As The Dragonfly Flies

Song Meaning

The lyrics of "As The Dragonfly Flies" paint a series of vivid, almost dreamlike natural scenes, from dragonflies in flight to weeping willows. Beneath this serene surface, a quiet current of melancholy and resignation flows. The repeated declaration "You are what you are" anchors this feeling, a stark statement amidst the flowing imagery. A core tension emerges between the tranquil, cyclical movements of nature and an underlying human struggle. While flowers rise and lizards dream "of passing through," the narrative introduces "sleeping streets" that "bend the fool" and a "land conspires." This suggests an environment that is not entirely benign, hinting at a quiet, almost passive resistance to individual agency. The lyrical structure masterfully juxtaposes flowing, observational "As the..." clauses with the blunt, unyielding refrain "You are what you are." The natural world is presented in constant motion – "dragonfly flies," "flowers rise," "lily-pads drift softly." Yet, this fluidity is repeatedly interrupted by the stark, almost fatalistic assertion of identity, suggesting an inescapable truth about the self that stands apart from external change. The lyrics effectively create a sense of quiet inevitability, where personal identity feels both defined and confined by an unseen force. The sudden, urgent burst of imperatives – "Watch it, feel it, hold me, thrill me" – offers a brief, desperate plea for engagement, a stark contrast to the preceding resignation. This shift highlights a profound internal conflict: the desire to experience and connect, even as an unshakeable truth about one's being is repeatedly affirmed.