Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: emo
Song Meaning of “Sunlit Hallways” by Arrows in Her
‘Sunlit Hallways’ by Arrows in Her is a reflective song about the journey of finding oneself. It asks some of the most fundamental and existential questions: How to know your true self? What to do when there are challenging choices to make? It delves into the struggles of getting lost and feelings of ambivalence that accompany trying to find your way.
The song starts with the lyrics “Searching for a sign, I’m not the same as before, Crossing all these lines, I’ve been to every door.” Together, they illustrate the artist’s wanderings in this pursuit of true belonging. This uncertain wandering leads the artist to continually search for a sign, or a beacon of clarity to help guide them. As the artist moves forward, this uncertain wandering is juxtaposed with other lines such as “Flashing lights, distant calls portraying secret homes,” and “Sunlit hallways I enter one by one.” These lines represent the artist moving from space to space, while behind closed doors lies a secret made known to only a few. Ultimately, this is a reminder that each of us must explore and “enter one by one” the sunlit hallways of life to come to terms with our own identity.
The chorus of the song encapsulates this message of individualism with the lines, ”Got my own way, can’t be shaped and changed, Got my own way, I know it’s mine, living for today, built my dreams and took the stage.” Here, the artist is claiming personal autonomy and refusing to conform to anybody else’s standards. They understand that their way has to come from within and that the only way to find contentment is to live for today and pursue the dreams they have set for themselves.
By the end of the song, the artist stands firm in their views and refuses to be swayed by anything else. The lyrics “Chasing my horizon, all I know is just one way” implies that this is the artist’s destiny, and the only way they are going. Although their journey to discover who they are may take time, they are ultimately in control of the process and will live their own life.