Her debut EP Lights was released in July 2008 and achieved commercial success which enabled the release of her first full-length album, The Listening, on September 22, 2009. Her second album, Siberia, was released on October 4, 2011. Both albums have been certified gold in Canada. Lights released her third studio album, Little Machines, on September 19, 2014, which debuted on the Canadian Albums Chart at number five. Her fourth album, Skin&Earth, which featured "Giants", was released in September 2017, accompanied by a graphic novel of the same name. Her albums won the Juno Award for Pop Album of the Year in 2015 and 2018.
Lights has collaborated with artists including Bring Me the Horizon, Silverstein, Deadmau5, Felix Cartal, i_o, Owl City and Sleepy Tom. Lights signed with Fueled by Ramen in 2019 and released Skin&Earth Acoustic, which included three new songs.
Cactus In the Valley ft Owl City
Lights Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanted to be tall
Like a fool left the river
And watched my branches fall
Old and thirsty, I longed for the flood
To come back around
To the cactus in the valley
That's about to crumble down
And wipe the mark of sadness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you still recall my name
So, the storm finally found me
And left me in the dark
In the cloud around me
I don't know where you are
If this whole world goes up in arms
All I can do is stand
And I won't fight for anyone
Until you move my hand
And wipe the mark of madness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you still recall my name
In the shadow
Here I am
And I need someone by my side
It becomes so
Hard to stand
And I keep trying to dry my eyes
Come and find me
In the valley
And wipe the mark of sadness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you still recall my name
And wipe the mark of madness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you still recall my name
In Lights's song "Cactus in the Valley," the singer is grappling with feelings of isolation, desperation, and the need for connection. The first stanza sets the stage as the singer reflects on their choice to leave the river, their source of life, and to now feel like a dying cactus in a valley. The strong image of the cactus alludes to resilience in harsh conditions but also to the need for water to survive. The singer describes themselves as "old and thirsty," longing for the flood to come back around and save them. This can be seen as a metaphor for the singer's desire for someone to come back into their life and nourish them emotionally. The chorus emphasizes this desire for love and acceptance from someone who will never abandon them.
The second stanza is darker and more desperate. The singer is in the midst of a storm and feeling lost and alone. They don't know where their love interest is, but they make it clear that they won't fight for anyone else until their love interest returns. The line "And wipe the mark of madness from my face" suggests that the singer is struggling with their mental health and needs someone's love to help them heal. The repetition of the chorus highlights the singer's need for connection and hope for reconciliation with their love. In the final lines of the song, the singer pleads for someone to find them in the valley and tell them that they still matter.
Line by Line Meaning
I never meant to wither
I didn't intend to shrink away and lose my strength
I wanted to be tall
I had dreams of being something greater
Like a fool left the river
I strayed from what sustained me without realizing the consequences
And watched my branches fall
And saw the evidence of my decline
Old and thirsty, I longed for the flood
Exhausted and parched, I yearned for rejuvenation
To come back around
To return to me again
To the cactus in the valley
To the plant that survives in difficult conditions
That's about to crumble down
That is on the brink of collapsing
And wipe the mark of sadness from my face
And remove the evidence of my sorrow
Show me that your love will never change
Demonstrate that your affection is constant
If my yesterday is a disgrace
If my past actions were shameful
Tell me that you still recall my name
Assure me that you still remember me
So, the storm finally found me
Finally, hardship found me
And left me in the dark
And left me lonely and confused
In the cloud around me
Surrounded by a haze
I don't know where you are
I am uncertain of your whereabouts
If this whole world goes up in arms
If chaos breaks out
All I can do is stand
I feel helpless
And I won't fight for anyone
I won't stand up for anyone without motivation
Until you move my hand
Unless you inspire me to action
In the shadow
Lingering in darkness
Here I am
I remain here
And I need someone by my side
I need companionship
It becomes so
Things become overwhelming
Hard to stand
Difficult to remain upright
And I keep trying to dry my eyes
And I continue attempting to cease my tears
Come and find me
Please come search for me
In the valley
In this time of hardship
And wipe the mark of sadness from my face
And eliminate evidence of my misery
Show me that your love will never change
Demonstrate that your affection is constant
If my yesterday is a disgrace
If my past actions were shameful
Tell me that you still recall my name
Assure me that you still remember me
And wipe the mark of madness from my face
