I see this song as a relationship between a parent and child. A child loves their parent unconditionally. A parent is supposed to love their child the same, but for whatever reasons, this sometimes is an abusive love. The parent has gone through life and their failures weigh on them. So in an effort to spare their child the same fate they tell them they can't do it, don't try, they aren't bright enough, and so on. The child listens because their parent's advice is all they know, and their parent loves them, so they must be right. So they don't try, dimly reflecing their parents apathy through life because they were never told they had their own light, their own destiny. Through circumstance they see their potential was always there, but hidden away, stolen and buried by their parent. And this song is them confronting the parent about the lies they were told all their life.

holding up characters i like to this song like paint swatches in a home depot

this was my first crane wives song, first heard it about a year or two ago and almost immediately became favourite band :-)

This song meant so much to twelve year old me that was dealing with bullying amongst "friends". I used to be very scared of the dark but these songs made nature and the night feel less daunting and more freeing, I'm so happy I got to find this again!

‘We could’ve had anything else’ ‘Swallowing your doubt like swords to pit of my belly, I wanna feel the fire that you kept from me’ ‘I could’ve been anyone’ This song has comforted me through my first heartbreak. I was completely in love with my best friend, and they often referred to me as their sun. It felt sweet, but in reality I was pouring myself into the relationship and giving them all my light which I believed I owed them as they were my moon (giving personal gifts, supporting them with their abusive parents and writing love notes etc). They put me on a pedestal and told me how much they loved me often, especially after I helped them with their mental health. They’d tell me how I was the best thing to ever happen to them, how they’d be lost without me (writing songs/gift giving/quality time). Only to break up just before our anniversary with no closure in a very harsh two minute phone call (the only reason they could give was ‘I don’t want to risk it, what if we break up once we’ve moved in together’) Despite telling me I was their sun, I feel like the roles reversed, and I feel cheated out of that light I once had. My purpose felt as if it had been taken from me, and I felt like I had lost all of my goals because we once shared them. ‘I could’ve been anyone’ but I chose to be the person who loved you, and then you left me alone after being the only person who was there for you. ‘We could’ve had anything’ but you walked away the moment I asked for some of the same energy back. (Your music helps me realise how harmful codependency can become and that I’m not alone, and that we can hopefully all heal together, and feel that fire again

The Crane Wives are the stuff dreams are made of. Elegant, soft, and calm with some of their songs, rowdy, jumpy, and powerful with others, but all of them just completely take over your mind. Like listening to the songs puts you under some sort of enchantment. This band truly is something else, in all the best ways

“i shine only with the light you gave me.”

feeling the need to learn music theory just so i can fully get the effect of these songs oh my god. lost count of how many times i’ve listened to this song and i never even realized the vocal harmonies were like a call and response that’s NUTS

Oh my God oh my God oh my God. Breath. Maintain composure. It's been so long but it's going to be so great so it doesn't matter. Oh my lord I'm so excited

The song of the child that remained “loyal” to their abusive parent.

I really love this song, I don’t know it embodies a relationship that is very common place I think but isn’t talked enough about “I shine only with the light you gave me” is such a great line cuz like that’s literally how the moon works but can also make a wonderful metaphor

The people who did the subtitles have serious skills. The song writers too.

I love this song :> Was never sure if I got the lyrics correct though ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶

i sobbed to this song in freshmen year in a toxic relationship . this was the comfort i got during that time, and one of the first songs i heard from this band. it’s been my comfort band since. every song is wonderfully composed, and the singers voice is so calming and she has amazing range

Just want you guys to know your music strikes an emotional chord with me that no over band or artist can. Thank You for your amazing music

I don't know who will read this but. My dad died when I was 9. I know the song is about a toxic relationship but the words about shadows hit me a bit different today. To a lot people, I am a shadow of my father. His personality, his legacy. By those people, I have never been me. Just an extension of him only being able to shine where he already did..

