Reading Into Things

Dear Friend,

Have you ever found yourself so wrapped up in your thoughts that you're even more confused then before? Well, that's called over thinking. In order to show you what "reading into things" really is, we've decided to interpret some song lyrics from "The Wind" by the Zac Brown Band.

The Wind (or The Spirit)

Thirty thousand feet above 
The city where I fell in love with you 

In this first two lines, we have come to the conclusion that the speaker is in heaven- sounds strange, right? Well, first off, the word "above" refers to the skies. Thirty thousand feet refers to fifteen thousand people, meaning that there are people in the sky, which essentially means heaven. In this "city", the speaker is falling in love with someone (as clearly stated above). If you think this is crazy, we suggest you stop reading this post- it only gets more complicated!

And the fading concrete skyline 
Brings an urban lullaby 
That still rings true

These next few lines show the speaker leaving earth, meaning that he is talking of death (this confirms the claim we made earlier- he is in heaven). The "urban lullaby" actually means the angelic choir welcoming him into heaven.

When I passed you on the street that day 
Should've let that red scarf fly away 
Like any chance I had of keepin' you 

The speaker begins by remembering the time he first saw his lover, which was also the day of his death. The "red scarf" line is where things get super complicated, but hang in there. So, we have interpreted that this man died by chasing after a scarf of a woman he passed on the street and consequently getting hit by a bus. By sacrificing himself for her and her scarf, he really lost the chance of every loving her. Depressing, right?

Like the Northern Wind a blowin' 
Yeah my lonely heart was frozen 
Never knew I'd find a way to break yours too 

First, we believe that the Northern Wind is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is omnipresent, just like the speaker's "lonely heart." He is now saying that he is miserable without her and never meant for his death to leave her heartbroken as well.

Where the wind blows babe 
You can bet 
I'll be ridin' high with it
Holding on for my dear life 
Just like I always did 

Close your eyes babe
Take a breath, say my name
And I'll be there
My love will find you anywhere 
Anywhere my love

In the chorus, the speaker is saying that he "rides" with the wind, meaning that the wind is his spirit. He also reassures his lover that he'll always be watching over her and that he is willing to be forever in her heart. This is bittersweet, isn't it?

The city lights look like a country sky 
Like starin' at the stars turned upside down
I wish I may, I wish I might 
Find it in your heart to stick around 

Once again, the second verse begins with confirmation that the speaker is looking down from heaven. Then, he also mentions that he hopes she will never forget him by keeping him in a special place in her heart.

I hate it had to end this way
Tomorrow is a brand new day
And the chances of seeing love 
Are precious few 

If someone's out there waiting 
For a sweet good timin' lady 
To make you smile the way I always wanted to 

The speaker is upset that his sudden death ruined the chance of  him ever getting to know her. Even if he's gone, he hope that she loves him, although doing so may be rare. However, he also believes in new beginnings. He wants her to be happy and loves her so much that he is willing to give her up to someone else.

Where the wind blows babe 
You can bet 
I'll be ridin' high with it
Holding on for my dear life 
Just like I always did 

Close your eyes babe
Take a breath, say my name
And I'll be there
My love will find you anywhere 
Anywhere my love

(Chorus repeats...)

So I'll fly all night 
Our memory's my lullaby that love won't lie 
If it's love done right
You'll be waiting on the other side 
Arms open wide, if love don't like 
Lie, we can fly 

In the bridge, the speaker says that his thoughts and memories of her show him the power of love. If their love is so strong, she'll find a way to always hold him in her heart- arms open wide.

Where the wind blows babe 
You can bet 
I'll be ridin' high with it
Holding on for my dear life 
Just like I always did 

Close your eyes babe
Take a breath, say my name
And I'll be there
My love will find you anywhere 
Anywhere my love will find you anywhere
Anywhere my love will find you anywhere
Anywhere my love 

At the end of the song, the speaker reiterates his eternal love.

So we hope all of you are still with us after that extensive analysis. We're glad you stuck with us and our crazy thoughts. Our interpretation of this song is probably the most convoluted (and cheesiest) thing you will ever read on this blog, but we had a blast trying to read into it. Hopefully we did a good job. If you have another interpretation of this song, let us know. We'd love to hear it!

On an end note, don't feel bad if you like to read into things. Over thinking is just an exaggeration of curiosity, which is definitely not a bad thing. It's a common habit among a lot of people and we find ourselves doing it all the time. There have been many times where we've stayed up late reading into things. Usually our conversations consist of statements such as, "When she said ________, she really meant ________" or "No, that can't be right. She obviously is saying ________." When we over think, sometimes we're lucky and we reach some pretty awesome conclusions, but other times, we get absolutely nowhere. Reading into things is like digging for buried treasure. After a lot of work, you either hit the jackpot or you dig so deep that you can't get out of the hole.

Don't let anyone take your shovel and prevent you from finding that buried treasure- just don't lose yourself too far down in the hole and make sure you have a rope to pull yourself out.

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."- Albert Einstein

Yours truly,
Kylie and Catherine