Young also records under the names Sky Sailing, Port Blue, Color Therapy, Insect Airport, Seagull Orchestra and his own name, Adam Young.
Young started out making music in 2007 in his basement in his hometown of Owatonna, Minnesota, United States, later developing a following through his MySpace profile before being signed to Universal Republic. Young has released seven albums under the Owl City moniker: "Maybe I'm Dreaming" (2008), "Ocean Eyes" (2009), "All Things Bright and Beautiful" (2011), "The Midsummer Station" (2012), "Mobile Orchestra" (2015), "Cinematic" (2018), and "Coco Moon" (2023). Young's 2009 single "Fireflies" reached #1 in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and The Netherlands. His second major hit, 2012's "Good Time" featuring Carly Rae Jepsen reached #8 in the US and #1 in New Zealand.
He was also once a member of Windsor Airlift and Swimming with Dolphins, both of which he is no longer involved with.
The Bird and The Worm
Owl City Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whenever we pretend it's summer,
Then I'm the worm,
I know the part, it's such a bummer,
But fair is fair,
If my segments get separated,
I'll scream
And you'll be there.
Close your eyes (close my eyes),
(Slide the cotton off of your shoulder)
And feel the shine (feel the shine),
I'm hooked so toss me over,
And cast a line (oh I'll try),
Oh throw a party and greet my undersea friends (it depends),
As they arrive (if they arrive),
You and I left our troubles far behind (troubles far behind),
But I still have just one more question on my mind,
For all my pals who live in all the oceans and the seas,
With friends like these well, who needs enemies?
Da dat dah da da da da da da dat dah
If I'm your boy,
Let's take a short cut we remember,
And we'll enjoy,
Pickin' apples in late September
Like we've done for years,
Then we'll take a long walk through the corn field,
And I'll kiss you, between the ears,
If you're my girl,
Swirl me around your room with feeling,
And as we twirl, the glow in the dark stars on your ceiling,
Will shine for us,
As love sweeps over the room,
Cause we tend to make each other blush (you make me blush)
You and I left our troubles far behind (troubles far behind),
But I still have just one more question on my mind,
For all my pals who live in all the oceans and the seas,
With fronds like these well, who needs anemones?
You're the bird and I'm the worm,
And it's plain to see that we were meant to be
We were meant to be
Da dat dah da da da da da da dat dah
If you're the bird
If you're the bird
Then I'm the worm
We were meant to be
The lyrics of Owl City's The Bird and The Worm can be seen as a whimsical love song between two different creatures - a bird and a worm. The song is filled with references to nature, starting with the first line, "If you're the bird, whenever we pretend it's summer, then I'm the worm, I know the part, it's such a bummer, but fair is fair..." The idea of pretending that it is summer sets a playful tone, and the bird and worm relationship creates a distinct contrast between two creatures that would not usually be associated with each other.
Throughout the song, there are hints of magical realism, with lines like "Close your eyes and feel the shine" and "Swirl me around your room with feeling, and... The glow in the dark stars on your ceiling, will shine for us, as love sweeps over the room." The magic and imagination are emphasized by the song's upbeat, electronic tempo.
In the end, the song concludes with the line "If you're the bird, then I'm the worm, we were meant to be," symbolically representing the idea that love knows no bounds in nature, and even creatures that seem like polar opposites can be drawn to each other.
Line by Line Meaning
If you're the bird,
If you are the one who is carefree and happy about everything.
Whenever we pretend it's summer,
Whenever we try to pretend that everything is okay.
Then I'm the worm,
Then I'm the one who is worried and anxious about everything.
I know the part, it's such a bummer,
I know what I have to do, but it's not something I want to do.
But fair is fair,
But we have to be fair to each other.
If my segments get separated,
If I start falling apart and things get difficult for me.
I'll scream
I'll be frightened and upset.
And you'll be there.
But I know you'll be there to help me.
Close your eyes (close my eyes),
Let's be together in a moment of intimacy.
(Slide the cotton off of your shoulder)
Embrace me and let me feel close to you.
And feel the shine (feel the shine),
Experience the warmth and happiness of being together.
I'm hooked so toss me over,
I'm completely enamored with you, so please love me back.
And cast a line (oh I'll try),
And try to catch my attention and make me fall in love.
Oh throw a party and greet my undersea friends (it depends),
Let's celebrate and share our love with everyone, although it might not be possible.
As they arrive (if they arrive),
If they come to celebrate with us.
You and I left our troubles far behind (troubles far behind),
We forgot about all our worries and problems.
But I still have just one more question on my mind,
I still have one more thing I want to ask you.
For all my pals who live in all the oceans and the seas,
For all my friends who are far away, and I want to share my happiness with them.
With friends like these well, who needs enemies?
With good friends, who needs anyone else?
If I'm your boy,
If I'm the one you love.
Let's take a short cut we remember,
Let's do something that we both enjoy.
And we'll enjoy,
Let's have fun together.
Pickin' apples in late September
Let's go apple picking in the fall.
Like we've done for years,
Like we always do.
Then we'll take a long walk through the corn field,
Let's go for a walk in the fields.
And I'll kiss you, between the ears,
And I'll kiss you gently on your forehead.
If you're my girl,
If you're the one I love.
Swirl me around your room with feeling,
Spin around the room with me and show me your love.
And as we twirl, the glow in the dark stars on your ceiling,
As we dance, the stars on your ceiling shine.
Will shine for us,
Will light up the room and our love.
As love sweeps over the room,
As our love fills the room.
Cause we tend to make each other blush (you make me blush)
Because we can't help but be shy and bashful around each other.
You're the bird and I'm the worm,
You're carefree and happy, and I'm worried and anxious.
And it's plain to see that we were meant to be
It's clear that we were meant to be together.
We were meant to be
We were destined to be together forever.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MATTHEW THIESSEN, ADAM YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind