While asked by her sister Beyonce about the meaning of the song in Interview magazine, she explained:
“Cranes in the Sky” is actually a song that I wrote eight years ago. It’s the only song on the album that I wrote independently of the record, and it was a really rough time. I know you remember that time. I was just coming out of my relationship with Julez’s father. We were junior high school sweethearts, and so much of your identity in junior high is built on who you’re with. You see the world through the lens of how you identify and have been identified at that time. So I really had to take a look at myself, outside of being a mother and a wife, and internalize all of these emotions that I had been feeling through that transition. I was working through a lot of challenges at every angle of my life, and a lot of self-doubt, a lot of pity-partying. And I think every woman in her twenties has been there—where it feels like no matter what you are doing to fight through the thing that is holding you back, nothing can fill that void. I used to write and record a lot in Miami during that time, when there was a real estate boom in America, and developers were developing all of this new property. There was a new condo going up every ten feet. You recorded a lot there as well, and I think we experienced Miami as a place of refuge and peace. We weren’t out there wilin’ out and partying. I remember looking up and seeing all of these cranes in the sky. They were so heavy and such an eyesore, and not what I identified with peace and refuge. I remember thinking of it as an analogy for my transition—this idea of building up, up, up that was going on in our country at the time, all of this excessive building, and not really dealing with what was in front of us. And we all know how that ended. That crashed and burned. It was a catastrophe. And that line came to me because it felt so indicative of what was going on in my life as well. And, eight years later, it’s really interesting that now, here we are again, not seeing what’s happening in our country, not wanting to put into perspective all of these ugly things that are staring us in the face.
Solange also shared how the song was made on her Instagram:
Timing. I wrote “Cranes in The Sky” 8 years ago. It was 8 years ago @raphael_saadiq handed me a cd with a few instrumentals. One was just drums, strings, and bass. I went home and wrote “Cranes” that night in my hotel room.
When I finished writing and creating #aseatatthetable in a little house in New Iberia, Louisiana…..I revisited “Cranes” once again. I called Raphael that night and asked if he would help me to elevate the production on a few of the other songs of the album to see their fullest potential. I am so happy 8 years later Cranes is finally out in the world.
In February 2017, Solange won her first Grammy for “Best R&B Performance” with this very song.
Cranes In the Sky
Solange Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I tried to put one in the air
I tried to dance it away
I tried to change it with my hair
I ran my credit card bill up
Thought a new dress would make it better
I tried to work it away
I tried to keep myself busy
I ran around in circles
Think I made myself dizzy
I slept it away, I sexed it away
I read it away
Away
Away, away, away, away, away
Away, away, away, away, away
Well, it's like cranes in the sky
Sometimes I don't wanna feel those metal clouds
Yeah it's like cranes in the sky
Sometimes I don't wanna feel those metal clouds
I tried to run it away
Thought then my head be feeling clearer
I traveled seventy states
Thought moving 'round make me feel better
I tried to let go my lover
Thought if I was alone then maybe I could recover
To write it away or cry it away (don't you cry, baby)
Away
Away, away, away, away, away
Away, away, away, away, away
But it's like cranes in the sky
Sometimes I don't wanna feel those metal clouds
Yeah, it's like cranes in the sky
Sometimes I don't wanna feel those metal
Away, away, away, away, away
Away, away, away, away, away
Away, away, away, away, away
Away, away, away, away, away
Away, away, away, away, away
In Solange's song Cranes In the Sky, we hear her trying to escape from her feelings of sadness and despair by engaging in various activities such as drinking, smoking, shopping, and even changing her hairstyle. However, none of these activities provide the desired relief, and instead only make her feel worse. She even tries to distance herself from her lover, hoping that being alone will help her recover, but this too proves unsuccessful.
Throughout the song, Solange uses the metaphor of a crane in the sky to represent the heavy weight of her emotions. The metal cloud of emotions hangs over her head, making it difficult for her to move on or find happiness. The lyrics convey a sense of helplessness and frustration in the face of emotional pain, and suggest that sometimes the only way to deal with it is to simply accept it and let it pass.
Overall, "Cranes in the Sky" is a powerful and poignant song that speaks to the universal experience of grappling with difficult emotions. Solange's raw and honest lyrics capture the complexity of this struggle, while her soulful vocals and haunting melodies make the emotion behind them palpable.
Line by Line Meaning
I tried to drink it away
I attempted to consume alcohol in order to forget my problems
I tried to put one in the air
I attempted to smoke marijuana in order to forget my problems
I tried to dance it away
I attempted to dance in order to forget my problems
I tried to change it with my hair
I attempted to change my physical appearance in order to forget my problems
I ran my credit card bill up
I spent excessively in order to forget my problems, leading to a high balance on my credit card bill
Thought a new dress would make it better
I mistakenly believed that buying a new dress would make me feel better
I tried to work it away
I attempted to work excessively in order to forget my problems
But that just made me even sadder
In fact, working excessively only made me feel worse
I tried to keep myself busy
I attempted to keep myself occupied in order to forget my problems
I ran around in circles
I did lots of things but nothing productive, leading to a feeling of being stuck in place
Think I made myself dizzy
I did so much running around and keeping busy that it made me feel physically disoriented
I slept it away, I sexed it away
I attempted to either sleep excessively or engage in sexual activity in order to forget my problems
I read it away
I attempted to read excessively in order to forget my problems
Well, it's like cranes in the sky
My inability to forget my problems is like cranes in the sky, constantly present and weighing me down
Sometimes I don't wanna feel those metal clouds
Sometimes I wish I didn't have to feel so weighed down and burdened by my problems
I tried to run it away
I attempted to run away from my problems physically
Thought then my head be feeling clearer
I believed that running away would give me clarity of mind
I traveled seventy states
I traveled excessively in order to run away from my problems
Thought moving 'round make me feel better
I thought that constantly moving and changing my environment would make me feel better
I tried to let go my lover
I attempted to let go of my romantic partner in order to forget my problems
Thought if I was alone then maybe I could recover
I believed that being alone would allow me to recover from my problems
To write it away or cry it away (don't you cry, baby)
I attempted to either write excessively or cry excessively in order to forget my problems
Sometimes I don't wanna feel those metal clouds
Often, I wish I could escape the weight of my problems
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Solange Knowles, Troy Johnson, Raphael Saadiq
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind