The Shrine / An Argument Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I went down among the dust and pollen
To the old stone fountain in the morning after dawn
Underneath were all these pennies
Fallen from the hands of children
They were there and then were gone
[Pre-Chorus]
And I wonder what became of them
What became of them
Sunlight over me no matter what I do
[Chorus]
Apples in the summer, all cold and sweet
Everyday a'passin complete
[Verse 2]
I'm not one to ever pray for mercy
Or to wish on pennies in the fountain or the shrine
But that day, you know, I left my money
And I thought of you only
All that copper glowing fine
[Pre-Chorus]
And I wonder what became of you
What became of you
Sunlight over me no matter what I do
Apples in the summer, all cold and sweet
Everyday a passing complete
Apples in the summer, all cold and sweet
Everyday a passing complete
[Bridge]
In the morning, waking up to terrible sunlight
All diffuse like skin abused, the sun is half its size
When you talk you hardly even look in my eyes
In the morning, in the morning
In the doorway, holding every letter that I wrote
In the driveway, pulling away, putting on your coat
In the ocean, washing off my name from your throat
In the morning, in the morning
In the ocean, washing off my name from your throat
In the morning, in the morning
[Outro]
Green apples hang from my tree
They belong only to me
Green apples hang from my green apple tree
They belong only to, only to me
And if I just stay a while here staring at the sea
And the waves break ever closer, ever near to me
I will lay down in the sand and let the ocean lead
Carry me to Innisfree like pollen on the breeze
About
“The Shrine / An Argument” clocks in at 8 minutes, far longer than anything Fleet Foxes have done before. But it perfectly encapsulates all of the strengths of Helplessness Blues and the overall evolution of the Fleet Foxes’ sound.
Pecknold has already taken to Twitter to defend the song, saying that he feels “like it’s an important part of the record emotionally. It’s not necessarily enjoyable but we’re proud of the whole song.”
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
I was listening a lot to Ascension, by John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane. I don’t have a ton of experience with that kind of music, but I would put that record on and I liked the way it would just elicit different emotions in me – I’d have this pumped-up energy, like this weird anxiety. I was really into that, the way that music can be capable of producing that feeling. In the context of that song, it’s like the different phases of a break-up, so I thought the music in every different section should have the appropriate emotional feeling: the beginning feels really nostalgic, and there’s a section in the middle that’s loud and rougher, then it goes to this solitary place, then ends in this argument. I was just trying to capture the different phases of a break-up in one song.
- 1.Montezuma
- 3.Sim Sala Bim
- 7.The Cascades
- 8.Lorelai
- 10.The Shrine / An Argument
- 12.Grown Ocean