Performing Songwriter calls Hutchinson, "...A master of introspective ballads filled with understated yearning and an exquisite sense of metaphor." The twenty-six year old describes her style as "lyric-based, folk-pop, with a whole lot of small town idealism and one devastating break up thrown in for good measure." Among her influences she is quick to include poet Mary Oliver along with the likes of David Grey, Patty Griffin, Greg Brown and Shawn Colvin. Her songs are characterized by a weathered but unselfconscious optimism, a love of language and of the natural world. Having grown up in a town of 5,000 people, "just outside the National Historic District," her songs possess all the charm of Lake Wobegon, tempered by a sweet and timeless voice.
Climbing Mountains
Meg Hutchinson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Way beyond the earth's strange pull
Dreamt last night I was climbing mountains
Way beyond love's fierce hold
Dreamt last night I was climbing mountains
Way beyond the sad remains
Of this wild wild world that was never ours
That somehow we had the need to claim
And this impulse to survive
But when dark falls behind windows
See these tired eyes bathed in blue light
Watch the world turn watch the heart find
Comfort alone won't keep us alive
Dreamt last night of your Irish eyes
Of your teeth shining in the dark when you smile
Of your solitude and your even keel
Of your steady gate and the loss that you feel
Nothing but the love remains
The rest it seems to always fade
But when dark falls behind windows
See these tired eyes bathed in blue light
Watch the world turn watch the heart find
Comfort alone won't keep us
Keep us
Imagine a whole country asleep at the wheel
Inventing so many new ways to avoid what we feel
But when dark falls....
Dark falls, windows, tired eyes, blue light
Dreamt last night I was climbing mountains
The lyrics of Meg Hutchinson's song "Climbing Mountains" depict the dreams of an individual who visualizes climbing and ascending mountains, surpassing the boundaries of earth and love, venturing beyond the remains of a world that was never truly ours but we still have the urge to possess. The dreamer recalls the wind and sky, the survival urge, and the haunting feeling of exhaustion in the "blue light" accompanied by the typical anticipation of finding sheer comfort but knowing that mere comfort is not enough. The listener is led to believe that the dreamer's thoughts have wandered through a lover's character, remembering their Irish eyes and delightfully shining smile. In the end, the dreamer concludes that love is the only thing that endures and the rest, the remains of the world, keep withering away.
Throughout the song, Hutchison uses rich symbolism to convey her message. The mountains can be symbolic of the journey of life, where one's goal should be to ascend beyond the obstacles and adversity that come our way. The dreamer's yearning to leave behind the remains of a world that was never ours can signify our inability to take care of the earth and instead be perpetrators of the destruction that has caused harm to it. The blue light signifies a sense of loneliness and melancholy, and the reference to Irish eyes, solitude, and smiles highlight the personification of love, acting as the saving grace in turbulent times.
Line by Line Meaning
Dreamt last night I was climbing mountains
I had a dream last night where I was climbing mountains, overcoming great obstacles.
Way beyond the earth's strange pull
I was climbing so high that I felt detached from the earth and its gravity.
Way beyond love's fierce hold
I climbed past the emotional hold that love has on us, and reached a point of detachment.
Way beyond the sad remains
I reached the peak so high that I could see beyond the remnants of the sorrowful world that we live in.
Of this wild wild world that was never ours
This world we live in is untamed and is not one that belongs to us.
That somehow we had the need to claim
Despite that, we still have the urge to try and possess this wild world, to make it ours somehow.
Nothing but the wind and sky
As I climbed, it was just me, the wind, and the sky.
And this impulse to survive
I had a strong, instinctual desire to keep climbing, to keep living, and to keep surviving.
But when dark falls behind windows
However, when the darkness of night comes and I'm inside, looking out the window...
See these tired eyes bathed in blue light
I can see my reflection in the window, with my eyes looking tired and bathed in the blueish light of a screen or electronic device.
Watch the world turn watch the heart find
As I observe the world outside and let my thoughts wander, I find comfort in watching it all turn and change.
Comfort alone won't keep us alive
But I also realize that just finding comfort and letting time pass won't be enough to keep me alive--I need more than that.
Dreamt last night of your Irish eyes
In another dream, I saw someone with Irish-looking eyes.
Of your teeth shining in the dark when you smile
I remembered their teeth sparkling in the dark when they smiled.
Of your solitude and your even keel
I recalled their peaceful demeanor, even when they were alone.
Of your steady gate and the loss that you feel
I thought of how they always walked at a steady pace, but also how they carried the weight of loss with them.
Nothing but the love remains
Despite time passing and things disappearing, love is the only thing that stays with us forever.
The rest it seems to always fade
Everything else--even the mountains I climbed in my dream--will eventually fade away.
Imagine a whole country asleep at the wheel
I can't help but imagine that we're all driving through life half-asleep, not fully experiencing everything around us.
Inventing so many new ways to avoid what we feel
Instead of confronting our true feelings, we come up with new ways to distract ourselves and avoid them.
But when dark falls....
Yet, even with all of these distractions, when darkness falls and we're alone, we can't avoid our true feelings and thoughts.
Dark falls, windows, tired eyes, blue light
When we face our darkest moments, we see ourselves reflected in the windows, with eyes that are tired and bathed in blue light.
Contributed by Liliana J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.