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Southbound
Sea Oleena Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An instant of existence at the table in the kitchen.
A flood-lit, floating highway,
Headlights slicing up a pathway into the driveway.
Drop me a line when you finally arrive on the runway.
Southbound train-track traveler
Add another film roll, quick, into the camera.
Grey lake paint-stained body of water
To the left of the runway.
(Drop me a line when you finally arrive on the runway.)
I got lost in Egypt,
Wandering around the figurines a hieroglyphics.
Paintings on the ceilings,
Colorful in contrast to the sandy statuettes.
I read the book of the dead backwards
And then I made my way to someone with a name-tag
For directions to a staircase.
I climbed a flight an realized the century had shifted,
I was awe-struck, gaping at the walls
I floated through the marble halls
Like some dis-jointed memory thrown across the room.
(From) back when I pumped gas, red shirt, black pants.
Drinking in the bathroom, heading for a heart-attack.
Never looking up from the sidewalk,
High-tops pounding out a beat in the pavement
(they went)
Yes, I'm a little bit wasted.
Just like a six-string, I sing only when I'm pressured
Or when I'm alone with a rhythm and a reason.
Heading for the season of the winter coat,
Heartbeat heavy as a suicide note.
Yes, I'm a little bit wasted;
Nevermind, I'm fine, walking in a straight line,
Trying out my voice for the first time.
Grey lake, paint-stained body of water
To the left of the runway.
Drop me a line when you finally arrive on the runway.
The lyrics of Sea Oleena's "Southbound" are enigmatic and dreamlike, painting a surrealistic picture of wandering and traveling. The first verse contains a series of images that seem disconnected but also suggest a sense of anticipation for something or someone to arrive. The "invisible physicians, lawyers, and magicians" evoke a mystical sense of waiting for someone to solve a problem, while the "flood-lit, floating highway" and the "headlights slicing up a pathway into the driveway" suggest a sense of arrival or departure. The repeated refrain to "drop me a line when you finally arrive on the runway" emphasizes this sense of waiting and anticipation.
The second verse shifts to a more concrete setting, with the singer exploring Egypt and discovering the beauty of the hieroglyphics and paintings on the ceilings. However, the sense of disorientation and the passage of time is heightened by the backwards reading of the book of the dead and the sudden realization that the "century had shifted." The last verse contains more personal and emotional imagery, with the singer reminiscing about a time when they were "pumping gas" and drinking in the bathroom, and feeling a sense of pressure to sing only when alone. The final repetition of "grey lake paint-stained body of water" and "drop me a line when you finally arrive on the runway" brings the song full circle, emphasizing the cyclical nature of waiting and anticipation.
Line by Line Meaning
Invisible physicians, lawyers, and magicians.
People who work behind the scenes and make things happen without being seen.
An instant of existence at the table in the kitchen.
A moment of life shared with loved ones around a familiar place.
A flood-lit, floating highway,
A lit-up road with no destination, but with many possibilities.
Headlights slicing up a pathway into the driveway.
The bright lights of a car leading towards the safety of home.
Drop me a line when you finally arrive on the runway.
Let me know when you finally reach your destination.
Southbound train-track traveler
Someone on a journey in the direction of the South.
Add another film roll, quick, into the camera.
Capture everything you see before it disappears.
Grey lake paint-stained body of water
A body of water stained with the colors and essence of its surrounding environment.
To the left of the runway.
Located to the side of a path that leads to a final destination.
(Drop me a line when you finally arrive on the runway.)
Requesting for communication once you arrive to your location.
I got lost in Egypt,
Being consumed and overwhelmed by a foreign land and its culture.
Wandering around the figurines a hieroglyphics.
Exploring the history and art of a new place.
Paintings on the ceilings,
Artwork that decorates the highest point in a room.
Colorful in contrast to the sandy statuettes.
Brightly colored artwork surrounded by objects of a neutral color.
I read the book of the dead backwards
Becoming lost in the unknown and possibly dangerous parts of a foreign culture.
And then I made my way to someone with a name-tag
Asking for assistance and guidance in navigating an unfamiliar place.
For directions to a staircase.
Instructions on how to climb to a higher level of the environment.
I climbed a flight an realized the century had shifted,
Ascending to a higher level and realizing things have changed dramatically.
I was awe-struck, gaping at the walls
Being overcome with amazement, standing with mouth agape in front of the surroundings.
I floated through the marble halls
Moving through the space in a carefree, floating manner.
Like some dis-jointed memory thrown across the room.
As if one's memories are jumbled and scattered like objects that have been thrown around a room.
(From) back when I pumped gas, red shirt, black pants.
Referencing a past job and the outfit that was associated with it.
Drinking in the bathroom, heading for a heart-attack.
Engaging in harmful behavior and running the risk of causing self-harm.
Never looking up from the sidewalk,
Being focused only on one's own path and not paying attention to what is going on around them.
High-tops pounding out a beat in the pavement
The sound of shoes hitting the ground rhythmically as one walks.
(they went)
Others walk by or join in with the sound.
Yes, I'm a little bit wasted.
Admitting to being intoxicated.
Just like a six-string, I sing only when I'm pressured
Comparing oneself to a musical instrument and only performing when under pressure.
Or when I'm alone with a rhythm and a reason.
Only being in the mood to perform when there is a specific emotional or personal motive behind it.
Heading for the season of the winter coat,
Preparing for the colder months by dressing appropriately.
Heartbeat heavy as a suicide note.
Being overtaken with emotions and feeling in a dark place similar to that of a suicide note.
Yes, I'm a little bit wasted;
Reiterating that one is intoxicated.
Nevermind, I'm fine, walking in a straight line,
Denying the negative effects of being intoxicated and trying to act as though everything is normal.
Trying out my voice for the first time.
Exploring one's own creative or expressive abilities for the first time.
Grey lake, paint-stained body of water
The same as a previous line, a body of water stained with its surroundings and experiences.
To the left of the runway.
Reiterating that this body of water is located next to a path that leads to a final destination.
Drop me a line when you finally arrive on the runway.
Reiterating the request for communication once someone reaches their destination.
Contributed by Jackson G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jennawilliamson2333
I'm always finding new sea Oleena songs on so many channels, I have no idea how many songs she has
@CaptainPajamaPants
like... 20?