Elverum explained this change in an 2003 interview with Discorder, asserting that "Mount Eerie is a new project. The Microphones was completed, or at least at a good stopping point. I did it because I am ready for new things. I am new."
As Mount Eerie, Phil typically works with synthesizers, guitars, drums, and the accenting voices of Mirah, The Blow, and fellow K-Records/Anacortes, Washington friends. Mount Eerie's album "Seven New Songs of Mount Eerie" was also the first recording released on Phil's new label, P.W.Elverum & Sun. All songs from that recording are available for free download in the Internet Archive.
Soria Moria
Mount Eerie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Across a distance, refuge in the dust
All my life I can remember longing
Looking across the water and seeing lights
When I was five or six, we were camping in the islands in July
The tall yellow grass and the rose hips fragrant
After sunset, island beyond island
Undulating and familiar, not far from home
I saw fireworks many miles away but didn't hear them
And I felt a longing, a childish melancholy
And then I went to sleep
And the aching was buried, dreaming, aging
Reaching for an idea of somewhere other than this place
That could fold me in clouded yearning
For nowhere actually reachable, the distance was the point
And then when I was twenty-four
I followed this ache to an Arctic Norwegian cabin
Where I said "fuck the world" in a finally satisfying way
I stayed through the winter and emerged as an adult
Holding a letter from you, an invitation
So I flew back and drove back
And when we met in person it was instant
It didn't matter where we lived as long as we were together
And that was really true for thirteen years
And the whole time still
Slow pulsing, red tower lights
Across a distance, refuge in the dust
In January, you were alive still
But chemo had ravaged and transformed your porcelain into some other thing
Something jaundiced and fucked
They put you in the hospital in Everett
So I gave the baby away and drove up and down I-5 every night
Like a satellite bringing you food that you wanted
Returning at night to sleep in our bed, cold
I went back to feel alone there
All past selves and future possibilities on hold
Well I tore through the dark on the freeway
The old yearning burning in me
I knew exactly where the road bent around
Where the trees opened up and I could see
Way above the horizon
Beyond innumerable islands
The towers on top of the mountain lit up slowly, silently beaconing
As if to say "just keep going
There is a place where a wind could erase this for you
And the branches could white noise you back awake"
So I went back to feel alone there but cradled you in me
In the National Gallery in Oslo
There's a painting called Soria Moria
A kid looks across a deep canyon of fog
At a lit up inhuman castle or something
I have not stopped looking across the water
From the few difficult spots where you can see
That the distance from this haunted house where I lived
To Soria Moria is a real traversable space
I'm an arrow now
Mid-air
Slow pulsing, red tower lights
Across a distance, refuge in the dust
The lyrics of "Soria Moria" by Mount Eerie are reminiscent and evocative, with the artist reflecting on his lifelong yearning to escape from his current reality and reach a distant place that exists only in his imaginings. The opening lines of the song describe slow pulsing, red tower lights that offer refuge in the midst of dust and distance. The artist speaks of a childhood memory where he was camping on an island, looking out across the water at the lights in the distance, feeling a sense of melancholy and longing. The distance was the point, he says, as it was what made the idea of this unreachable place so desirable.
The artist then recounts a journey he undertook when he was twenty-four, following his yearning to a cabin in Arctic Norway, where he felt he could escape from the world. However, he later received an invitation from someone he loved, and after reuniting with them, they spent thirteen years together, during which time the artist implies he felt fulfilled even though they did not live in the place he had always dreamed of.
In the final stanza, the artist describes a recent journey he took to see his loved one who was undergoing chemotherapy in a hospital. At this point, the artist references the Soria Moria painting in the National Gallery in Oslo, which depicts a figure gazing across a deep foggy canyon at a lit-up castle or structure. The artist says he has not stopped looking across the water to this imaginary, distant place from the few places where it is possible to see it, implying that his yearning and longing for somewhere else still persists.
Line by Line Meaning
Slow pulsing, red tower lights
Describes the lights from a distance and how they appear as if slowly pulsating and emanating a reddish hue.
Across a distance, refuge in the dust
The view of the red tower lights is seen from afar amidst a dusty terrain where it serves as a solace or comfort.
All my life I can remember longing
The author has always had a sense of yearning or desire throughout their existence.
Looking across the water and seeing lights
The author has often looked across water and seen lights in the distance that trigger a specific emotional response.
When I was five or six, we were camping in the islands in July
The author recalls a specific time and place when they were camping as a young child.
The tall yellow grass and the rose hips fragrant
Depicts the surroundings of the camping environment as having fragrant rose hips amidst tall yellow grass.
After sunset, island beyond island
After the sun sets, the author sees multiple islands in sequence in the distance.
Undulating and familiar, not far from home
Despite being away from home, the sense of familiarity can still be felt through the undulating terrain.
With my fragrant, whittled, cedared drift wood dagger in the mildew canvas tent
The author had a specific item, a cedar driftwood dagger that was whittled, present in their tent.
I saw fireworks many miles away but didn't hear them
The author observed distant fireworks but could not hear them which elicited a feeling of melancholy.
