With her opera singer for a mother, theater organist father and Björk’s Homogenic on constant rotation, Oh Land was enraptured by the combination of experimental and classical arts. “My goal is to sound like I’m from 2050, but still feel really classic, like the music is an old friend,” said Oh Land. She spent her days pirouetting as a ballet dancer at the Danish Royal Ballet Academy when an injury forced her to reinvent herself and discover her true talent and passion as a musician. Oh Land was discovered by Kasper Bjørke who soon released her first album, Fauna, which garnered critical acclaim in her homeland of Denmark. Her soundscapes are lavish, crunchy, symphonic, brute and captivated with rhythms that fly apart. She translates the sounds live via her contraption - a homemade one-woman-band music box topped with balloon video projections (seeing is believing). Her music is for movement and new songs such as the thumping Sun of a Gun and euphoric White Nights have proven to make even the most portentous get up and dance. Having been discovered by Epic Records at 2009’s SXSW, she is currently putting the finishing touches on her US debut album and an EP to be released this fall.
www.ohlandmusic.com
Bird in an Aeroplane
Oh Land Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Light weight but strong
I can only go this long
Iron steel and smoke
Your power is endless
I’m only flesh and bones
Every machine has a promise to break
I pray for hurricanes
You take off when I want to stay
Out of steam I’m off terrain
I’m a bird in an aeroplane
Crossing continents
We’re going in loops
Tell me will we ever land
Longing to return
To somewhere I’ve known something quite familiar ooh
We’re flying over mountains higher every day
I’m trying to keep up
Trying to match your game
While you are gaining height I’m fading into grey
And away…
The lyrics of Oh Land's "Bird in an Aeroplane" explore the disparity between mankind's physical limitations and the relentless progress of technology. Oh Land, the singer, likens herself to a bird in an aeroplane, a metaphor for her struggle to keep up with the rapid pace of modern life, which seems to outstrip her ability to adapt. She describes herself as "feathered to the tips," which suggests fragility and an overreliance on nature. Meanwhile, the machine - represented by the steel, iron, and smoke - has endless power and does not tire like a human being. The mention of being "off terrain" hints at Oh Land's sense of disorientation and unease.
The overall tone of the song is wistful and longing. The lyrics express a desire to return to something familiar, to escape the endless cycle of progress and embrace a simpler way of life. The reference to being "stuck in a dream" is significant because it suggests that Oh Land feels trapped in a situation that is beyond her control. She can only pray for some force of nature to intervene, to disrupt the machine's momentum and bring about a return to balance.
Overall, "Bird in an Aeroplane" is a melancholy reflection on the human condition in the age of technology. It highlights the tension between our desire for progress and our innate limitations, and hints at the possibility of finding hope in the midst of chaos.
Line by Line Meaning
Feathered to the tips
My feathers extend all the way to the ends of my wings
Light weight but strong
I am lightweight yet sturdy
I can only go this long
There is only so much distance I can cover
Iron steel and smoke
Your body is made of metal, strong and robust
Your power is endless
You have the potential to keep going and going
I’m only flesh and bones
I am only made of flesh and bones, limited by my physical capabilities
Every machine has a promise to break
No machine is perfect and they all have limitations
Stuck in a dream that I cannot escape
I am stuck in a situation I cannot get out of
I pray for hurricanes
I wish for something powerful to force a change in our current course
You take off when I want to stay
You want to keep going even though I want to stay put
Out of steam I’m off terrain
I am losing energy and unable to keep up with the journey
I’m a bird in an aeroplane
I am out of my element and not meant to be in this situation
Crossing continents
We are traveling great distances
We’re going in loops
We are traveling in circles without making any real progress
Tell me will we ever land
I am uncertain of our destination and whether we will ever arrive there
Longing to return
I am homesick and wish to go back to where I came from
To somewhere I’ve known something quite familiar ooh
I want to return to a familiar place I once knew
We’re flying over mountains higher every day
We are surpassing obstacles and challenges as we progress
I’m trying to keep up
I am doing my best to match your pace
Trying to match your game
I am trying to keep up with your abilities
While you are gaining height I’m fading into grey
As you succeed, I am struggling and becoming disheartened
And away…
I am drifting further from my desired outcome
Contributed by Xavier K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.