“The moon will sing a song for me” “I loved you like the sun.” Such beautiful words yet such sad words 😢❤

Crane Wive songs are very interesting. When I think about it, most song's lyrics have pretty depressing meanings, if you just read them by themself. But the music is always a mixture of bravery and some kind of stubborn determination. Combined with the lyrics it gives me a feeling of revenge, but in the good way. Idk if that makes sense. But this is definitely one of my new favorite songs and it is so catchy :) 💚

2:24 "I wanna feel the fire that you kept from me" The lyrics reminds me of, when someone tells you to conceal your emotions or control your anger

I was in a 9 year relationship and it ended tragically when I realized that not only did they love me, but I was being emotionally abused. Listening to this song, it makes me know that I gave all of my light and all of my strength to them when I should have been giving it to myself. 9 Years of pain and suffering for someone who not only cared, but never supported me. It's amazing what a single song can do for a person. Even a single sentence worth of lyrics can open up a large void in your heart. I thank you greatly for that, Crane Wives. To this very day, I am still recovering and collecting the light that was taken from me. And to those that have suffered the same way, have hope. The light will come back, it always does.

People think of this song with relationships, but this feels like my relationship with most of my family. This is a good song to cry to.

"The Moon will sing a song for me" so inspirational

This song reminds me of my mom, I never really understood what your music was about, but subconsciously I think I did. I was raised in a household where showing any humanity got your torn apart, my mother was the reason it was like that. I was adopted into the family, and she saw me and my little brother as projects to fix, not letting us live our lives or have fun, I love this band so much and I hope you make music forever

this song makes me want ro create a show/game/novel about the whole aesthetic, vibe and themes it shows

When I heard this song, it brought tears to my eyes because I was reminded of my two online friends that I made during the Pandemic. We bonded over our love of a book series and wrote a 248 page book about our story together. Eventually, I wanted to make the characters more inclusive in sexuality, and my friend, being a strict, homophobic christian, her mother said that we couldn't write together anymore. And it's sad because we didn't even care about our differences, we were tied together by our love of stories and creativity. And that has stuck with me forever. My other friend, we eventually just stopped talking. He and I were super close too. This song resonates with me because 'I loved you like the sun' expresses the love I felt for them. They were amazing, and I will always miss you guys.

this song specifically reminds me of an ex best friend of mine who was abusive towards me emotionally. so crazy how all these years later i still feel like her light shines through- one day it’ll be my light

i KNOW its just a lyric video of an already made song but i will take any new Crane Wives content and cherish it. also please tell me youre touring soon id give anything to see you guys live

“I shine only with the light you gave me” chills. Literal chills.

This song fills me with a familiar sense of mourning, a mourning for something that could have been. Despite the sorrow of the song, I love it so much. It’s currently 11:20 and I can’t stop listening and crying, it’s absolutely beautiful I only recently discovered this group but it’s an automatic fave

Someone sent me this song and told me it reminded them of me, so I listened to it and I am now crying My family moved around a lot , and they would constantly tear away everything that made me happy, slowly but surely, and expect me to be completely fine with it. This recent year was rough, we moved from a place I'd lived in for years to an unfamiliar town, but everyone accepted me with open arms and I felt like I belonged. And the moment I saw the hope in front of me, it was snatched again. I fought so hard to stay that time, I was tired of holding the burden I did, having to give up everything I held dear to me just because my parents wanted to do things without giving us any advance, making our desicions for us because they thought we were doing the wrong thing. I fought so hard, but it didn’t work and now I’m stuck in an unfamiliar place again and I’m meant to hold up this act of pretending I like it here because otherwise they’ll get mad again

For some reason. I feel so much emotion listening to this and other crane wives songs

"the moon will sing a song for me i loved you like the sun" i loved this so much as an apollo & artemis worshipper

"I shine only with the light you gave me..."

im just realizing that the "i shine only with the light you gave me" part while obviously being a great metaphor also relates to the sun and moon because the moon shines only with their light the sun gives it 😭

This is such a good song. It reminds me of how my confidence usually comes from others believing in me and how my voice used to be so quiet, but now I'm much louder and much better at expressing myself because of others around me actually wanting to hear what I have to say

Thank you for a deaf accessible song!!

My crush sang this song in class today and now I'm hooked because it's so beautiful

Ever since I joined the fandom for the Life Series (3rd Life, Last Life, etc) everybody kept talking about this band, and I had never heard of it. A friend I made told me to start with this one. Amazing band. You were right hex, it is divorceduo coded.

I’ve listened to this song so much it’s started showing up in my dreams

the more i listen to this song the more it makes me cry

i love that y'all described the music sounds rather than exclusively putting just the lyrics onscreen!

This is the most detailed lyric video I’ve ever seen 💀

This songs makes me feel like I’m being transported to a book where I’m some princess traveling through and enchanted forest scorned and betrayed by her lover, friend, or even family. The moonlight illuminating her in small sections with the shadows of leaves adorning her face.

