Helianthus from Myopia (2007) by Utopia Now

"Helianthus" is probably one of the most personal and autobiographic songs I've ever written. For most of my life, I've felt like someone sitting on a hill and looking down at humanity, never really be a part of it, but an observer, a commentator. Obviously, this is nonsense. This song is about that realization. I then changed the analogy to describe myself to being a sunflower in a sea of daisies. We all share the same soil, but some don't REALLY belong. They are the same in a way, but somehow they still don't seem to. They strive to stand taller than the rest, not to be better, but to be able to see what and who they are and what's going on around them. They strive for the bigger picture. But ultimately, they are part of the same old mess.

Tracklist

10.	Helianthus	2:17

Lyrics

That's me,
looking at the city
from up on a hill,
with a never-ending headache,
loaded with disgust and will,
yet unable to abandon
this crowded, polluted bliss
and the air that feeds me.

That's me,
lying in the gutter,
looking at the stars
with a never-ending heartache,
some hope and a million scars,
yet unable to shake
ties of rapture, blood and hate
and the roots that feed me.

Chorus:
Autonomous and far away,
but at the center of it all,
in this sea of daisies
there is one sunflower standing tall.
We all need to understand
this conscious mind's predicament,
haunting questions like "Am I one of them?"

Bridge:
Some are free and uncontrolled,
but wilt alone out in the cold.
Others are protected and warm
like good mindless dogs.
The dark valley of low needs,
the foggy summit of grand deeds,
the flower grows but in between
where the sun can be seen.
Feeding on both
what we are and what we can be.

Credits

from Myopia (2007), released April 1, 2007
Music and lyrics written by Stephan Serowy
Vocals: Stephan Serowy
Guitars: Stephan Serowy, Fynn Freyschmid
Bass: Sebastian Strij
Drums: David Neuhaus

License

CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. See the Creative Commons website for details.