Owl City - Rainbow Veins Lyrics
Lyrics
High rise, veins of the avenue
Bright eyes and subtle variations of blue
Everywhere is balanced there like a rainbow above you
Street lights glisten on the boulevard
And cold nights make staying alert so hard
For heaven's sake, keep me awake so I won't be caught off guard
Clearly I am a passerby but I'll find a place to stay
Dear pacific day, won't you take me away?
Small town hearts of the New Year
Brought down by gravity, crystal clear
City fog and brave dialog converge on the frontier
Make haste, I feel your heartbeat
With new taste for speed, out on the street
Find a road to a humble abode where both of our routes meet
The silver sound is all around and the colors fall like snow
The feeling of letting go, I guess we'll never know
Cheer up and dry your damp eyes
And tell me when it rains
And I'll blend up that rainbow above you
And shoot it through your veins
'Cause your heart has a lack of color
And we should've known
That we'd grow up sooner or later
'cause we wasted all our free time alone
Your nerves gather with the altitude
Exhale the stress so you don't come unglued
Somewhere there is a happy affair, a ghost of a good mood
Wide eyed, panic on the getaway
The high tide could take me so far away
VCR's and motorcars unite on the Seventh Day
A popular gauge will measure the rage of the new Post-Modern Age
'Cause somewhere along the line all the decades align
We were the crashing whitecaps
(On the ocean) On the ocean
What a lovely seaside holiday away
A palm tree in Christmas lights
(My emotion) My emotion
Struck a sparkling tone like a xylophone
As we spent the day alone
Cheer up and dry your damp eyes
And tell me when it rains
And I'll blend up that rainbow above you
And shoot it through your veins
'Cause your heart has a lack of color
And we should've known
That we'd grow up sooner or later
'cause we wasted all our free time alone
(Da da da dah, da da da dah)
Video
Rainbow Veins
Meaning & Inspiration
"Rainbow Veins" by Owl City is a song that wraps introspective observations in a vibrant, synth-pop soundscape characteristic of the artist. The initial verses paint vivid urban pictures, using imagery of "High rise, veins of the avenue" and "Street lights glisten on the boulevard." There's a feeling of being small or transient in the large environment, a "passerby" longing for belonging or escape, expressed in the line "Dear pacific day, won't you take me away?". The contrast between the bright external world and the internal state, where "cold nights make staying alert so hard," sets a tone of seeking solace or connection amidst the hustle.
The second verse shifts slightly in focus, mentioning "Small town hearts" and a sense of being "Brought down by gravity." Yet, it moves towards connection and movement, describing "City fog and brave dialog converge on the frontier" and the feeling of a shared "heartbeat" with another. The search for a shared space, a "humble abode where both of our routes meet," suggests a desire for convergence and finding a home together. Sensory details like "The silver sound is all around" and "colors fall like snow" add to the atmospheric quality, hinting at moments of beauty and perhaps melancholy, exploring the complex feeling of "letting go."
The chorus serves as the emotional core and introduces the song's central, striking metaphor. The command to "Cheer up and dry your damp eyes" leads into the promise to "blend up that rainbow above you / And shoot it through your veins." This powerful image conveys the idea of injecting color, vibrancy, hope, or life into someone who is feeling down or whose "heart has a lack of color." It's an offer of profound comfort and revitalization. The following lines, acknowledging that "we should've known / That we'd grow up sooner or later / 'cause we wasted all our free time alone," add a layer of reflection on missed opportunities for connection and the inevitable passage of time, suggesting the current offer of comfort comes with the wisdom of past loneliness.
The third verse returns to themes of anxiety and the modern world. "Your nerves gather with the altitude," suggests stress or unease increasing, with the advice to "Exhale the stress so you don't come unglued." There's a search for a fleeting "happy affair, a ghost of a good mood" and a sense of "panic on the getaway." The imagery becomes more abstract and perhaps critical, mentioning "VCR's and motorcars unite on the Seventh Day" and a "popular gauge" measuring the "rage of the new Post-Modern Age," implying a commentary on the chaotic convergence of technology, life, and societal mood. The line "'Cause somewhere along the line all the decades align" adds a sense of temporal disorientation or the feeling that past, present, and future pressures converge.
The bridge shifts the scene again, evoking a more natural, perhaps nostalgic setting with "crashing whitecaps / On the ocean" and a "lovely seaside holiday away." This is juxtaposed with the surreal image of "A palm tree in Christmas lights," which beautifully captures a blend of different seasons or feelings, suggesting something out of place yet emotionally resonant ("My emotion / Struck a sparkling tone like a xylophone"). The final line of the bridge, "As we spent the day alone," brings back the theme of loneliness or solitary reflection, even within a seemingly shared experience, perhaps emphasizing that despite external surroundings, internal states or individual experiences persist. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the song's central message of offering vibrant comfort and connection to combat emotional lack and past solitude, ultimately finding hope and color even in the midst of urban sprawl and personal unease. The background sound of the 2018 version contributes to this feeling with its signature electronic textures and ethereal quality.