water
Hope can be found in the natural world, too.


But sadly, not me,
Despite hope existing elsewhere, the singer feels that they don't have any within themselves.


your life serving daughter
They continue to view themselves in a subservient role to life itself.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LAURA BEATRICE MARLING

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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