Wasner and Stack have been playing music together and apart in Baltimore, MD, and chose their name from the honorary state tree of Maryland. If Children is the culmination of many months of recording, polishing and perfecting to achieve what Any Given Tuesday best described as, “. .. . mingling in a room full of shoegaze, alt-country, folk, and noise, shaking hands, kissing cheeks, and making friends with everyone.” If Children is an exuberant debut – noisy and restrained in turn, Wye Oak describe their philosophy: "We'd like to think that if a song is good enough, it'll stand on its own regardless of how much noise you pile on top. On the other hand, we do like noise." Listen, and we think you will have to agree!
The droll tone and fleeting sweetness of a Yo La Tengo are cut into the more deeply textural concerns of shoegaze in the Baltimore group's work. It's an interesting alignment, given the contrast in senses of humor. But Wye Oak successfully shed tonnage from the latter without losing potency.
If Children Were Wishes
Wye Oak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My mother spent hers on impossible things
My brother was money,
My sister was love, and I was world peace
My brother, he spent it,
My sister got pregnant, and all that I'm worth
Will only come true
When there are no more of us left on this earth
If hearts were machines that kept
Running forever automatically,
Then you wouldn't be in that
Hospital bed, on that saline I-V
And if it's your diet, you stubbornly swear
That it wasn't your fault,
You rather be dead in that hospital bed
Than cut back on sugar and salt
Oh, aren't you afraid of
Living in a major American city,
So marry a stupid,
Unreachable girl who's impossibly pretty
And I've seen you drive everyday of your life,
And it's always a rush,
And I have to wonder
How I ever let you do something so dangerous
And so I suppose this is
Just how it goes no matter how I try,
I just have to watch you get
Weaker and weaker till you finally die
But I have to remember
The wish of my mother and all that I'm worth,
Which will only come true
When there are no more of us left on this earth
The lyrics to Wye Oak's song "If Children Were Wishes" explore themes of family, mortality, and the unattainability of certain desires. The first verse describes how each member of the family is represented by a different wish. The mother's wish is for impossible things, indicating perhaps a tendency towards dreaming and idealism. The brother is represented by money, suggesting a desire for financial stability or success. The sister is love, which could be read as a desire for emotional fulfillment or companionship. And finally, the singer is world peace, hinting at a desire to create a better world, one without conflict or suffering.
As the song progresses, the wishes reveal themselves to be unattainable or fleeting. The brother spends his "money" and the sister becomes pregnant, suggesting that even the most seemingly concrete desires (like wealth or love) can be temporary or subject to change. The singer's wish for world peace is particularly poignant in light of this, as it suggests a longing for something that may never be fully realized.
The second verse shifts focus to mortality and the fragility of the body. The image of the heart as a machine that could run forever is a stark contrast to the reality of hospital beds and IVs. The stubborn refusal to change one's diet despite health problems is another example of how we can be trapped by our desires and habits, even when they have negative consequences. The line about marrying an "unreachable girl who's impossibly pretty" suggests a desire for something unattainable, and perhaps even superficial.
The final verse returns to the theme of family and the wish for a better world. The singer watches as someone they care about gets weaker and weaker, and realizes that their mother's wish for impossible things may be the only one that truly endures. The idea that the world would be better off without humanity is a dark one, but it may also be a call to action, urging us to strive for something better than what we currently have.
Overall, "If Children Were Wishes" is a poignant exploration of human desires and their limitations. It acknowledges the beauty and complexity of our dreams, while also highlighting the ways in which they can be fleeting, unattainable, or even harmful.
Line by Line Meaning
If children were wishes,
If a person's children could fulfill their greatest desires
My mother spent hers on impossible things
My mother's children were so significant that they represented her deepest desires which could never be achieved.
My brother was money,
My brother represented the financial stability and success that my family desired.
My sister was love, and I was world peace
My sister represents the love my family had for each other, while I embodied the desire for worldwide harmony.
My brother, he spent it,
My brother squandered our family's resources on his own personal goals.
My sister got pregnant, and all that I'm worth
My sister found love and started a family, while my worth is still unclear and unfulfilled.
Will only come true
My dreams and wishes will only be realized
When there are no more of us left on this earth
Only when humanity no longer exists and the world is at peace will my deepest desires be fulfilled.
If hearts were machines that kept
If hearts were like machines that never stopped functioning
Running forever automatically,
without any conscious control or effort.
Then you wouldn't be in that
You wouldn't find yourself in that
Hospital bed, on that saline I-V
Hospitalized and attached to an IV for survival.
And if it's your diet, you stubbornly swear
Even if your unhealthy lifestyle is causing your current condition, you refuse to change it.
That it wasn't your fault,
Blaming circumstances or others for your choices and actions.
You rather be dead in that hospital bed
You would instead choose death than to alter your unhealthy lifestyle.
Than cut back on sugar and salt
Than reduce the intake of unhealthy foods that contribute to your poor health.
Oh, aren't you afraid of
Aren't you scared of
Living in a major American city,
Living in a densely populated urban area in the United States of America.
So marry a stupid,
Marry someone who is unintelligent and foolish.
Unreachable girl who's impossibly pretty
Marry someone who is unattainable and seemingly perfect in appearance.
And I've seen you drive everyday of your life,
I have observed you driving every day for your entire life.
And it's always a rush,
You always speed and drive recklessly.
And I have to wonder
I question
How I ever let you do something so dangerous
Why did I ever allow you to engage in such risky behavior?
And so I suppose this is
This is likely the reality of the situation
Just how it goes no matter how I try,
It's inevitable despite my efforts to change things.
I just have to watch you get
I have no choice but to observe you become
Weaker and weaker till you finally die
Continuously deteriorating until the ultimate end.
But I have to remember
I must keep in mind
The wish of my mother and all that I'm worth,
My mother's desire and my true value in life.
Which will only come true
Which will only be fulfilled
When there are no more of us left on this earth
Only the cessation of humanity will realize our ultimate aspirations and dreams.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JENNIFER LYNN WASNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind