". . . I also love its simple high school mindset: I’m a little more freeminded than the rest of the people in my school and maybe I’ll drop out and run away and my parents and teachers and elders can’t tell me what to do because all of a sudden I know that I can make my own thoughts. Then they got older. They got better at recording. They started writing about geography. They met Jillian Mallon. They met Jacob Colon. They played shows, made musician friends, connections. They learned about music, they calmed down, they grew up a little bit. I think that’s where we all are right now. We had a point where we felt super alive and had the potential to do crazy things, now we are learning about these crazy things, mastering them, and turning them into a craft. We are growing older, maybe feeling a little bit disconnected because we don’t have the same “HENRY DAVID THOREAAAUUUUU” at the top of our lungs that we used to. But it is not gone. We can still access it. Just last week, when THAW played a few new songs they are recording, they ended their set with this song, and I yelled. They yelled. The room yelled. We may have learned to rerecord the moment when the timing of our vocals doesn’t match the drums and guitar, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make mistakes and live." - Jill Mallon on "HDT"
"Its so happy and woodsy, it belongs on any camping soundtrack."
"I'm not even listening to it like I have friends in the band, I'm listening to The Hundred Acre Woods, their new album."
"Its like Dr. Dog, without all that crazy Alice in Wonderland shit."
"Greatest representation of high school in a song I've ever heard."
"It's so campfire beautiful, like, it's so warm"
"..helps me get through potentially frightening midnight bike distances back to civilization."
< thehundredacrewoods.bandcamp.com >
City Lights
The Hundred Acre Woods Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Make me a bird, a joy of men,
I want to fly above the city,
Past courthouses and their committees,
Down to the cracks between the streets,
Remnants of what be build to eat,
We build to dream like visionaries,
To form our walls and tributaries.
I am looking at the city lights,
Luminous against the dark of night
If I ascend above the trees,
Will I become one with the breeze?
We're all just searching for some meaning,
A light to guide when stars are fleeting.
Well I've found stars beneath the trees,
My light is where it's always been
I am looking at the city lights,
Luminous against the dark of night,
I am looking at the city lights,
Luminous against the dark of night,
I am looking at the city lights,
Stretching far beyond my line of sight,
I am looking at the city lights,
Luminous against the dark of night
The Hundred Acre Woods's "City Lights" offers a contemplative reflection of living in an urban environment. The opening lines express a desire for rebirth that would allow the singer to soar above the city like a bird. The phrase "joy of men" suggests that this experience would be universally cherished. As the lyrics unfold, we learn that the singer is seeking a sense of liberation from the constraining structures of civic life. The reference to courthouses and committees underscores the idea that the city is governed by rules, regulations, and bureaucracy that can limit individual creative expression.
The language of the song is vivid and poetic, as the singer describes flying through the cityscape, glimpsing the "cracks between the streets" and the remnants of what people have built. The phrase "we build to dream like visionaries" captures the utopian aspirations that motivate urban development. Even as the singer yearns for escape, they acknowledge the communal effort that has gone into creating a shared space. The refrain "I am looking at the city lights, luminous against the dark of night" becomes a mesmerizing tribute to the majesty of the modern metropolis. The final lines express a kind of resolution: the singer has found their own personal "light" that can coexist with the glowing skyline.
Overall, "City Lights" presents a complex meditation on the allure and ambivalence of urban living. The song acknowledges the ways in which the city can be confining and frustrating, while also celebrating its collective achievements and visual splendor.
Line by Line Meaning
If I am to be born again,
If I have another chance at life,
Make me a bird, a joy of men,
Make me something that brings happiness to people, like a bird,
I want to fly above the city,
I yearn to soar above the metropolis,
Past courthouses and their committees,
Passing by the seats of justice and their formal groups,
Down to the cracks between the streets,
Descending to the crevices amidst the pavement,
Remnants of what be build to eat,
Traces of what was constructed for sustenance,
We build to dream like visionaries,
We construct in order to inspire inspiration,
To form our walls and tributaries.
To create our boundaries and channels.
I am looking at the city lights,
I am gazing up at the illumination of the urban landscape,
Luminous against the dark of night
Shining brightly in the midst of the darkness.
If I ascend above the trees,
If I rise higher than the surrounding foliage,
Will I become one with the breeze?
Will I feel as though I am part of the wind?
We're all just searching for some meaning,
We are all seeking a purpose,
A light to guide when stars are fleeting.
A beacon to direct us when the celestial bodies are transitory.
Well I've found stars beneath the trees,
I have discovered celestial objects while under the foliage,
My light is where it's always been
My inner guidance has never left me.
Stretching far beyond my line of sight,
Extending much further than what I am able to observe,
Luminous against the dark of night
Brightly shining amidst the darkness.
Contributed by Cooper W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.