Suspended Bridges: The Engineering of a Fantasy
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Some time ago, in the encroaching mountains of Serbia or Tennessee, two brothers shared a quixotic dream: to build a new bridge from Turkey to Europe. The bridge, lined with tapestries and populated by a thousand great white birds, would soar over the Mediterranean sea. During their traverse, commuters would be flanked by low-growing patches of colorful flora. The bridge would be a swath of color and light, a paintbrush stroke between continents, bridging cultures, binding civilizations. On each independence day of every independent polity (because, they hoped, such celebrations ought to be universal) grandiose displays of fireworks would erupt from the bridge and the Christmas (yes Christmas, for the brothers grew up too long without one) lights would crawl across the bridge like festive veins of ivy on the eves of all the world's favorite holidays on or around December 25th.
Pleased by their idea, the brothers set off with considerable alacrity to sell rare, forgotten and unclaimed music in the streets, that they may raise the funds (approximately $85 billion would certainly do) by the generosity (monetarily speaking) of the persons whose lives they one day hoped to improve.
While journeying south and west in hopes of finding a venerated yet loathed - depending, that is, upon one's perspective and motive - Moroccan bridge builder whose inventions and discoveries in the field of arcs and geometric spanning had shaken the foundation upon which Europe's most architectural minds were, until recently, so precariously perched; and which architect, quite unfortunately lacked the sharp and wary tongue that is required if one is to spread open the gilded fingers of each continent's investors and thus lived in squalor and solitude, far from men. Along the way, deep in the south of Spain, in the caves of the Sacramonte, the two brothers chanced upon their cousin Daniel, a pugilist and flute maker, whom they had not seen since their uncle's wedding, during which blows had been exchanged, blood and wine spilt, gifts ungiven; concluding with the deep respect and love between the two families being forever dashed upon the bouldery rift that now lay before the scowling patriarchs. As unyielding as mountains was their stony, paternal pride.
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He was eager to join his cousins on their mission but unable to reason with his father's bitter wishes ("no Petrovich of mine shall ever again even in his own mind speak of a Petrojvic") and so with but one exasperated tear in his eye, Daniel bade farewell to his home - the home whose walls had soaked up and made soft condensation of the familiar sounds of youth, pressing through earth and stone towards his deepest roots; the home whose door had each day opened with a cool exhalation, pressing back the incessant glare of the sun for an exhilerating moment as if spreading a curtain, baring the heat-painted panorama of masonry and minarets and the wide, roaring sea, which clambered up the sloping rocks, taking from them slowly and drowning the stories caught between their layers with its steady, booming sighs.
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Far below now and nearly all the way to the shaded bend of the last switchback, past which he would forever lose sight of his town - his bay with the sea cradled and half-tamed in its arms, his cliffs and the brilliant patch of sky they, the cliffs, cutting so sharply & forcefully upward so that they seem to have been carved out especially for him - Daniel turned back to take it all in one last time: his youth, his home, and finally the faint figure of his father, barely distinguishable from a tree, who leaned against the light blue door bolted to the cave's white, wrinkled mouth with an imperceptible shadow passing over his face as the smoke curled heavily from his pipe.
Turning away, so that now his ears could make their final pass over the scene (how hastily it all fades), Daniel thought he heard somewhere amid the upward gush of the sea and the still, hot city and the scuttle of wind over stone and brittle bush; on some audible plane nestled between the sound of one's thinking and the sound of wings, he thought he heard his father mumbling the vulgar song of almost endless curses that now, under certain conditions, vibrate in his own throat just so perfectly.
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The wind pushed the three boys backwards as they walked, mostly in silence and somewhat apart. Occasionally two would catch each other's stride, sharing for a brief moment the thoughts that pursued and absorbed them. Sharing for briefer moments their voices - rivulets of thoughtless, vibrating air - guiding one another to safety somewhere above or below their uncertainty. They invented a vocabulary for the mundane things: a simple, low and highly expressive tongue that reduced their small talk to its most nonsensical and essential molecules. Over the graver issues they fought mundanely but viciously, seeking disagreement where there was none imaginable, testing one another for the sake of noise, that it may wash out what the waves brought rushing in, the cold and mysterious future, the steadily eroding past, the indiscernibly whispered answers to their cacophonous longings and questions.
Into the Unknown
The Blasting Company Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By the milk-light of moon
All that was lost is revealed
Our long bygone burdens
Mere echoes of the spring
But where have where we come and where shall we end?
If dreams can't come true
Then why not pretend...
How the gentle wind
Beckons through the leaves
As Autumn colors Fall
Then, sing in a swirl
Of golden memories
The loveliest lies of all
The lyrics of "Into The Unknown" by The Blasting Company are a beautiful representation of coming to terms with one's past while also keeping hold of their dreams. The first line is particularly evocative as it sets the scene of foggy moonlit woods through which the singer is guided. The imagery conjured is one of mystery and wonder, bringing the listener directly into the song's narrative. As the lyrics continue, the notion of past losses no longer holding weight is introduced, a sentiment that many people can identify with. The idea of burdens as mere echoes attunes to the notion that memories no longer hold the same current as they once did, and things that were once insurmountable are now revealed to be mere shadows on the wall.
