Conservative compromises would be a thing of the past; ON AN ON, as they would name their band, would make music and art that melted outside the lines. It was perfect timing: they were already scheduled to record in a Toronto studio in two week’s time with acclaimed producer, Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene). With a knack for genre-melding, and a boundary-pushing mindset, Newfeld would prove to be the perfect match for the trio’s new caution-less approach: synthesizers, scattershot electro beats and ambient ear candy would give guitars, bass and drums a newfound ghostly sheen. The end result was Give In, ON AN ON’s ten-track debut album – a dream-washed textural journey armed with a biting perspective on the commonality of loss. The affair sizzles with electricity and calls one in with its unnerved openness. It’s a project – and approach to music — the three musicians in ON AN ON had been waiting for.
Ghosts
On An On Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They’re not stopping until it’s done
And I can feel them taking me over
Ooooh
Ooooh
Ooooh
But I can’t hear what they’re saying
They gotta believe me that I’ll never forget you
Ooooh (Every day the ghosts are gonna fly)
Ooooh (Every way I know I’m going to try)
Ooooh (To keep you alive, to keep you alive)
So take me out into the night
It was all you didn’t say, you had no fight
I was on the verge to scream
When you wouldn’t scream about anything
I don’t want to be your stupid fling or your magazine
That you look and turn the pages
Of someone else that you’ll never love
(Every day the ghosts are gonna fly)
Ooooh
Ooooh
‘Cause I was on the verge to scream
When you wouldn’t scream about anything
The lyrics of On An On's song "Ghosts" are very poetic, and they conjure up different interpretations. The song is about the spirits that are following the singer, and they intend to continue until they are finished with her. She feels the phantoms taking over her and can't resist their power. She can see the apparitions coming for her from miles away, but she cannot hear what they are saying. The singer pleads with the ghosts, saying she would never forget them. Every day, the spirits are going to fly away, and every way, she knows she is going to try to keep them alive.
The song is essentially about loss and how it can follow us even after someone is gone. The spirits that are coming to find her could be the memories of someone or something that haunts her even after it is gone. The singer seems to regret something that happened in the past with someone who was important to her. She was on the verge of screaming or speaking out about something, but the other person was quiet about it. This lack of communication led to an unsatisfying end, which haunts her, and the spirits are the symbol of that haunting.
The song creates a haunting and almost eerie atmosphere, which is fitting for a song about ghosts. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but at the heart of the song is the idea of how loss or the absence of someone can still affect us, and we carry it with us even when that person is gone.
Line by Line Meaning
There are spirits coming to find me
The artist feels like there are omnipresent spirits coming to take over their mind and soul.
They’re not stopping until it’s done
The spirits won't leave until they achieve their objective.
And I can feel them taking me over
The artist can sense the spirits possessing them and taking control.
I can see it from fifty-six miles away
The artist can perceive the effects of the spirits from a great distance.
But I can’t hear what they’re saying
Despite knowing the presence of the spirits, the artist cannot decipher their intentions.
They gotta believe me that I’ll never forget you
The artist asks the spirits to trust them that they will always remember a loved one.
So take me out into the night
The artist wants to escape reality and enter into the darkness.
It was all you didn’t say, you had no fight
The artist believes that a loved one didn't express their feelings and emotions or put up a struggle.
I don’t want to be your stupid fling or your magazine
The artist doesn't wish to be objectified and used by a loved one.
That you look and turn the pages
The artist lament that their loved one is only interested in superficial appearance and actions.
Of someone else that you’ll never love
The artist realizes that their loved one is incapable of genuinely loving someone.
‘Cause I was on the verge to scream
The artist was about to cry out in despair.
When you wouldn’t scream about anything
The loved one failed to express any emotion or concern, making the situation worse.
Ooooh
An interjected vocalization that conveys the intensity of the artist's emotional state.
Ooooh
An interjected vocalization that conveys the intensity of the artist's emotional state.
Ooooh
An interjected vocalization that conveys the intensity of the artist's emotional state.
(Every day the ghosts are gonna fly)
A recurring phrase that emphasizes the persistence of the spirits and their impact on the artist's life.
Ooooh
An interjected vocalization that conveys the intensity of the artist's emotional state.
Ooooh
An interjected vocalization that conveys the intensity of the artist's emotional state.
Contributed by Aaron T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@christine7521
"the people you love become ghosts inside of you and like this, you keep them alive"
I saw this quote somewhere and I instantly thought about this song.
I always felt like this song depicted a post-apocalyptic world, where everything was all dismal and grey. I would think about torn down buildings, abandoned cars and dust blowing in the wind. Then there would be these people, walking past me, but they weren't people, they were more so blurred outlines of human beings. (If you're wondering, yes, I was high as fuck when this all came to me)
Aside from all that, this song was very personal to me. I had my heart broken at the time, and I was literally feeling like this song every day. I felt lost, I had the curtains drawn all the time and the people around me walked past me in a blur like ghosts.
Listening to this song still brings back all the imagery and perhaps a slight tinge of the emotions as well
"I don't want to be your stupid fling or your magazine, that you look and turn the pages
of ..someone else that you'll never love" .. LET THAT SINK IN :(
@Gilishacham97
One of the best scenes of Greys Anatomy❤ ( Thomas and Cristina in a surgery)
@farazhussain4714
AAAH! I LOVE YOU FOR SAYING THAT.
EVEN THOUGH I DONT KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
Take care friend.
@ederricardodasilva
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@MarisCrane13
No matter the reason you listen I have never cried and felt so heartbroken over the death of a character and this song just impacts it so much and I just want to cry
@MrSKYLER4
This band needs more publicity.
@renegadeoffunk32
Anyone else having their own 30 second dance party? 🕺
@joker5481
When listening to this, I imagine walking on the Ocean towards a never ending Sunset.
@siddyfisher1765
GA - 30 second dance time!!!
@kylieb4255
This song hurts me in a good way
@JupiterJazzy17
Still one of my favorite songs to cry to after a loss.. Very cathartic and beautiful 🖤