I need this song to play on constant repeat forever in my mind

the hero and the warrior were like the sun and the moon

The opening lines "tell me once again I could've been anyone, anyone else before you made the choice for me" hits me on such personal level. Being a trans guy with a strongly transphobic mom I feel like this song describes my relationship with her and a lot of other people.

This song is really powerful when I heard ‘my heart knew the weight Ten years worth of dust and neglect we made our peace with weariness and let it be’ and “Swallowing your doubt Like swords to the pit of my belly I wanna feel the fire you kept from me that part get me emotional it makes me rethink about my high school self how I could have been more courageous instead of living a lie I’m glad I found this song when I did it brings out a fire inside of me I never knew I had !!!!!!

I let my niece choose songs in the morning for when I brush her hair and whenever I give her this song as one of the choices, she always chooses it. She even tries to sing along (she doesn't know the words but she knows the tune because of how much I play this song for myself), she really likes this song and it makes me glad because i like it too.

SOBBING bc I hear this in such a wholesome way even though I know that's not what the songs about bc of mine and a friend's DND characters who are married 😭😭😭 They're so broken and apathetic towards the entirety of the world except for each other. I hear "I shine only with the light you gave me" and see them giving each other the small bit of hope and love that keeps them both going and AUGH GOD MY SOUL MAN 😭😭

My daughter played me this the other day, very nice - can anyone else hear the echoes of "You and Me" by the Delays? Very different style but the song definitely has something in common especially at 1:30 - 1:40. No disrespect to either artist, it's always fascinating to hear these subtle echoes and familiarities.

New favorite song!❤

Non-lyric descriptions are professional quality.

MMMMM DUDE THAT *ADD TO PLAYLIST* BUTTON IS LOOKIN SO FINEEEEE

My daughters and their friends and I saw them in concert! It was awesome! The Crane Wives 🙌

love to see another lyric video from you guys! i really like how they are more than just the lyrics, and give a deeper insight into the creative process for them they always make me notice things i hadn't paid attention to before :)

I met The Crane Wives this week and i immediately loved Tongues & Teeth, so i decided to listen to the whole album and now i'm listening to all of their songs. I just can't stop listening to them, i really like the voices, the instrumental, the lyrics and even the cover art!!! Everything is a masterpiece !!!! I'm really happy that i came across this wonderful musical group!

Currently writing a tragic love story where one of them loses their memory and doesn't remember the other and lemme TELL YOU this song has me IN A VICE Like oh my GOD the amnesiac literally loved astronomy before losing their memory. The "I loved you like the sun" line BROKE ME thank you for making something so emotionally dense. My writers heart FEASTS. (And no, the lovers never reconcile. A broken cup can't hold the water, but it can hold the paintbrushes)

1:27 i really love this part

'I want to feel the fire that you kept from me' speaks so much to my younger self who watched my father give all the love I was so desperate to recieve from him to someone else's kids. Even at 30 years old now it still stirs that old hurt in me and makes me wonder about the nature of our ireperably damaged relationship. Deep down, I'm still just a child that wants my father to care about me.

I'm not going to lie i never had an interest in music before, not really getting the intense love people had for it before (but I respected it ofc!) But when I first heard your songs I kid you not it made me feel such raw, intense, yet unexplainable emotions and now I truly get it now! I now see how music can make you feel things youve never had and how it tells stories or convey feelings with such creativity in it's lyrics, tone, and rhythm! And so I've now basically become one who always has earbuds on 😅😅 I don't regret it!

TCW’s music means so much to me, it has for a while now and I love the amount of metaphors incorporated into each of their songs. Oh what I’d give to see them live…

i love that you described the sound for people who cant hear/are hard of hearing!

" the moon will sing a song for me, *i loved you like the sun..* " (i could have been anyone, anyone!) yeah this really hit deep, since every time i try to have friends it flops VERY hard, we both do something from spite or the need to be heard and it crumbles, i usually do the bad thing after the other person does the bad thing, and i honestly hate my school bc of my peers and more, and i've been sayin it for years on end but i got 2 months left of this wretchid school, upbeat songs and songs like this make me feel happy! currently wanting to draw this with one of my ocs!

