Icarus
Titilope Sonuga Lyrics
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on fire
a gasoline soaked
rubber tire around his neck
arms flailing
like he was trying to fly
too young to differentiate
horror from spectacle
why with all the people
that surrounded him
nobody brought water
she
navigating a different kind of spectacle
in the bumper to bumper
traffic before us said
Shhh, don't look at it
We will be past this soon
and I tried
not to look directly
at the flames licking
at his skin
or the way his mouth
froze open without a sound
like an unanswered question
even now
this memory is coloured
by the normalcy of it
how life continued all
around him
this thief
Icarus
fallen amongst us
and this is the way
It has always been
we shield our eyes from the flames
but our country is on fire
every corner of it
a smoldering heat
a slow creeping combustion
we have flown too close to the sun
with wings made only
of feather and wax
Royal Jordanian Airlines, 171
ADC Airlines, 151
EAS Airlines, 148
Bellview Airlines, 117
Sosoliso Airlines, 103
Dana Airlines, 153
and counting
while greedy mouths
continue to blow on embers
we will cast another prayer
up to God
question him
in every language we speak
ask him why us
again
we will plan another memorial
another tribute song
another cautionary tale
another reminder to do better
next time
and one day
even this will pass
we will forget to argue
about whether the aircraft
was 22 years old
or 21 and a half
we will forget about
a 3 year old girl
who will never know her mother
whole families wiped out
in one swoop
a bride that never was
our memory will
betray us yet again
it will tell us
shhh.don't look at it
we will be past this soon
we will settle into
a new normal
the hum
of generators will num us
we will remain unmoved
by 4 hours of traffic
the sounds of exploding churches
will be just another Sunday morning
this will be our legacy
how we are blinded by the light
even when we are flying
head first into the fire
so when our children ask us
what it was like
we will tell them
it was a dangerous gamble
between the sun and the sea
and we too afraid
to swim the distance
chose instead to spread
our faulty wings
and fly toward
the fire of the sun
The song "Icarus" by Titilope Sonuga is a powerful commentary on the state of Nigeria and the constant tragedies that occur in the country that are often overlooked or normalized. The lyrics describe a haunting memory the singer has of a man on fire, with no one around to help him, and the contrast of this horrific event against the normalcy of life continuing around him. The singer compares this memory to the current state of Nigeria, where the country is "on fire" and tragedy after tragedy occurs, yet people continue to carry on with their lives and ignore the root causes of these problems. The lyrics suggest that the people of Nigeria have flown too close to the sun with their "faulty wings" and are too afraid to swim away from danger, choosing instead to continue flying headfirst into the fire. The song is a call to action for the people of Nigeria to stop ignoring the issues and to do better.
The imagery in the song is powerful and haunting, with the use of fire and flight as metaphorical symbols. The singer's questioning of why no one helped the man on fire reinforces the idea that people's inaction and ignorance contribute to the continuation of these tragedies. The line "our memory will betray us yet again" highlights the idea that people will forget about these events and move on, without addressing the root causes. However, the singer is determined to not forget and to use the memory as an impetus to do better.
Line by Line Meaning
I once saw a man
The singer is recounting a past experience.
on fire
The man the singer saw was literal on fire.
a gasoline soaked
The man had gasoline on him and that's why he was on fire.
rubber tire around his neck
The man had a rubber tire around his neck.
arms flailing
The man's arms were flailing.
like he was trying to fly
The man's arms flailing looked like he was trying to fly.
too young to differentiate
The singer was too young to differentiate between horror and spectacle.
horror from spectacle
The artist could not tell whether the incident was horrifying or a spectacle.
I asked my mother
The artist asked their mother about the incident.
why with all the people
The artist asked why nobody helped the man who was on fire.
that surrounded him
The singer is referring to the people who were present at the scene of the incident.
nobody brought water
The artist is questioning why no one brought water to put out the fire on the man.
she
The mother.
navigating a different kind of spectacle
The mother is navigating a different kind of spectacle, probably the traffic before them.
in the bumper to bumper
The traffic was very slow.
traffic before us said
The mother said, probably out loud.
Shhh, don't look at it
The mother told the artist not to look at the man on fire.
We will be past this soon
The mother said they would be past the incident soon.
and I tried
The singer attempted to comply with their mother's request.
not to look directly
The artist tried not to look directly at the man who was on fire.
at the flames licking
The fire was licking at the man's body.
at his skin
The fire was harming the man's skin.
or the way his mouth
The singer noticed the man's mouth.
froze open without a sound
The artist noticed that the man's mouth was open but no sound was coming out of it.
like an unanswered question
The man's open mouth was like an unasked question.
even now
The singer is referring to the present moment.
this memory is coloured
The singer's memory of the incident is distorted.
by the normalcy of it
The incident seemed normal to the artist.
how life continued all
The incident did not halt life around the artist.
around him
The singer is referring to people around him that went about their businesses despite the incident.
this thief
The singer is referring to a thief named Icarus.
