Dallas-based American singer-songwriter Max Stalling never expected to be a… Read Full Bio ↴Dallas-based American singer-songwriter Max Stalling never expected to be a full-time country and western musician. After earning his college degree from Texas A&M in food science, he worked for Rainbo Bread and Frito Lay. But following the critically lauded and audience-proven successes of his first three CDs, Comfort In The Curves in 1997, Wide Afternoon in 2000, and One Of The Ways in 2002, he traded his lab coat for cowboy boots and has been touring ever since - performing at more than 150 honky tonks and smoky dancehalls each year. In 2006 he issued the live disc Sell Out (recorded at Dan's Silverleaf in Denton), and his first new studio album in five years, Topaz City, was released in the summer of 2007.

The Girl by The Lake
Max Stalling Lyrics

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The picture I have is you standing in front of a lake
There's sun on your face and you're smiling a way
That really gives nothing away

Just judging by the shadows, it's noon or maybe one or two
You've got the rest of the day and your whole life to play
And the world is waiting on you

But I really just can't remember the night that you went away
It happened so fast, so long in the past
Did I ever know this girl by the lake?
Did I even know the girl by the lake?

To live is to fly and I'm learning to try
But sometimes it's all such a chore
If the breeze doesn't come and clouds block the sun
You've got to work harder to soar

We're all here just a dancing like we know what we are trying to do
But the fact is you can't so you dance and you dance
Keep on moving till the music is through

There's nothing that says that you have to, no rules that say you must
And what may seem unfair is just fates way of daring
Us all to learn how to trust

It's sun on a butterfly's wings stretching them out to dry
And a breeze to help with the chore
But if the breeze doesn't come and clouds block the sun
You've got to work harder to soar.

Well the picture I have is you standing in front of a lake
And you smiling a way that gives nothing away

Did I ever know this girl by the lake?
Did I even know the girl by the lake?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Max Stalling's song "The Girl by The Lake" depict a memory of the girl he once knew. The picture he has in his mind is of her standing in front of a lake, smiling with the sun on her face, but her smile is one that gives nothing away about what she is thinking and feeling. He notes the time the picture was taken, stating that it's noon or maybe one or two, with the whole day and her whole life ahead of her. The world is waiting for her, but the singer cannot remember the night she went away, which was so long ago. He is uncertain if he even knew the girl in the picture, questioning if he ever knew the girl by the lake.

The song goes on to a more profound state of mind where he speaks to life's challenges. He says that living is like learning how to fly, and sometimes it's a chore and can be difficult. Sometimes the breeze doesn't come, and the clouds block the sun, and you have to work harder to soar. He states that everyone is here, dancing like they know what they are doing or trying to do, but the fact is that nobody really knows how to live life. The only thing one can do is to keep on moving, dancing until the music stops. There's nothing that says that one has to follow rules or follow a certain path, but the language of life is about daring everyone to learn how to trust. The lyrics conclude with a reiteration of the girl by the lake, wondering if he knew her or if he ever knew her.

Line by Line Meaning

The picture I have is you standing in front of a lake
I can visualize you standing by the lake

There's sun on your face and you're smiling a way That really gives nothing away
You look happy in the sun but it's hard to tell how you really feel

Just judging by the shadows, it's noon or maybe one or two You've got the rest of the day and your whole life to play And the world is waiting on you
Based on the position of the sun, it's midday and you have your whole life ahead of you. The world is waiting for you to make your mark

But I really just can't remember the night that you went away It happened so fast, so long in the past Did I ever know this girl by the lake? Did I even know the girl by the lake?
I can't recall the night you left. It happened so quickly and it's hard to say if I ever really knew you

To live is to fly and I'm learning to try But sometimes it's all such a chore If the breeze doesn't come and clouds block the sun You've got to work harder to soar
Life is like flying, I'm learning to take risks. However, sometimes it feels like a burden. If things don't go smoothly, you have to work even harder to succeed

We're all here just a dancing like we know what we are trying to do But the fact is you can't so you dance and you dance Keep on moving till the music is through
We're all trying to navigate this life but we don't really know what we're doing. You just have to keep moving forward and do your best until the end

There's nothing that says that you have to, no rules that say you must And what may seem unfair is just fate's way of daring Us all to learn how to trust
There are no hard and fast rules in life. Sometimes things may seem unfair but it's just life's way of challenging us to trust ourselves and others

It's sun on a butterfly's wings stretching them out to dry And a breeze to help with the chore But if the breeze doesn't come and clouds block the sun You've got to work harder to soar.
Life is like the sun on a butterfly's wings. Sometimes the wind helps but if it doesn't come, you have to work harder to succeed

Well the picture I have is you standing in front of a lake And you smiling a way that gives nothing away Did I ever know this girl by the lake? Did I even know the girl by the lake?
I keep picturing you by the lake. You look happy but it's hard to read what's really going on. Did I ever truly know you?

Contributed by Skyler C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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