The next set of lyrics introduces the idea that even if one's dreams can't necessarily come true, it's still worth pretending that they might in the face of uncertainty. The following line contains beautiful autumn imagery and serves to emphasize how the natural world can be both grounding and emotionally compelling. Finally, the conclusion that the "loveliest lies of all" are the precious memories we hold is a bittersweet understanding of how life can be both beautiful and painful. Through this lens, the song perfectly encapsulates the idea of living with intentionality and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Led through the mist
Guided through confusion and uncertainty
By the milk-light of moon
Through feeble illumination, like that of a dream
All that was lost is revealed
The things we thought were gone forever can be rediscovered
Our long bygone burdens
The weight of past mistakes and troubles
Mere echoes of the spring
Memories that have faded and transformed over time
But where have where we come and where shall we end?
Questioning our journey and where it will lead
If dreams can't come true
When our deepest desires seem impossible to achieve
Then why not pretend...
Choosing to imagine a better reality, even if it isn't real
How the gentle wind
The soft, calming breeze in nature
Beckons through the leaves
Inviting us to explore the beauty around us
As Autumn colors Fall
The season of change, letting go and new beginnings
Then, sing in a swirl
Expressing emotion through music and movement
Of golden memories
Revisiting moments that brought joy and happiness
The loveliest lies of all
The sweet, idealized versions of the past that we hold onto
Contributed by Makayla M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@flesy.59
Lyrics:
Led through the mist
By the milk-light of moon
All that was lost is revealed
Our long bygone burdens
Mere echoes of the spring
But where have we come?
And where shall we end?
Δ°f dreams can't come true
Then why not pretend
How the gentle wind
Beckons through the leaves
As autumn colors fall
Dancing in a swirl
Of golden memories
The lovelies lies of all
@yuris.3167
Each line of the song foreshadows a specific episode, in chronological order.
"Led through the mist"
The first episode starts with them lost in the woods, walking through the mist.
"By the milk light of moon"
In the second episode, the light of the moon marks the night, which js the time the skeletons rise from the graves.
"All that is lost is revealed"
In the third episode, the fiancΓ© that was lost is revealed to be inside a costume.
"Our long bygone burdens"
In the fourth episode, the bygone burdens are the people who were lost to the forest and remembered by the people in the tavern.
"Mere echoes of the spring"
In the fifth episode, the echoes are the inhabitants in the giant mansion, both living together but unaware of each other, lost inside their own houses.
"But where have we come?"
In the sixth episode, they finally arrive at Adelaide and discover that they didn't come to the place they were led to believed they would.
"And where shall we end?"
In the seventh episode, they are without a guide and without a plan to get home, and uncertain about their destiny as the beast lurks in the woods.
"If dreams can't come true"
In the eighth episode, Greg decides during his dream to sacrifice himself for Wirt, and his wish does come true.
"Then why not pretend?"
In the nineth episode, we discover that the kids are actually from the present time and got lost after a Halloween night.
"How the gentle wind / Beckons through the leaves / As autumn colors fall
Dancing in a swirl / Of golden memories / The loveliest lies of all"
The last lines are all about the last episode. The "gentle wind" is actually a strong wind that brings Beatrice to Wirt. It is gentle not because it's weak, but because it brings them together. The leaves are Greg's, because he was turned into a tree. The autumn color falling is not just his leaves, but his life leaving him as he becomes pale. The beast offers to keep his soul inside the lantern. The golden memories of Greg's life are contained in the dancing flame. However, Wirt understands that the Beast is lying, and the flame is the Beast's own soul. That's why it's the loveliest lie; because it frees the souls of those who were captured by the Beast.
Of course, the song can also be interpreted with a much more melancholic tone, as the lyrics are both direct references to the plot and elements of a song with its own meaning. Instead of portraying an optimistic end, the song talks about how, faced with the impossibility of accepting death, we maintain the memory of life as a lie.
This is not new, as it is quite straightforward, but the fact nobody talked about it was bugging me so I decided to comment on it, thanks for listening to my TEDTalk.
@captaintoad-ef6zt
Led through the mist,
By the milk-light of moon,
All that was lost, is revealed.
Our long bygone burdens, mere echoes of the spring,
But where have we come, and where shall we end?
If dreams can't come true, then why not pretend?
How the gentle wind,
Beckons through the leaves,
As autumn colors fall.
Dancing in a swirl,
Of golden memories,
The loveliest lies of all,
The loveliest, lies of all.
@CaraTheStrange
Into the Unknown Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Led through the mist
By the milk-light of moon
All that was lost is revealed
Our long bygone burdens
Mere echoes of the spring
But where have we come?
And where shall we end?
If dreams can't come true
Then why not pretend?
[Verse 2]
How the gentle wind
Beckons through the leaves
As Autumn colors fall
Dancing in a swirl
Of golden memories
The loveliest lies of all
@Vailskibum
We need more Cartoon Network miniseries.
@coltonk.3086
VALSKIBUM
Eyo! I see weβve crossed paths at this gem. A fellow man of culture, I see. Welp, Iβll see you around at your channel.
@BasedRedemption
Agree! Itβs such a shame how disrespected animation is as a medium when shows like this can make you feel so many sorts of feelings. Itβs amazing.
@randomAccount405
Will you make a video on it, Or did you already? (Also love your videos)
@dannyboi2111
Preach Vail!
@funniman6459
Amen.
@tasmaniantortoise
OTGW was short, but I feel like if we had any more of it, the charm of the show would be gone. Thanks for making my autumn seasons so much better, Patrick McHale
@dantouzeau6985
Now we just need one for all the other seasons
@mikela1341
@Dan Touzeau That would be wonderful.
@ofctoastghost
it was supposed to represent life so yea it was short, and beautifully a masterpiece, especially since it was made in autumn; the season of change +my birthday season, was so OP