Song Lyric Interpretation

Vanilla Twilight

The stars lean down to kiss you
And I lie awake and miss you
Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere
'Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly
But I'll miss your arms around me
I'd send a postcard to you, dear
'Cause I wish you were here

I'll watch the night turn light blue
But it's not the same without you
Because it takes two to whisper quietly
The silence isn't so bad
'Til I look at my hands and feel sad
'Cause the spaces between my fingers
Are right where yours fit perfectly

I'll find repose in new ways
Though I haven't slept in two days
'Cause cold nostalgia chills me to the bone
But drenched in vanilla twilight
I'll sit on the front porch all night
Waist deep in thought because when
I think of you I don't feel so alone

I don't feel so alone
I don't feel so alone

As many times as I blink
I'll think of you tonight

I'll think of you tonight

When violet eyes get brighter
And heavy wings grow lighter
I'll taste the sky and feel alive again
And I'll forget the world that I knew
But I swear I won't forget you
Oh if my voice could reach back through the past
I'd whisper in your ear,
"Oh darling I wish you were here"

Introduction of the Song

This song is sung by Owl City, in Ocean Eyes album. Owl City is well known as one of electronic music project by Adam Young. He is a singer, songwriter, and also multi-instrumentalist. The genre of this song is electronic pop. And in this song, we can feel the cuteness of electronic effect, even though the story of this song is actually very sad and deep. With the uplifting chords and poetic lyrics, I never bored to hear and sing this song over and over again.

Adam Young wrote this song for his memorable ex girlfriend who passed away when they were High school students.

Song Interpretation

"The stars lean down to kiss you"

You know how people say that people that die are our shining stars?

I think that, that means the angels come to get her

"And I lie awake and miss you"

That means that he can’t sleep

"Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere"

He wants to be light as atmosphere so he could fly to get her ex girlfriend back

" 'Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly

But I'll miss your arms around me"

He tries to escape from reality, but he just can’t. He can't escape the physical reality of yearning and missing her caress and embrace

" I'd send a postcard to you, dear
'Cause I wish you were here"

It would be easy to send a postcard. And the irony is that he can’t because she has passed away.

" I'll watch the night turn light blue"

It means the sunrise

"But it's not the same without you

Because it takes two to whisper quietly"

Being with his lover, isn’t the same as being without her. He can’t carry on a whispering conversation because there is no one to reply back.

"The silence isn't so bad
'Til I look at my hands and feel sad
'Cause the spaces between my fingers
Are right where yours fit perfectly"

He’s sad because he can’t hold her hand right now.

" I'll find repose in new ways"

Adam trying to rest, but can’t because he misses his girlfriend

"Though I haven't slept in two days
'Cause cold nostalgia chills me to the bone"

Cold nostalgia are sad memories, these memories are keeping the speaker awake all night and reaches him all the way inside, to his bones.

"But drenched in vanilla twilight"

He thoroughly soaks himself into the white snow. As seen on the music video, vanilla twilight is a fresh blanket of snow, covering the ground giving it the color of vanilla.

" I'll sit on the front porch all night
Waist deep in thought because when
I think of you I don't feel so alone"

He’ll miss her and think about her so much that he’s deep in these thoughts because he feels lonely without her in his life.

"As many times as I blink
I'll think of you tonight"

He’s going to think about her a lot.

"When violet eyes get brighter
And heavy wings grow lighter
I'll taste the sky and feel alive again"

Here he’s saying that he’s going to move on; to learn to live without her but he’s not going to forget about her and what they had. He’s still going to miss her but he’s not going to let that hold him back from living.

And I'll forget the world that I knew
But I swear I won't forget you
Oh if my voice could reach back through the past
I'd whisper in your ear,
"Oh darling I wish you were here"

So in these lines, Adam Young is talking about how he misses his ex and that he would go back through time to talk to that girl. He says he wants her to still be here with him. He just really misses her.

Special Parts

Saddest Part:

The silence isn't so bad
'Til I look at my hands and feel sad
'Cause the spaces between my fingers
Are right where yours fit perfectly

For me, this part is a good illustration and somehow makes it catchy

My Favorite Part:

When violet eyes get brighter
And heavy wings grow lighter
I'll taste the sky and feel alive again
And I'll forget the world that I knew
But I swear I won't forget you
Oh if my voice could reach back through the past
I'd whisper in your ear,
"Oh darling I wish you were here"

It is really beautiful and captures the feeling of missing someone in a poetic, magical way.

Here is the official music video

Thank You!