playlist explanations
you were the song that i'd always sing
you were the light that the fire would bring.
explanations of songs found on my playlists! these are mostly for character/aesthetic playlists, since my choices
for songs aren't always obvious in their intent, and i'd like to have the explanations for them out there. for some
of them i'll just highlight a lyric or two that has the vibe of the playlist :)
quick warning - this is a very long page because i have an extreme amount of brainrot. you don't need to read all of this
if you're not interested :P
last life!impulse
leaving london - fin
this song is all about leaving the real world for a place where everyone is happy and everything is okay. impulse was always optimistic about the southlands and that it would stay strong, even after people turned red, so i think it fits. also, the lines "this world that we're tied to // wasn't meant to fight you" feels pretty relevant to a lot of last lifers, and could relate to how impulse never once became the boogeyman
cynnydd - sŵnami
it's my character playlist and i get to choose the obscure welsh songs >:3 the whole thing has the vibe, with lyrics
about lost chances and pessimism about how people act, but this bit at the end particularly gives me impulse vibes -
"dwi'n cofio meddwl, cofio meddwl bod dim byd o'i le //
ond erbyn hyn, erbyn hyn dwi'n meddwl mod i'n difaru //
er fy mod i //
dwi'n dal i ddeud, dwi'n dal i ddeud bod pethau'n newid //
er gwell er gwaeth, dim ond amser sydd yn gallu rheoli //
be' ddaw ohoni"
english translation:
"i remember thinking, remember thinking nothing was wrong //
but by now, by now i think i'm having regrets //
even though i //
i still say, i still say things are changing //
for better or worse, it's only time that can decide //
what will come of this"
this reminds me a lot of when the southlands fell apart and grian burnt the walls. impulse loved the southlands, and wasn't sure
if leaving it would be a good decision or not
notos - the oh hellos
"and the rush will take you away // like you're caught in the undertow // and you will drown in the wake // of the things you lost to the winds of notos"
guarded - flor
"tall walls here // towering 'round home now, so guarded // watch as they come crumbling 'round me"
do i have to explain this one? :P the walls of the southlands, crumbling as the alliance falls....
rest my bones - the northern empty
"you were lost when i met you // the things that you've been through // don't let it drag you down"
under the tide - chvrches
idk i just cry every time i hear "i would go anywhere with you // what a lie" (/exag). it's so good to describe the last life alliances - so many people say they'll never leave their alliance, and then they leave. this could specifically be about martyn, jimmy, and/or mumbo all betraying the southlands when impulse stayed truly loyal to the southlands and to grian :(
black lemon - generationals
"i have been taught to turn the other cheek // i get my back stabbed, buddy, to the end of the week // i only try to make it to the end of the day"
"i've seen it break so many before // i don't wanna stick around here and watch anymore // i'm not about to fight until the last of me dies"
runaway - half•alive
this one's a lot more hopeful than a lot of the other songs on this playlist. it's about being yourself, staying true
to your values, and accepting your flaws, and just overall encapsulates the optimistic vibe i think impulse has in last life :)
"but i find that everything i am is everything i should be // i don't need to run away"
upside down - set it off
this was me desperately trying to get some happy songs in here lmao. it's all about being optimistic even when the world isn't going your way, and seeing the good in every situation..... like how impulse was! the example i can think of is when him and grian turned red, he said something like "we can work together again now!" despite. yknow. them both being one mistake from death
hurt - oliver tree
oh boy. this one's basically all how i see ll!impulse... so many of the lyrics fit how i see him and how the season played out.
it also doesn't help that i really relate to this song lmao
"i tried but i don't think so // maybe it was me who was fucking up // i gave all i could give but // it seems like it never really was enough"
"i don't see how // my whole life can // change in one week"
"i'm sorry if i hurt you // i'm sorry if it got that bad // i'm sorry i can't help you // somebody shoulda had your back"
this will end - the oh hellos
"no, i am not afraid to die // it's every breath that comes before"
"i can see how this will end // in all its bitter tragedy // i'll give you all i have to spend // and you'll give nothing back to me"
with friendship and peace - jim guthrie, jj ipsen
happy vibes :] it's the southlands before everything went to shit
jackrabbit - san fermin
"everything you see is double // any way you go you lose // when you're lost in the woods and // alone in the world too"
no more time - flor
"if somebody came to haunt me // scare me simply // say 'just one life'"
"wake at the end // a feeling i can't forget // the warning signs won't set us free"
last known surroundings - explosions in the sky
okay it's kinda difficult to describe why instrumental songs fit in here, but i think this one has the vibes. to me it really encapsulates the tragedy of impulse's last session, going red, running around with grian, spawning the wither, and then finally being shot by scott - aka someone he would've once called an ally, or even a friend. and then the sudden quietness of his outro. :(((
the fall - half•alive
"i jump off and into your arms // but i can't trust the fall // take my voice, i'm giving it though // i don't feel safe at all" - he doesn't know how much he can trust his fellow southlanders, especially after jimmy betrays them, but he still puts his faith in them.