And remove any signs of my madness
Show me that your love will never change
Demonstrate that your affection is constant
If my yesterday is a disgrace
If my past actions were shameful
Tell me that you still recall my name
Assure me that you still remember me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Valerie Poxleitner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
theavatarexperiment
Lyrics (from azlyrics):
[Verse 1, Lights:]
I never meant to wither
I wanted to be tall
Like a fool left the river
And watched my branches fall
Old and thirsty, I longed for the flood
To come back around
To the cactus in the valley
That's about to crumble down
[Chorus, Lights:]
And wipe the mark of sadness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you still recall my name
[Verse 2, Owl City:]
So, the storm finally found me
And left me in the dark
In the cloud around me
I don't know where you are
If this whole world goes up in arms
All I can do is stand
And I won't fight for anyone
Until you move my hand
[Chorus, Duet:]
And wipe the mark of madness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you still recall my name
[Bridge, Duet:]
Oh, here
In the shadow
Here I am
And I need someone by my side
It becomes so
Hard to stand
And I keep trying to dry my eyes
Come and find me
In the valley
[Chorus, Lights:]
And wipe the mark of sadness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you still recall my name
[Chorus, Duet:]
And wipe the mark of madness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you still recall my name
Joey
Almost any concert will have openers about usually 3-4 it’s very common. Bigger acts will team up withsmall-medium time artists and bands (or smaller than themselves)
Sometimes the bigger acts (called headliners)
Will tour as two headliners
Source: the million concerts I went to.
I found some of my favorite bands at headliners
For instance when Set It Off was fairly small
I got into them when they were an opener
And now they’re huge
Also this goes without saying but, smaller bands will also go on tours as headliners with even smaller bands under them.
Sometimes all the bands/artists will all headline which is really cool too.
AstroSky
This song is the only song i know that can bring tears to my eyes....
Oh, here
In the shadow
Here I am
And I need someone by my side
It becomes so
Hard to stand
And I keep trying to dry my eyes
Come and find me
In the valley
Ollie
Can't stop coming back to this song. Beautiful
theavatarexperiment
Lyrics (from azlyrics):
[Verse 1, Lights:]
I never meant to wither
I wanted to be tall
Like a fool left the river
And watched my branches fall
Old and thirsty, I longed for the flood
To come back around
To the cactus in the valley
That's about to crumble down
[Chorus, Lights:]
And wipe the mark of sadness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you still recall my name
[Verse 2, Owl City:]
So, the storm finally found me
And left me in the dark
In the cloud around me
I don't know where you are
If this whole world goes up in arms
All I can do is stand
And I won't fight for anyone
Until you move my hand
[Chorus, Duet:]
And wipe the mark of madness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you still recall my name
[Bridge, Duet:]
Oh, here
In the shadow
Here I am
And I need someone by my side
It becomes so
Hard to stand
And I keep trying to dry my eyes
Come and find me
In the valley
[Chorus, Lights:]
And wipe the mark of sadness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you still recall my name
[Chorus, Duet:]
And wipe the mark of madness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you still recall my name
megangc18
Adam Young (Owl City) did NOT "ruin" this song. The first time I heard it was the acoustic with Owl City and I was in school. I thought it was so beautiful I actually cried. This song speaks to me and I don't like it as much without Owl City.
intentionslost
crazy how this barely has any views. its too good
Cheyenne Bonnick
Owl City is awesome. He absolutely did not ruin the song. I won't say he made it better, but this version is beautiful just like the original
DreamlandDiary
this is one of my favorite songs of all time
Alyssa Downs
me too!!!
Aisha Randall
I really have no idea how this song became one of my favorites? I don't even like acoustic alternative "pop"! Wow, cudos to you girl for making me a believer. This whole album is pure awesomeness.
Marie Elizabeth McClure
I SAW LIGHTS IN CONCERT!!! It was so random - it was at a Lindsey Sterling concert and b4 she came on, Lights had a performance... No idea why! Not what I paid for!!! But I fell in love!!! 💕 I haven't been able to find Lights since then until now. Love you guys :)
Joey
Almost any concert will have openers about usually 3-4 it’s very common. Bigger acts will team up withsmall-medium time artists and bands (or smaller than themselves)
Sometimes the bigger acts (called headliners)
Will tour as two headliners
Source: the million concerts I went to.
I found some of my favorite bands at headliners
For instance when Set It Off was fairly small
I got into them when they were an opener
And now they’re huge
Also this goes without saying but, smaller bands will also go on tours as headliners with even smaller bands under them.
Sometimes all the bands/artists will all headline which is really cool too.