Brooklyn
We're About 9 Lyrics


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sitting in your rocking chair
play your banjo in the air
i was sitting there staring
homegrown songs on the table
six of us are insatiable
brooklyn
calling
brooklyn
i am calling brooklyn
late nights and caffeine drips
'til we cave to the haze of this
building a numinous history
it's the last place i was with you
it's one thing to believe in
music is the city i love and i am homesick
brooklyn
calling
brooklyn
i am calling brooklyn
sitting in your rocking chair




play your banjo in the air
i was sitting there staring

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of We're About 9's song "Brooklyn" paint a vivid image of a simple, intimate moment - someone sitting in a rocking chair, strumming a banjo, while someone else looks on. But the song quickly expands to capture a much larger feeling: a nostalgia, a yearning for connection and home. The repeated refrain of "Brooklyn calling, I am calling Brooklyn" serves as a sort of anchor for the larger exploration of longing that the song undertakes.


This longing is particularly potent in the lines "late nights and caffeine drips/'til we cave to the haze of this/building a numinous history/it's the last place I was with you." Here, we see a sense of desperation creeping in - the singer is holding tight to a particular moment in time, hoping that by staying mentally and emotionally rooted in it, they can recapture something that has slipped away. The song doesn't provide specific details about what this lost connection is, but it's clear that it was deeply powerful and deeply missed.


Overall, "Brooklyn" is a paean to the idea of home - not just a physical place, but a feeling of belonging, of restfulness, of warmth. The song's gentle banjo playing and whispered vocals capture a sense of intimacy, reminding us that even big, bustling cities like Brooklyn can be places of comfort and connection.


Line by Line Meaning

sitting in your rocking chair
Begin verse about reminiscing over lost love


play your banjo in the air
Remembering the small details of past love


i was sitting there staring
Reliving memories through senses


homegrown songs on the table
Reflecting on the unique and personal connection to past love


six of us are insatiable
Acknowledging a deep longing or desire for something more or something lost


brooklyn
Repeating the city name as a symbol of the past and what is lost


calling
Expressing a need or desire to connect with what is lost


brooklyn
Repeating the city name as a symbol of the past and what is lost


i am calling brooklyn
Affirming the desire to reconnect with the past and move forward


late nights and caffeine drips
Recalling the feeling of being alive and invincible


'til we cave to the haze of this
Describing a sense of being lost, or feeling muddled


building a numinous history
Crafting a personal narrative, or tale, that only exists in the shared moments with another person


it's the last place i was with you
Revealing a moment of clarity that contextualizes the rest of the song


it's one thing to believe in
Reflecting on the power of belief and its impact on the self


music is the city i love and i am homesick
Reaffirming the connection between music, place and personal identity


brooklyn
Repeating the city name as a symbol of the past and what is lost


calling
Expressing a need or desire to connect with what is lost


brooklyn
Repeating the city name as a symbol of the past and what is lost


i am calling brooklyn
Affirming the desire to reconnect with the past and move forward


sitting in your rocking chair
Repeating the opening line as part of final restatement of desire to reconnect with past love


play your banjo in the air
Repeating previous line


i was sitting there staring
Repeating previous line




Contributed by Lillian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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