this was a home once - bad suns
just the whole concept of "this was a home once" fits the southlands so well. it used to be a place of friendship and trust, but now it's burnt to the ground and ransacked :((((
saint bernard - lincoln
this one's twofold! firstly, there's an absolutely amazing 3rd life animatic about impulse that uses this song
(here!). but also, these lyrics:
"don't make me a liar, because i swear to god // when i said it, i thought it was true"
"there's really just one thing that we have in common // neither of us will be missed"
twin size mattress - the front bottoms
man i love this song. and i think so many of the lyrics fit! it's such a tragically optimistic song, yknow?
"this is for the lions living in the wiry broke down frames of my friends bodies //
when the flood water comes it ain't gonna be clear, it's gonna look like mud // but i will help you swim"
"this is for the snakes and the people they bite // for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights // for the warning signs i've completely ignored"
"i wanna contribute to the chaos // i don't wanna watch and then complain // 'cause i am through finding blame // that is the decision that i have made"
a narrow escape - beast, please be still
this song is so perfect for ll!impulse that i wrote a fic about it. it's instrumental, but it's the perfect vibe to describe the time in session 6 where he gets attacked by scott - the calm before the storm, the buildup, then the frantic escape. even the name of the song fits! he makes a narrow escape, not knowing that it was in vain anyway.
spotlight - mutemath
"just take the fall, you're one of us" - impulse turns red by falling, joining mumbo as a red name. he becomes "one of them".
"and when you feel the wall cannot be burned // you're gonna die to try what can't be done" - he thinks the southlands are invincible. he thinks their
bond is too strong to be broken. but then he dies, and the wall burns. poetic cinema
tether - chvrches
"will we ever get away from this place?"
the trick to life - the hoosiers
"the trick to life is not to get too attached to it // everyone you love turns to dust // you jump off the edge but you felt pushed"
literally just these three lines describes last life so goddamn well. what the fuck
flower husbands
a little opera goes a long way - sky sailing
"so hold onto // your florescent view // and if you slip and fall // i will catch you"
florescent means to flower as far as i can tell, and obviously they're the *flower* husbands :P and just in general, this is a super
tender and loving song that i really love :]
trees - the oh hellos
literally all the lyrics fit them so well. "scaling walls, the walls that took us years to build" obviously evokes the walls built around the flower forest, but there's also "but heartache pales in comparison to love" which is just so tender, and makes me think of the concept that the time spent together was worth the pain that came with jimmy's death.
telephone - waterparks
"i know we only just met // so why do i feel invested?" - even right at the start of 3rd life they were drawn towards each other,
starting their home in the flower forest
"i talk a lot but we could fill your frames // with pictures of our faces 'til we share a name"
cabo - ricky montgomery
"ashes, ashes, dust to dust // i think i found a place for us // it's down by garden, after dark // it's in my arms"
side note, i'm not sure why (maybe bc i watched scott's series not jimmy's?), but i always see these sorta songs with scott being the narrator
rather than jimmy. *shrug*
good day - jenny owen youngs, jukebox the ghost
this song was originally just by jukebox the ghost, but i've always thought that this version's super underrated :P
"i think that i would like to invite everyone i've known, dead and alive // to a street where we can be totally free // they will come in droves //
wearing their hearts on their sleeve, but oh! // how good it felt to have them worn just like they should"
scott and jimmy never wanted to fight. they just wanted to have a life together in the flower forest, having fun with their friends. this line
to me is their want for everyone to put aside the fighting
follow through - the altogether
it's just a really lovely tender love song :']
hot tea - half•alive
it's actually really hard to choose specific lines for this one, because it really all fits :O
"looking into your eyes // endlessly // falling into your lap // desperately"
"you're clawing at the corner of my heart, i // can't afford to lose you any longer // holding you like hot tea" - this line specifically
feels like when they reunite in empires and scott takes jimmy on a date. he already lost jimmy once, and he can't let it happen again.