Icarus
A thief who committed a crime.
fallen amongst us
Icarus was caught and punished for his crime.
and this is the way
The artist is saying that this is how it has always been.
It has always been
The singer believes that life has always been this way.
we shield our eyes from the flames
People choose to avoid looking at tragic events.
but our country is on fire
The country is struggling with even more serious issues.
every corner of it
The entire country is affected.
a smoldering heat
The heat is building up.
a slow creeping combustion
The situation is getting worse slowly.
we have flown too close to the sun
We have taken risks that have led to our current situation.
with wings made only
The wings are metaphorical and represent the unsuitable resources that have led to the country's problems.
of feather and wax
The above metaphor is of wings made of feathers and wax, which signify the use of faulty resources.
Royal Jordanian Airlines, 171
The artist is listing aircraft accidents with the number of casualties.
ADC Airlines, 151
Another plane crash with the casualty count.
EAS Airlines, 148
Another plane crash with the casualty count.
Bellview Airlines, 117
Another plane crash with the casualty count.
Sosoliso Airlines, 103
Another plane crash with the casualty count.
Dana Airlines, 153
Another plane crash with the casualty count.
and counting
The number of casualties is increasing.
while greedy mouths
The people responsible for the situation.
continue to blow on embers
The responsible people are likely to worsen the situation by continuing to act the same way.
we will cast another prayer
People will pray for the victims of the casualties.
up to God
The prayers are meant to reach God.
question him
People will question their faith in God.
in every language we speak
People from diverse languages will respect their faiths to question God.
ask him why us
People need answers from God to understand why they are facing the challenges.
again
The artist is referring to past events that have been recurrent in the country.
we will plan another memorial
People will arrange a memorial for the casualties.
another tribute song
People will make a tribute song to show respect for the dead.
another cautionary tale
The tragedy will become a cautionary story for future generations.
another reminder to do better
The incident will remind people to be better prepared going forward.
next time
People will prepare better for future crises.
and one day
The artist is looking into the future.
even this will pass
The artist is optimistic that the situation will eventually get better.
we will forget to argue
People will eventually forget the fine details of the crises.
about whether the aircraft
The controversies surrounding the crisis will be forgotten.
was 22 years old
This is referring to a particular plane crash, and how old the plane was is no longer relevant in the future.
or 21 and a half
The exact age of the plane is no longer significant.
we will forget about
People will not remember certain people or events that were affected by past crises.
a 3 year old girl
A three-year-old girl who was a casualty of the crisis.
who will never know her mother
The girl lost her mother to the crisis, and unfortunately, she will never know her.
whole families wiped out
Entire families were casualties of a crisis.
in one swoop
The families were wiped out all at once and unexpectedly.
a bride that never was
A bride who was not able to attend her wedding due to the crisis.
our memory will
The artist is talking about how human memory works.
betray us yet again
Memories can be unreliable.
it will tell us
Memories can tell us things that may not necessarily be true.
we will be past this soon
People will believe that they will overcome any challenges when faced with them.
we will settle into
People will find a new routine after the crises.
a new normal
The artist is referring to how people adapt to challenging situations.
the hum
The noise.
of generators will num us
The noise of generators will become part of everyday life for people.
we will remain unmoved
People will become desensitized to the situation.
by 4 hours of traffic
The traffic situation will no longer affect people as it used to.
the sounds of exploding churches
Even the sound of churches exploding will not affect people as it used to.
will be just another Sunday morning
The tragedy will become a normal part of people's lives.
this will be our legacy
People will be remembered for how they responded to the crisis.
how we are blinded by the light
People will become complacent when things are going well and will forget the things that led to a crisis.
even when we are flying
People may not see the danger until it's too late.
head first into the fire
People may deliberately put themselves into dangerous situations despite knowing the risks.
so when our children ask us
The artist is talking about a future conversation with their children.
what it was like
The artist's future children may ask them about the crisis to learn more about their past.
we will tell them
The artist and their peers will talk to their future generation and tell them about the situation.
it was a dangerous gamble
The singer will tell their future children about the risks they took and how it led to the situation.
between the sun and the sea
The metaphor here is that people took a dangerous risk by flying risky planes.
and we too afraid
People were afraid to take other routes to safety.
to swim the distance
People were too afraid to swim to safety across the sea.
chose instead to spread
People decided to take the dangerous route instead of taking a safer option.
our faulty wings
People relied on faulty resources that led to their downfall.
and fly towards
People choose to take the dangerous route despite knowing the risks.
the fire of the sun
The metaphor depicts flying toward the danger despite the risks.
Contributed by Benjamin E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.