The New Zealand rock band have released three albums - 2004's platinum selling 'You Are Here', 2007's multi-platinum selling 'Second Hand Planet', and 2010's 'Until The End Of Time'.
Opshop were winners of the coveted 'Peoples Choice Award' at the 2007 New Zealand Music Awards. Also in 2007 their single “Maybe” achieved the honour of being the biggest song at New Zealand radio ever, holding the #1 most-played spot for 12 consecutive weeks.
Opshop describe their sound like this: "An equal opportunistic grab bag of semi-funkster pop and crackle 'muesli' rock. We like playing music that sounds nice and loud. And dirty and quiet and every nook 'n' cranny in between. If you're not sure what it is. Its likely to be ours".
NOAH
Opshop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But on the second month of the year
We would brave a deluge
In the hope he was righteous
And as he made his restorations
After forty days and forty nights
He said everywhere there will be ocean
[Music]
You couldn’t listen through hearin’
Through your spirit like tapestry
He said fight fire with fire
Even if you have to borrow sunlight
[Chorus]
But we couldn’t look back for fear of movin’ on
And although the space between us could be redrawn
We’re still lyin’ down in history’s biggest storm
It was a pageant of impossible
Of pure devotion
In a wooden city
Waving to his children’s children
He was branded a heretic
He’s got his eyes on a sequel
You can exhale now
As you rest on a mountain
But we couldn’t look back for fear of movin’ on
And although the space between us could be redrawn
We’re still lyin’ down in history’s biggest storm
[Music]
So you can come home now
You can come home now
Yeah, you can come now
You can come home now…
But we can’t look back for fear of movin’ on
And although the space between us could be redrawn
There’s a line of people flyin’ too close to the sun
We’re still lyin’ down in history’s biggest
Storm - woah-oh-oh-oh…
Storm - woah-oh-oh-woah…
Storm - woah-oh-oh-oh…
Storm - woah-oh-oh-oh-woah…
You can come home now
(You can come home now)
Yeah, you can come home now
(You can come home now)
You can come home now
(You can come home now)
You can come home now
(You can come home now)
The song Noah by Opshop is a lyrically impressive piece that reflects on the story of Noah and the Great Flood. The first stanza describes the anticipation of Noah's return after the devastating floods. The hope that he was righteous is shown as he made restorations, and it is said that there would be oceans everywhere, but no one to apologize. The second stanza is an admonition to fight fire with fire, even if it means borrowing sunlight. The chorus is a reflection of the impossibility of the situation they found themselves in, and despite the fact that the space between them could be redrawn, they are still lying down in history's biggest storm.
The verses paint a picture of hope amidst chaos and the importance of perseverance. It talks about the bravery of Noah, the heretic who rises above the challenges posed by the flood. The chorus focuses on the futility of fighting forces that cannot be controlled, despite the effort. The song invokes the Noah story for symbolic meaning, drawing parallels to our modern-day struggles. In summary, the lyrics of this song are incredibly philosophical, and they offer food for thought on individual struggles and the importance of never giving up.
Line by Line Meaning
You couldn’t see through watchin’
Even if you watched closely, you still couldn't see what was really happening
But on the second month of the year
After some time had passed
We would brave a deluge
We would face a heavy rainstorm
In the hope he was righteous
We hoped that Noah was doing the right thing
And as he made his restorations
When Noah started rebuilding
After forty days and forty nights
After a long time had passed
He said everywhere there will be ocean
Noah predicted that the world would be filled with water
But no one to apologise
No one would say sorry for not believing in him
You couldn’t listen through hearin’
Even if you listened hard, you still might not understand
Through your spirit like tapestry
Through your soul, which is like a woven cloth
He said fight fire with fire
He advised us to use a similar tactic to win
Even if you have to borrow sunlight
Even if you have to use something you don't have
But we couldn’t look back for fear of movin’ on
We couldn't dwell on the past because we had to keep moving forward
And although the space between us could be redrawn
Even though we could fix the distance between us
We’re still lyin’ down in history’s biggest storm
We are still living through one of the most dramatic moments in history
It was a pageant of impossible
It was a display of things that seemed unrealistic
Of pure devotion
Of complete dedication
In a wooden city
In an ark made of wood
Waving to his children’s children
Looking out for generations to come
He was branded a heretic
He was called a blasphemer
He’s got his eyes on a sequel
He is looking to the future
You can exhale now
You can finally relax
As you rest on a mountain
As you feel like you have overcome great obstacles
There’s a line of people flyin’ too close to the sun
There are many people taking unnecessary risks
Storm - woah-oh-oh-oh…
Referring to the chaos and turmoil of the events described
You can come home now
It's safe to return home
Contributed by Scarlett N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.