In Memoriam
The Oh Hellos Lyrics
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But I'm sure I'll find you waiting there for me
And by the time I blink, I'll see your wild arms swinging
Just to meet me in the middle of the road
And you'll hold me like you'll never let me go
And beside the salty water, I could hold you close,
But you are far too beautiful to love me
To build a turret tall enough to keep you out
But when you wage your wars against the one who adores you,
Then you'll never know the treasure that you're worth
But I've never been a wealthy one before
I've got holes in my pockets burned by liars gold,
And I think I'm far too poor for you to want me
It's been a long road, losing all I've owned
And you don't know what you've got until you're gone
And it's a nasty habit, spending all you have, but
When you're doing all the leaving, then it's never your love lost
And if you leave before the start, then there was never love at all
And heaven knows I'm prone to leave the only god I should have loved,
And yet you're far too beautiful to leave me
The Oh Hellos's song "In Memoriam" is a poignant reflection on the bitter-sweetness of loving someone who cannot love you back. The song begins with the singer's determination to reach the sea where they hope to reunite with their beloved. The imagery of the "wild arms swinging" suggests a joyful anticipation of the reunion, and the desire to hold their beloved close. However, this hopefulness quickly gives way to the realization that the object of their affection is "far too beautiful to love me".
The second verse of the song is a powerful testament to the pain of unrequited love. The singer describes the herculean effort of building a "turret tall enough to keep you out", but ultimately acknowledges that when love is unreciprocated, "you'll never know the treasure that you're worth". The singer is acutely aware of their own shortcomings, recognizing themselves as "far too poor for you to want me".
The final verse of the song is perhaps the most devastating, as the singer reflects on the reality of losing everything they've owned and the fickleness of human love. Despite this, they cannot bring themselves to leave the person whom they know they should not love, for fear of "losing the only god I should have loved". The song ultimately leaves the listener with a sense of melancholy but also a deep recognition of the fragile beauty of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, it's a long way out to reach the sea
The journey to find you is difficult and distant.
But I'm sure I'll find you waiting there for me
Despite the distance, I have faith that you'll be there for me when I arrive.
And by the time I blink, I'll see your wild arms swinging
Your warm embrace will be so sudden and welcoming that I'll barely have time to react.
Just to meet me in the middle of the road
You're willing to go out of your way to meet me halfway in this relationship.
And you'll hold me like you'll never let me go
Your embrace is tight and you never want to let me go.
And beside the salty water, I could hold you close,
We can spend time together by the sea and hold each other close.
But you are far too beautiful to love me
You are too good for me and I fear that I am not worthy of your love.
It's a long climb up the dusty mountain
It's difficult and challenging to try to win your love.
To build a turret tall enough to keep you out
I am guarding myself from getting hurt by building walls around myself, making it harder for you to get close.
But when you wage your wars against the one who adores you,
When you hurt the person who loves you, you're fighting against the one who truly cares for you.
Then you'll never know the treasure that you're worth
If you continue to push away love, you'll never know your true worth as a valuable and cherished person.
But I've never been a wealthy one before
I may not have a lot of material possessions or wealth to offer you.
I've got holes in my pockets burned by liars gold,
I've been burned before by false promises and lies, leaving me with nothing to offer.
And I think I'm far too poor for you to want me
I don't think I have anything to offer you that would make you want to be with me.
It's been a long road, losing all I've owned
I've had a difficult path and have lost many material possessions.
And you don't know what you've got until you're gone
You sometimes don't realize the value of something or someone until it's no longer there.
And it's a nasty habit, spending all you have, but
It's a bad habit to spend all that you have and not value what's important.
When you're doing all the leaving, then it's never your love lost
If you're the one leaving all the time, then you're not losing love but rather refusing to let it in.
And if you leave before the start, then there was never love at all
If you're not willing to give a relationship a chance, then there was never love to begin with.
And heaven knows I'm prone to leave the only god I should have loved,
I have a tendency to walk away from what's truly important in my life, even if I should have stayed.