This song reminds me of the fact that the moon only shines because of the sun, the sun gave the moon light because the moon has no light of its own. I love this song so much ❤

I’m so glad this song is getting more popular. This band helped me through many hard times and I hope it can help me with the ones on the horizon

This song used to cause me immense pain as it brought back some dark memories. The fact that I was able to listen to it today is a testiment of how far I've come in my healing

*sigh* desertduo. >> also the lyric "i loved you like the sun" :(( the fact that sun means grian in irish 😭

Lyrics Tell me once again I could have been anyone, anyone else Before you made the choice for me My feet knew the path We walked in the dark, in the dark I never gave a single thought to where it might lead All those empty rooms We could have been anywhere, anywhere else Instead, I made a bed with apathy My heart knew the weight Ten years worth of dust and neglect We made our peace with weariness and let it be The moon will sing a song for me I loved you like the sun Bore the shadows that you made With no light of my own I shine only with the light you gave me I shine only with the light you gave me Name your courage now We could have had anything, anything else Instead, you hoarded all that's left of me Swallowin' your doubt Like swords to the pit of my belly I want to feel the fire that you kept from me The moon will sing a song for me I loved you like the sun Bore the shadows that you made With no light of my own I shine only with the light you gave me I shine only with the light you gave me I shine only with the light you gave me (I could have been anyone, anyone) I shine only with the light you gave me (I could have been anyone, anyone)

This reminds me of like reflecting someone's personality, because they need someone, taking on their problems and just following their lead, but ending up getting hurt.

This song helped me get through hospitalization because of a suicide threat & try. It also reminds me of my relationship with my parents. Thank you for keeping me alive, Crane Wives.

I've longed to get back into fantasy. To get back one of my favorite escapes. Now, I have a new love for it and can't wait to escape again.

Id like to imagine that in the picture of this song, is that its a slight cold breeze and jogg with a wolf. Perfectly fit the song and music. Just know that the wilderness is something i can feel while listing to this song doubles the points.

curses and this are my ABSOLUTE favourite crane wives song . I love it ahhh!

I love the melancholic and nostalgic vibe, it feels like a Sunday afternoon (now I'll listen to this song every Sunday) Thank you for that ❤(brazilian here)

This song as always been my favourite, it gives me an immense feeling of safety for some reason.

This song has honestly comforted me realizing I loved someone like the sun and I only got the moonlight that came from me.

despite having this song on repeat on my phone all the time, i've never actually listened to it on youtube -- mad props for including an audio description along with lyrics! 💖

There's this small character that I got inspiration from the song (though a bit far from the song's meaning): a well-bahaved child who turns into a lost individual, partly due to their parents but mostly because of their own people-pleasing mindset. I want to make a story where the parents are actually decent, but their child simply has self-denial and chooses to be so closed off to their parents about the child's lost sense of self until way later.

this is really vibey, i like it

It's like a child being forced into the shadow/s of his older siblings/parents, and this song is them trying to regain back who they are after being someone else all their lives - almost as if blaming the people that put them in a spot where they don't even know who they are anymore.

The first wave of covid in my country was a bitch and a half, I broke down a couple times. This particular song kept me sane during some nights

Three generally unrelated to each other things The Garden was the first song I ever heard of yours and the first I ever obsessed over but this is the first I ever truly connected to. It's helped me through a lot of hard days, your music in general has, and I truly appreciate you for putting all the effort you do into your songs. I adore your lyric videos because they're so incredibly detailed in descriptions. It makes the deeper aspects of your music accessible to those who may not necessarily have a musical background and helps deconstruct the music much more than typical lyric videos. I also absolutely adore that you've made them more accessible with the darker cover art. I really hope I get the chance to see you guys live at some point in my life because I think it would be an incredible experience. Thank you for all you do❤️

