The Trapeze Swinger | Iron & Wine Lyrics, Meaning & Videos
The Trapeze Swinger
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴Please, remember me
Happily
By the rosebush laughing
With bruises on my chin
The time when
We counted every black car passing
Your house beneath the hill
And up until Someone caught us in the kitchen
With maps, a mountain range
A piggy bank
A vision too removed to mention, but
Please, remember me
Fondly
I heard from someone you're still pretty
And then
They went on to say
That the pearly gates
Had some eloquent graffiti
Like 'We'll meet again'
And 'Fuck the man'
And 'Tell my mother not to worry'
And angels with their gray
Handshakes
Were always done in such a hurry, and
Please, remember me
At Halloween
Making fools of all the neighbors
Our faces painted white
By midnight
We'd forgotten one another
And when the morning came
I was ashamed
Only now it seems so silly
That season left the world
And then returned
And now you're lit up by the city, so
Please, remember me
Mistakenly
In the window of the tallest tower call
Then pass us by
But much too high
To see the empty road at happy hour
Leave and resonate
Just like the gates
Around the holy kingdom
With words like 'Lost and Found' and 'Don't Look Down'
And 'Someone Save Temptation', and
Please, remember me
As in the dream
We had as rug-burned babies
Among the fallen trees
And fast asleep
Aside the lions and the ladies
That called you what you like
And even might
Give a gift for your behavior
A fleeting chance to see
A trapeze
Swing as high as any savior, but
Please, remember me
My misery
And how it lost me all I wanted
Those dogs that love the rain
And chasing trains
The colored birds above there running
In circles round the well
And where it spells
On the wall behind St. Peter's
So bright with cinder gray
And spray paint
'Who the hell can see forever?', and
Please, remember me
Seldomly
In the car behind the carnival
My hand between your knees
You turn from me
And said 'The trapeze act was wonderful
But never meant to last'
The clown that passed
Saw me just come up with anger
When it filled with circus dogs
The parking lot
Had an element of danger, so
Please, remember me
Finally
And all my uphill clawing
My dear
But if I make
The pearly gates
Do my best to make a drawing
Of God and Lucifer
A boy and girl
An angel kissing on a sinner
A monkey and a man
A marching band
All around the frightened trapeze swingers
Na na na na na
Uh uh uh uh uh
Overall Meaning
The Trapeze Swinger by Iron & Wine is a melancholic ballad about nostalgia and memories of a past relationship. The singer asks to be remembered fondly, mistakenly, and finally, reflecting on the various memories they shared together. The song begins with the singer reminiscing about a time when they were young and carefree, sitting by a rosebush and counting black cars passing by. They remember being caught in the kitchen with maps and a piggy bank and a vision that was "too removed to mention."
As the song progresses, the singer recalls different snapshots of their relationship - making fools of their neighbors on Halloween, watching a trapeze act, and lying among fallen trees. They also speak of their own misery and longing, acknowledging that they lost everything they wanted. The final stanza addresses the possibility of the singer making it to the pearly gates of Heaven and creating a drawing. The drawing included various characters, such as God and Lucifer, a boy and girl, and a monkey and man.
The song's structure is repetitive and uses different variations of the line "please remember me," culminating in the last line, "all around the frightened trapeze swingers," which leaves the listener with a poignant and thought-provoking image.