"hold you in my hands like hot tea // knowing i'm safe 'cause you want me"
hieroglyphs - the oh hellos
"'cause you've been too busy thinking ahead // of where we're all going after we're dead // to maybe consider our bodies are worth // more than the dust that we can return to the ground"
rest my bones - the northern empty
"if we left everything behind // how far could we go?"
flaws - bastille
"you have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve // and I have always buried them deep beneath the ground // dig them up, let's finish what we started" -
i see this as scott talking about jimmy. jimmy's very outspoken yet shy and mildly awkward sometimes, but scott's always been kinda of stoic when it comes
to his true feelings
"all of your flaws and all of my flaws are laid out one by one // look at the wonderful mess that we made // we pick ourselves undone"
still standing still - flor, lostboycrow
"in the nothingness, at least we're not alone // it feels like home" - while others are left to float in the void after 3rd life and last life,
at least scott and jimmy get to be in the after
together - home. (let's just not mention that canonically it's probably not real lol)
the good in me - jon bellion
"but like a knife in the woods // yeah, you hunt down the good in me"
only us - laura dreyfuss, ben platt (from dear evan hansen)
this one's on the official playlist! ow this song hurts! (/pos)
clean slated state - the altogether
"build a quilt from all who have loved me and of all i have ever known // don't leave me alone"
unsaid - flor
"nothing hurts when you hide away // let them in and they'll bring the pain // but something about you feels okay" - scott is hesitant to ally with anyone in 3rd life, knowing they could turn on him at any point, but he trusts jimmy immediately
meteor shower - cavetown
"my heart and the earth share the same rule // it starts with love and it ends with you // but don't go outside, it's dangerous tonight // without me here right by your side"
bitter water - the oh hellos
this is a song about knowing your relationship is doomed from the start, but still carrying on regardless. (in the context of the album
it's about an abusive relationship, but in this context i'm interpreting it as just doomed love in general)
"i am not a fool entire // no, i know what's coming // you'll bury me beneath the trees i climbed when i was a child // i know i shouldn't love you // but i do"
there's also an incredible flower husbands animatic set to this song here :]
windows xp - northern bones
this is where the playlist starts to get more angsty/sad.
"i only want to wake up // just where you are"
"i've been waking to the start of the end of the world // i'm just naive enough to think that it won't burn"
side note - thank you bandcamp artists that include lyrics on song pages lmao
heart - flor
"don't wanna waste love // don't wanna hurt you"
violet - bad suns
this song sounds happy, but is actually about a love that shouldn't exist.
"all i want is you // your violet disposition // my unsound intuition"
"our end is coming soon // but one more time i'll forget with you" - they both know their love can't last forever in a world like 3rd life,
but they keep trying anyway. they're destined to leave each other.
i think i think too much - police car collective
literally all of the lyrics fit them so well so i'm not gonna paste any here
plant life - owl city
there's a few general things about this rather than specific lyrics. it's a love song, it has so many nature motifs (which connects to the *flower* husbands pretty well), etc. i think it conveys scott choosing to live on and avenge jimmy, and it could also be seen as something to do with the after (either jimmy waiting for scott or scott waking up there)
for forever - ben platt (from dear evan hansen)
this one's also on the official playlist! i know it's very much not meant as a love song in the context of the musical, but.... it really does read like one lmao
ocean - flor
"all around me // last thing i need is your warm face going cold // please stay around me"
let me in - flor
yeah there's a lot of flor songs on here lol
"so cold it burns, soft spoken words // 'all i need is you to let me in' // (all i need is you)"
"and i'll be sorry if you leave me // i'll be sorry if you go // and i'll be sorry when you leave me // i'll be sorry when you go" the switch
from if to when....... crying /pos
in general this song (especially the last section) really makes me think of that one richard siken quote, "someone has to leave first.
this is a very old story. there is no other version of this story." :(
flightless bird, american mouth - iron & wine
i'm gonna be honest, a lot of this is because i very heavily associate this song with the end scene of the first twilight
film, aka the best love scene in any film i've seen :P
"have i found you? // flightless bird, jealous, weeping // or lost you?" - the two "kindred spirits" (as the prophecy book in empires
calls them) have found each other, only to be ripped away and lost when jimmy dies.
your hand in mine - explosions in the sky
a disclaimer - this is my favourite song ever, and i try to work it into playlists wherever i can :P
imo this song is one of the best love songs ever, despite not having any lyrics. it perfectly encapsulates how love feels (at least to me),
so it's perfect for this playlist :]
good grief - bastille
"what's gonna be left of the world if you're not in it?"
"every minute and every hour // i miss you, i miss you, i miss you more // every stumble and each misfire // i miss you, i miss you, i miss you more"
dance of the moonlight jellies - concernedape (from stardew valley)
idk i just really like that festival and think it's the most romantic one in the whole game :P
under the tide - chvrches
"no fear // i'll be your eyes // i'll be your lifeline"
"i would go anywhere with you // what a lie" and we're back to that richard siken quote. :(
stray italian greyhound - vienna teng
"and so why now // please not now // i just stopped believing in happy endings"
mr loverman - ricky montgomery
"i'm mr loverman // oh, and i miss my lover" yeah, i think this one speaks for itself.