And I felt a longing, a childish melancholy
Watching the fireworks from afar stirred up an intense feeling of nostalgia and sadness that originated from a childlike state of emotion.
And then I went to sleep
The author was eventually able to sleep despite the strong emotional response elicited by watching the fireworks.
And the aching was buried, dreaming, aging
The emotions the author experienced were subdued during a period of dreaming which ultimately led to a shift in how the author processed the event as they grew older.
Reaching for an idea of somewhere other than this place
The author was seeking an imagined place that was separate from their current experience.
That could fold me in clouded yearning
The idea of a distant place carried a feeling of hazy longing or yearning for the author.
For nowhere actually reachable, the distance was the point
The longing for an unattainable place was a key factor in why it was desirable for the author.
And then when I was twenty-four
The author references a specific age when discussing a significant life event.
I followed this ache to an Arctic Norwegian cabin
The strong desire felt by the author drove them to stay in a cabin located in a remote part of Norway.
Where I said "fuck the world" in a finally satisfying way
The author felt a sense of relief and satisfaction by voicing their frustration with the world while in the isolated cabin.
I stayed through the winter and emerged as an adult
The experience of staying through a winter in the cabin marked a significant point in the author's personal growth.
Holding a letter from you, an invitation
The author held onto an invitation in the form of a letter from someone else.
So I flew back and drove back
The author traveled back to a previous location by air and then by car.
And when we met in person it was instant
Upon meeting someone in person, their connection was immediate.
It didn't matter where we lived as long as we were together
The bond between the author and the person they met was strong enough that it transcended any physical location.
And that was really true for thirteen years
The strong connection between the author and the other person lasted for a significant period of time.
And the whole time still
The strength of their bond remained constant throughout the aforementioned thirteen years.
In January, you were alive still
A specific time, January, is mentioned in reference to another person who was still alive.
But chemo had ravaged and transformed your porcelain into some other thing
The effects of chemotherapy had a significant impact on the physical appearance of the other person and altered their state of being.
Something jaundiced and fucked
The changes in the other person caused them to take on a jaundiced and unhealthy appearance.
They put you in the hospital in Everett
The person discussed was admitted into a hospital located in Everett.
So I gave the baby away and drove up and down I-5 every night
To care for the other person, the author had to give up the responsibility of a child and spent their nights driving along Interstate 5 to provide food and support for the other person.
Like a satellite bringing you food that you wanted
The author delivered food to the other person in a manner similar to how a satellite would function.
Returning at night to sleep in our bed, cold
When returning home, the author would experience a sense of loneliness as they slept in their bed.
I went back to feel alone there
Despite experiencing loneliness, the author would return to their home to be alone.
All past selves and future possibilities on hold
The strong emotions and events taking place caused the author to put a hold on reflecting on their past and their future goals.
Well I tore through the dark on the freeway
The author drove at a fast and frantic pace on a freeway during the nighttime.
The old yearning burning in me
The author experienced a familiar feeling of desire or yearning that had been present for a long time.
I knew exactly where the road bent around
The author was familiar with the road and knew where certain bends were located.
Where the trees opened up and I could see
The author was able to see through an opening in the trees that allowed them to see a specific view.
Way above the horizon
The view the author saw was located higher up in the sky above the horizon line.
Beyond innumerable islands
The view extended beyond multiple and countless islands in the distance.
The towers on top of the mountain lit up slowly, silently beaconing
The author observed the lit up towers on top of a mountain that seemed to be sending out a silent beckoning or signal.
As if to say "just keep going
It felt as though the towers were encouraging the author to continue moving forward.
There is a place where a wind could erase this for you
The towers were signaling the presence of a location where the problems or troubles the author was experiencing could be erased by the wind.
And the branches could white noise you back awake"
The towers suggested that in this location, the sound of branches rustling in the wind could have a calming and restorative effect.
So I went back to feel alone there but cradled you in me
Despite desiring solitude, the author still carried the other person in their thoughts and emotions.
In the National Gallery in Oslo
The author references a specific art gallery that is located in the city of Oslo.
There's a painting called Soria Moria
The painting referenced by the author is titled Soria Moria.
A kid looks across a deep canyon of fog
The painting depicts a child gazing out across a deep canyon that is filled with fog.
At a lit up inhuman castle or something
The child in the painting sees a castle or some other structure that is lit up with light.
I have not stopped looking across the water
The author has a continued fascination with looking out across water for sight of something else in the distance.
From the few difficult spots where you can see
The author knows there are only certain locations and angles from which it is possible to see a specific image or view.
That the distance from this haunted house where I lived
The distance between the author's current location and the view they seek is considered haunted or ominous for some reason.
To Soria Moria is a real traversable space
Despite the distance that separates the author from the desired location of Soria Moria, it is still considered a physical space that can be traversed.
I'm an arrow now
The author feels as though they possess a sense of direction or purpose similar to that of an arrow.
Mid-air
The author is currently in a state of transition or flux, hovering between directions or emotions.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Phil Elvrum
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind