Will Stratton (b. 1987, Woodland, CA) is an American songwriter, composer, … Read Full Bio ↴Will Stratton (b. 1987, Woodland, CA) is an American songwriter, composer, and arranger. He lives and works in the Hudson River Valley. He was born in Yolo County, California, and started making up songs on the piano when he was three years old. Will spend most of his formative years in the suburbs of northern New Jersey. On his twelfth birthday, he got his first electric guitar, and in the decade since, music has owned him unconditionally.

What The Night Said, Stratton’s first record as a solo artist, was recorded in the summer after his senior year of high school, at the invitation of the owner of a tiny but well-equipped recording studio in Astoria, Queens. It was quietly released two years later, in 2007, to scattered but unanimously positive reviews. When it came out, Stratton had become a student at Bennington College, writing academic music that attempted to emulate the spirit of New York School composers like Morton Feldman and postminimalists like David Lang. In the time that has lapsed since What The Night Said’s release, Will wrote dozens of works for chamber ensembles and solo piano, and released three free online albums of outtakes, demos, and instrumental music.

In 2009, Will graduated from college and returned with his second album, No Wonder, a more ornate and ambitious record than its predecessor. No Wonder received little attention in the music press, but, despite its November release, its lack of distribution, and its virtually unknown creator, it appeared on some critics’ best-of-the-year lists, drew favorable comparisons to Fleetwood Mac, Nick Drake, and Loudon Wainwright, and received airplay from venerable WNYC radio show host David Garland. The album’s title track was featured as NPR’s “Song Of The Day” in March 2010.

In the summer of 2010, Will went into the studio for a third time, this time without a recording budget, an engineer, or a record deal, and only for a single weekend. In 48 hours he came back with New Vanguard Blues, a spartan album that put his dexterous fingerstyle guitar playing front and center alongside his songwriting. New Vanguard Blues was released digitally two weeks later. Now Will works and lives near the waterfront in south Brooklyn, NY, plays shows and tours when he gets the chance, occasionally does arrangements for fun and profit, and works on a fourth record.

http://willstratton.com/

Fireflies
Will Stratton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I don't think much will ever come of it
It's just that nothing ever does
We always go out with high expectations
And then the sun sets, and I start thinking, 'cause

The red and the yellow
The black and the blue
It might sound kind of shallow

But colors are all I ever knew

The fireflies are coming out
The cicadas are quieting down
These summer nights are like walking through
The hiding place a child found

The amber glow of the windows as we pass by little homes
People talking in their living rooms
They must feel so very much alone

All these sterile rows of parchment houses and paper trees
I don't know if you'd suppose that when dawn hits
Everybody sees

The red and the yellow
The black and the blue

It might sound kind of shallow
But colors are all I ever knew

Overall Meaning

In Will Stratton's song, "Fireflies," the artist reflects on the disappointments and expectations in life, highlighted by the beauty of summer nights and the colors of the world around us. He begins by expressing his pessimism, suggesting that nothing ever comes of anything. He talks about going out with high expectations only to be let down, which leads him to ponder his thoughts as the sun sets. The next stanza talks about his love of colors, and how it might sound shallow, but colors are all he's ever known. He illuminates the beauty of the fireflies and how they come out as the cicadas quiet down, transforming summer nights into memories of a child's hiding place. The sight of the amber glow of windows in the little homes as they pass by is beautiful, but it also reminds him that people may feel isolated in their living rooms.

The final part of the song addresses the monotony of life and the lack of imagination in modern society. Sterile rows of houses and paper trees show how we've lost touch with nature. He questions if people notice the world around them when dawn hits. This song is an ode to life's simplicity and the beauty in the everyday experience of the world. Stratton forces us to take a moment to appreciate the colors and intricate details of life that are often overlooked in our busy lives.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't think much will ever come of it
I am not hopeful about the outcome

It's just that nothing ever does
Things don't usually work out

We always go out with high expectations
We have high hopes

And then the sun sets, and I start thinking, 'cause
But then reality sets in and I start to reflect

The red and the yellow
Colors I perceive

The black and the blue
Colors that I recognize

It might sound kind of shallow
I am aware it may seem superficial

But colors are all I ever knew
But they are what I have come to know and understand

The fireflies are coming out
The fireflies are starting to appear

The cicadas are quieting down
The cicadas are becoming less noisy

These summer nights are like walking through
These summer nights resemble