this is devastating HOW I NEVER KNEW THEIR STORY

I love when a song can mean so much to different people. I have a few songs that I have been collecting and now I really have my own meaning for them. (Rant below, sorry) I have been dating someone for three years, funny enough they are the one who got me into Crain Wives in the first place. But, a few months ago I realized that the love I had for them was gone. For the first time in years we spent a month away from each other and I realized that I was nothing without them. When we started dating, it was the beginning of the pandemic. I made a group chat with my friends and we planned to have a DnD campaign together so we could still have a reason to see each other while school was non existent. Earlier in the school year I had just broken up with one of the people in the group and I honestly wasn't over it and still wanted to feel loved. So, when one of my other friends asked me out I didn't want to damage our relationship and also wanted to see if it would work out so I said yes. From there, the group desolved and I blamed myself for it, but I still had them. I grew to be extremely dependent on them from then on. The other two people in the group stopped talking to me and my new partner at the time was the only one who really stayed in touch while I was basically all alone. During our years in the relationship I had ups and downs in my mental health, but I didn't want to be a burden on them so I never really expressed how I felt and being with them made me feel happier so it didn't feel as dire anymore. Resulting from my poor treatment of my mental health has kinda erased a lot of my memories of our time together, but earlier this year something changed and we were seeing each other more than ever. I thought I didn't mind the changes, but when I finally stepped back and had a break I realized that all of my butterflies were anxiety and uncertainty. I also realized that all of my family, friends, and acquaintances associated me with them and some people basically treated us as if we were interchangeable. I also noticed that anytime that I had something that brought me joy, it felt that they would immediately make that a part of themself as well and do it better than me. My clothing style, my comfort activity, and then one of my favorite shows. "We could have had anything, anything else/Instead, you hoarded all that's left of me" is the lyrics that resonates with this to me. All of this made me extremely uncomfortable to the point that I am afraid of seeing them because I know that they already can tell that I seem off. Though my brain wants to blame them and say that all of this is their fault I know that it is mine and I don't want to hurt them because of my Idiocracy. I still care so much for them but I can't bring myself to feel anything for them anymore. "We could have been anywhere, anywhere else/Instead, I made a bed with apathy". During our relationship we also both came out as not our birth gender, and I still am struggling with who I truly feel like I am. During one of my name changes they suggested a name and though it kinda clicked, I didn't sit right with me that my partner named me. So I added it my names that I was going by and they would always specifically refer to me as that even though I would introduce myself as something else completely. Sorry that this is long, I have been leaving a trail of my thoughts in the comments of songs that I have been projecting onto with my current mental state. So much of this song feels like my current feelings and I want to express them but have no outlets anymore.

something about this song is so goddamn comforting. and, for some reason it reminds me of the time where i studied for my biology exam...it was about the nervous system and stuff...ah, nice times

I don't see anyone talking about the excellent description of the instrumentals!! not only do i appreciate the song froma deeper, structural level, i imagine this would be great for hard of hearing folks!

I personally thank you for this song because this song is what brought me and my bestie and the reason why we become besties. Today is our graduation day and the day we part. We will probably listen to this song one last time since this is the song that we first listen to together. 😊😊😊😊thank you The Crane Wives

I like this. Thank you

When someone introduces me to a song the song reminds me of that person

I didnt know this about toxic relationships, and the chorus makes ke think of something better... like i am almost only happy with him (not bc of him btw hes amazing) and i feel like i shine only with the happiness he gives me.. its hard for me to be hapoy since my childhood, and he just makes it better 😔😊

i crave the ability to write songs as beautiful as this

I don’t think you could possibly understand the love I have for this song and all of your music. Thank you!! I’m so excited for you to do more shows, I would love to be at one

This reminds me of a chapter I have to write for a short story I'm doing in the chapter a mom comes to term with the fact her child whose nick name is little fox has changed forever and is never going to be the sweet kid he used to be. The guy is a high-ranking officer and the mom who hasn't come to acceptance about his job receives a patient who got tortured by her son because the patient owed the military money she also catches him in the town in his work persona and comes to accept the fact that her once sweet child has been death for a while and the only thing that remains is his love for their family

to me, "i could have been anyone" has so many meanings. in the beginning, it's the narrator disregarding themself as unimportant and replaceable to the person they're speaking to. in the end, it's the narrator cursing the subject for making them who they are, eliminating the narrator's opportunities to have potentially been anyone else. the way it's sung with so much pain and anger really makes me feel that.

This song reminds me of Ace and Luffy but in a good way because Ace hated himself and heritage but Luffy gave him his light and a reason to smile, showing his own light.

" we made our peace with weariness and let it be " " i loved you like the sun, bore the shadows that you gave with no light of my own " " i shine only with the light you gave me " " i wanna feel the fire that youve kept from me ' yeesh those lines hit me too hard.. lmao..parents am i right?

This will always be my favorite song

This sounds like it could be in an fantasy animated movie credits with mystical and mysterious drawings appearing while the music goes with the credits. It could be awesome and more people would know about this beautiful song

I picked this one as a theme song for an Ahrimane bloodline character in a VTM v20 who was thrown into a suicide mission of a task from her sire. The party appreciated the choice!

Same as everyone in this comment section I've got a story of my own, although that story is for another time. I'll just tell you I enjoyed this