Line by Line Meaning
Please, remember me
Asking to not be forgotten
Happily
In a joyful manner
By the rosebush laughing
In a specific location, enjoying oneself freely
With bruises on my chin
Physical evidence of past experiences
The time when
Reflecting on a specific moment in the past
We counted every black car passing
Focused on insignificant details for the sake of it
Your house beneath the hill
Referencing a specific location
And up until
Talking about a period of time
Someone caught us in the kitchen
An interruption in what was happening
With maps, a mountain range
Specific items located in the kitchen
A piggy bank
Another specific item located in the kitchen
A vision too removed to mention, but
Prefacing something that's hard to articulate
I heard from someone you're still pretty
Someone has shared new information about someone else
And then
Connecting previous and upcoming thoughts
They went on to say
Continuation of what was being shared
That the pearly gates
Symbolic reference to the afterlife
Had some eloquent graffiti
Description of the afterlife with unique features
Like 'We'll meet again'
Specific example of the graffiti
And 'Fuck the man'
Another specific example of graffiti, with a rebellious tone
And 'Tell my mother not to worry'
Another specific example of graffiti, with a connection to familial relationships
And angels with their gray
Angelic beings described in a non-traditional way
Handshakes
Another non-traditional descriptor of an angelic being
Were always done in such a hurry, and
Continuation of the description of the afterlife
At Halloween
A holiday that's meaningful to the artist
Making fools of all the neighbors
Participating in harmless mischief with a specific group of people
Our faces painted white
A specific detail of the mischief making
By midnight
Referencing a specific time
We'd forgotten one another
Despite spending time together, there was a disconnect
And when the morning came
Another specific time referenced
I was ashamed
Speaker expressing a personal emotion
Only now it seems so silly
Reflecting on past actions and realizing how they may have appeared to others
That season left the world
A symbolic reference to the passage of time
And then returned
Acknowledging the cyclical nature of time
And now you're lit up by the city, so
Describing someone and their current environment
Mistakenly
Indicating an error in understanding
In the window of the tallest tower call
A specific place described
Then pass us by
A specific action witnessed
But much too high
A reason for not being able to fully experience something
To see the empty road at happy hour
A specific detail that wasn't visible from the high point
Leave and resonate
An action and its impact
Just like the gates
A specific comparison made
Around the holy kingdom
Description of a specific place
With words like 'Lost and Found' and 'Don't Look Down'
Specific words written or symbolic references at the place
And 'Someone Save Temptation', and
Another specific example of what's written/symbolic reference
As in the dream
Referencing a specific state of being
We had as rug-burned babies
Describing a shared experience in the past
Among the fallen trees
A specific setting described
And fast asleep
The state of being during this shared memory
Aside the lions and the ladies
More details about the shared memory, including specific individuals
That called you what you like
How someone was referred to by specific individuals
And even might
Possibility of an action or event
Give a gift for your behavior
Showing appreciation or acknowledgement for actions taken in the past
A fleeting chance to see
An opportunity that was only available for a short time
A trapeze
Describing an aerial acrobatics apparatus
Swing as high as any savior, but
A person/thing compared to the trapeze swing
My misery
Expressing personal emotion
And how it lost me all I wanted
Referencing a previous loss or failure
Those dogs that love the rain
Describing a specific type of animal
And chasing trains
Describing a specific interest or action
The colored birds above there running
Describing a specific sight
In circles round the well
A specific place described
And where it spells
Referencing graffiti or written language in a specific location
On the wall behind St. Peter's
A specific location described
So bright with cinder gray
A specific description of the color of the writing
And spray paint
The medium used for the writing
'Who the hell can see forever?', and
Another example of what's written on the wall
Seldomly
Describing something that happened infrequently
In the car behind the carnival
Describing a specific location
My hand between your knees
Describing a specific action or position
You turn from me
A specific action witnessed
And said 'The trapeze act was wonderful
A direct quote from someone else
But never meant to last'
An opinion or observation that was shared
The clown that passed
A specific individual described
Saw me just come up with anger
Describing a reaction the singer had
When it filled with circus dogs
Describing a specific situation
The parking lot
A specific location described
Had an element of danger, so
Indicating an unsafe or threatening situation
Finally
Indicating an end or conclusion
And all my uphill clawing
Describing a struggle or challenge
My dear
Addressing someone specific with affection
But if I make
A condition and potential outcome
The pearly gates
Symbolic reference to the afterlife
Do my best to make a drawing
A specific way of preparing for the afterlife
Of God and Lucifer
Specific things being drawn, with a contrast of good and evil
A boy and girl
Another specific thing being drawn, with a reference to human relationships
An angel kissing on a sinner
Another specific thing being drawn, with a contrast of good and evil
A monkey and a man
Another specific thing being drawn, with reference to evolution and animalistic instincts
A marching band
Another specific thing being drawn, with reference to music and performance
All around the frightened trapeze swingers
Describing the scene being drawn, with a connection to a previous metaphor
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Samuel Beam
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight itncG1vNJzZmirn6O2pLTIrapnm5%2BifLe1w56maIGipLugcZFvlpChnpp8lbTEmIurmaCax6arsrCgp5%2BVpw%3D%3D