Taro - Alt-J - Lyrics & Explanation

Hello YouTube!

I've been listening to this song for years and it wasn't until recently that I read about what the song is really about. It kind of broke my heart, so I felt like I had to put something together so that I could really think about the lyrics and inform other people as well.

[musnitijamlimbu]

"Do not spray into eyes - I have sprayed you into my eyes."

There are warnings on spray cans that literally say, "Do not spray into eyes". If you take into account what Taro and Capa did as a living, taking photos of war, and how dangerous that is to do, then add in the fact that Taro died while doing that job years before Capa did, you will get the meaning. Basically, to me at least, Taro's death is the warning to Capa of how dangerous their job can be, "Do not spray into eyes". But, Capa ignores this and even knowing full well, he still continues to do that job until it kills him as well, "I have sprayed you into my eyes".

Now, if you blend in the beautiful and soft way its sung, you get a feeling of peace when you hear that line. That to me is because its meant as if Capa has done so understanding that he might die as Taro did, but that's fine because he will be with her all that much sooner.

In an abstract way... this is what love between two people is all about. We are all warnings, we all have things we have done in our lives that have terrible consequences. But, the people that love us don't care, and they would even go so far as to do those same things with you because they love you so much.

"Do not spray into eyes - I have sprayed you into my eyes."

For me, it really is the most beautiful lyric I have ever heard... it brought tears to my eyes and I couldn't stop crying when I realized what it meant. It is so simple it's almost childish... but it is SO powerful, that the emotion of its meaning cuts deep in a beautiful way.

It made me think of my wife and my daughter immediately.
(Copied from internet)

[Lsueur]

It seems every alt j song has a deeper meaning that not everyone looks out for when listening to their music

[matheusrossetto]

I actually cannot believe this video has only 200 likes, girl just thank you, thats a kind of lyrics video Id love to see for every single song I search for. Congratulations for this amazing job. Someday the recognition is gonna come.

[naveedkhalid]

Haunting lyrics. Send shivers down my spine. True lyricism.

[WhiteANGEL-Allright]

Thanks for sharing your great video & explanation on a masterpiece song. Very touching & moving...

[jofi]

I had wondered what this song was about and then forgot about it.
I recently heard it again and decided to see what I could find.
Now that I know it makes this song so very sad.
Alt J are very good at eliciting emotions with their music and story telling.

[citizenA-Z]

lovely edit, really added to my fav song. loved the pic of them together at the end

[madelinem]

This is such a great video, thanks for sharing it out.💞

[ishankrajpal]

I need more songs like these, any suggestions?

[CaptainDaddyHasaGun]

The one lyric verse I had to think pretty hard about was "Mine is a watery pit."

I think it's a visualization of the short period that the photographer is airborne followed by hitting the ground and immediately going into shock/adrenaline mode.

Or it could just be the blur, discombobulation, and tunnel vision one feels when they are abruptly launched from a stationary position at a high velocity.

The watery pit is hitting the ground, while simultaneously the adrenaline is dampening the pain and slowing down their perception of time as the mind takes inventory in real time.

Could be over-analysing, but I figured that I would share.

[sequelz]

fun fact: alt-j or ∆ don't care about the deep meanings of their music, they just want to find something that sounds nice

[isagive]

the background is awful... hard to watch it and read - weird decision.