Lightning
Philip Glass Lyrics


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LIGHTNING
Lyrics by Suzanne Vega

Lightning struck a while ago
And it’s blazing much too fast
But give it rain of waiting time
And it will surely pass
Blow over

And it’s happening so quickly
As I feel the flaming time
And I grope about the embers
To relieve my stormy mind
Blow over

Shaken this has left me
And laughing and undone

With a blinding bolt of sleeplessness
That’s just begun
And a windy crazy running
Through the nights and through the days
And a crackling
Of the time burned away
Burned away
Now I feel it in my blood
All hot and sharp and white
With a whipcrack and a thunder
And a flash of flooding light

But there’ll be a thick and smoky
Silence in the air
When the fire finally dies
And I’m wondering who’ll be left there

In the ashes of time




Burned away
Burned away

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Philip Glass's song "Lightning" tell a story of a powerful and overwhelming emotional experience similar to a lightning strike. The singer of the song initially describes the lightning as "blazing much too fast," indicating that the experience is happening too quickly and is difficult to process. However, the singer suggests that with time and patience, the intense emotions will "blow over" and eventually fade away.


Despite the singer's initial hope that the intensity of the emotions will pass, they are quickly engulfed in the "flaming time" and "stormy mind" that the lightning has brought about. The language used throughout the song is evocative of chaos and turbulence, with the singer feeling "shaken," "laughing and undone," and experiencing "a crackling of the time burned away." The experience seems to be all-consuming, with the singer feeling it in their blood and describing it as a "whipcrack and a thunder and a flash of flooding light."


Towards the end of the song, the singer hints at a sense of loss and sadness that may accompany the end of such an intense emotional experience. The image of "thick and smoky silence" after the fire has died suggests a void or emptiness that may be felt once the chaos and excitement of the experience have dissipated. The final lines of the song, "I'm wondering who'll be left there / In the ashes of time burned away," seem to reflect a sense of uncertainty and introspection as the singer contemplates what remains after the intense emotional storm has subsided.


Line by Line Meaning

Lightning struck a while ago
Something impactful happened in the past


And it’s blazing much too fast
The impact is overwhelming


But give it rain of waiting time
If we wait patiently, time will dilute the impact


And it will surely pass
The overwhelming feeling will eventually go away


Blow over
Let the storm pass


And it’s happening so quickly
The impact is sudden


As I feel the flaming time
The intense feeling is burning within me


And I grope about the embers
I try to find meaning in the aftermath


To relieve my stormy mind
To calm my agitated state


Shaken this has left me
The experience has left me disturbed


And laughing and undone
It's a mix of emotions


With a blinding bolt of sleeplessness
The experience has made it hard for me to sleep


That’s just begun
The lasting effects might only be starting now


And a windy crazy running
The emotions are erratic and intense


Through the nights and through the days
The emotions persist throughout the whole day


And a crackling
There's a sense of tension in the air


Of the time burned away
The experience is something that cannot be undone


Burned away
Lost forever


Now I feel it in my blood
The impact is now a part of me


All hot and sharp and white
The emotion is intense and blinding


With a whipcrack and a thunder
There's a sense of urgency in the air


And a flash of flooding light
The impact is all-encompassing


But there’ll be a thick and smoky
The aftermath will be murky and unclear


Silence in the air
There might be ambiguity or confusion after the impact fades


When the fire finally dies
When the impact subsides


And I’m wondering who’ll be left there
The experience might change me or those around me


In the ashes of time
In the enduring aftermath


Burned away
Lost forever




Contributed by John J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Calvin Mead

If I was buried alive this is the song I would climb out of my grave to

Ano Nony

To rule the world once more?

h9ooo

🀣🀣🀣🀣🀣🀣

Ano Nony

I remember hearing this when I was twelve or so and it excited me so much. I'd jump around and dance like crazy. What a cool song

RIXRADvidz

Experience the entire album, ''Songs from Liquid Days'' Great Voices, amazing stars, and music like no other. ''Freezing'' is an excellent compliment to ''Lightning''

Calvin Baxter

Just fun idea to throw around. I was reading somewhere that PG had a goal of his music being ever-changing without anyone able to tell. The weaving of a story. I also just listened to an old trey anastasio interview with almost the exact sentiment! Cool music is cool and cool musicians do things to us that make us want to really live! Thank you all

Bekah

I feel like Etude No. 2 is a perfect example of him putting those subtle changes into practice. That song is a masterpiece..

Jean Gheno

MAKE. THIS. ONE. SUFFER!!

Daniel Smith

We are perhaps the only two people in this comments section that understand that reference.

viciousKev

Thick black smoke covered the screams

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