And yet you're far too beautiful to leave me
Despite all of my faults and insecurities, you love me and I can't imagine letting go of someone as wonderful as you.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MARGARET HEATH, TYLER HEATH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@qulmon32414
Well, it's a long way out to reach the sea
But I'm sure I'll find you waiting there for me
And by the time I blink, I'll see your wild arms swinging
Just to meet me in the middle of the road
And you'll hold me like you'll never let me go
And beside the salty water, I could hold you close,
But you are far too beautiful to love me
It's a long climb up the dusty mountain
To build a turret tall enough to keep you out
But when you wage your wars against the one who adores you,
Then you'll never know the treasure that you're worth
But I've never been a wealthy one before
I've got holes in my pockets burned by liars' gold,
And I think I'm far too poor for you to want me
It's been a long road, losing all I've owned
And you don't know what you've got until you're gone
And it's a nasty habit, spending all you have, but
When you're doing all the leaving, then it's never your love lost
And if you leave before the start, then there was never love at all
And heaven knows I'm prone to leave the only god I should have loved,
And yet you're far too beautiful to leave me
@yovelnaomi8416
Lyrics:
Well, it's a long way out to reach the sea
But I'm sure I'll find you waiting there for me
And by the time I blink, I'll see your wild arms swinging
Just to meet me in the middle of the road
And you'll hold me like you'll never let me go
And beside the salty water, I could hold you close,
But you are far too beautiful to love me
It's a long climb up the dusty mountain
To build a turret tall enough to keep you out
But when you wage your wars against the one who adores you,
Then you'll never know the treasure that you're worth
But I've never been a wealthy one before
I've got holes in my pockets burned by liars gold,
And I think I'm far too poor for you to want me
It's been a long road, losing all I've owned
And you don't know what you've got until you're gone
And it's a nasty habit, spending all you have, but
When you're doing all the leaving, then it's never your love lost
And if you leave before the start, then there was never love at all
And heaven knows I'm prone to leave the only god I should have loved,
And yet you're far too beautiful to leave me
@rune_ined
i love how you still chose to make maggie's voice sound as if it's coming through something. that charm of the original song is something i've always loved. really on the nose for the song to feel as if it's a memory. then that layer of obstruction is gone by the last verse!! and back by the last line!! aa!!
@FoxNHound
God I wish they still performed live. I hope they make new music soon. Literally all their songs are just so goddamn good.
@brig5957
Its very rare for me to find a band where I like an entire album let alone all of their music, but The Oh Hellos is that rare one! Absolutly amazing music! It makes me feel so at peace and happy. Keep up the amazing work guys!
@Bootleg2.-nv7zc
Have you heard of 'Fish inside a bird cage'? They have really interesting songs too, not christian as far as I'm aware but still very nice, I think there's one called "Waterfall" that this reminded me of
@baconsoup1864
Everytime I listen to this I'm overwhelmed by the love God has for me. Makes my heart ache for the things I've done that hurt him but makes me feel free and loved aswell because of the fact that no matter how many times I fall short he'll never give up on me.
@qulmon32414
Well, it's a long way out to reach the sea
But I'm sure I'll find you waiting there for me
And by the time I blink, I'll see your wild arms swinging
Just to meet me in the middle of the road
And you'll hold me like you'll never let me go
And beside the salty water, I could hold you close,
But you are far too beautiful to love me
It's a long climb up the dusty mountain
To build a turret tall enough to keep you out
But when you wage your wars against the one who adores you,
Then you'll never know the treasure that you're worth
But I've never been a wealthy one before
I've got holes in my pockets burned by liars' gold,
And I think I'm far too poor for you to want me
It's been a long road, losing all I've owned
And you don't know what you've got until you're gone
And it's a nasty habit, spending all you have, but
When you're doing all the leaving, then it's never your love lost
And if you leave before the start, then there was never love at all
And heaven knows I'm prone to leave the only god I should have loved,
And yet you're far too beautiful to leave me
@russchiappa4870
Wow this may be one of the best songs/poetry I have ever heard! So glad I found this
@txtomasgodoy
This song calls to a memory i’m not even sure is mine, but it makes my soul cry sorrowful tears, and then joyful smiles
@lvys4019
Também sinto a mesma coisa, estou em uma overdose de sensações e emoções ouvindo esse álbum de novo
@UtaniVA
the mic qualityyyy!!!!! it makes it sound as if its coming through a cavern or echoing out of, say, a valley
i also love that you can hear the fingers slide from chord to chord and note to note faintly