Song Lyrics in FFXIV: Compilation, Discussion, and Interpretation

[Rocl]

Ah, no one's given a shot at Titania yet? I was hoping to compare notes! Well... here's what I've got so far for What Angel Wakes Me:

Dancing on the wind, tumbling down again, running round the bend fa la la la la
From a flowery bed do the clouds ascend and tumble down again fa la la la la
Yet with each descent do we rise again to our heart's content fa la la la la
Fly away my friend for a day and then begin again fa la la la la
Till dark turned skies wanting quiet want them silent
Bring hope to the night wond'ring where we'll be

Dancing on the wind, tumbling down again, round and round we've been fa la la la la
From a flowery bed do the clouds ascend tumbling down again fa la la la la
Yet with each descent do we rise again to our heart's content fa la la la la
Fly away my friend for a day and then begin again fa la la la la
Till darkened skies, gentle soul, gently wand'ring
Alone in the night joyous cries ring free

[an absolute swelling multitude of voices singing words i can't make into clear lines]

Oftentimes we're soaring high, la la la lullaby
Baby's breath and butterflies, sing it on, sweet lullaby
Summer child with heavy eyes la la la la lullaby
Come my lonely angel, sing it on, my sweet lullaby

[a more depressed pixie cacophony]
... till Spring comes again

The amount of fa la la la la las might... not be accurate

[Mysteltain]

Ah, no one's given a shot at Titania yet? I was hoping to compare notes! Well... here's what I've got so far for What Angel Wakes Me:

I posted them a day or so before early access began. It was played during the break for the 5.0 Patch Note Reading stream. Here's what I got back then (I haven't had time to change a few things I would like to, but ah well.)

Titania's Theme

Dancing through the fields
Up and down again
Round and round the bend
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

From a flowery bed
To the cloud's ascent
Tumble down again
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

Yet with each descent
You will rise again
To our heart's content
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

Fly away my friend
For the day ['ere end]
You'll begin again
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

'Til [taunting] the skies [wanton] quiet
[Wanton] silence [???] we ride
Wond'ring when we'll be...~

Dancing through the fields
Up and down again
Round and round the bend
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

From a flowery bed
To the cloud's ascent
Tumble down again
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

Yet with each descent
You will rise again
To our heart's content
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

Fly away my friend
For the day ['ere end]
You'll begin again
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

Still [taunting] the sky's gentle sun,
Gently wandering alone in the night,
[Do those] cries when you're free!~

[???] (I can only make out a few words here and there in this section)

Our guest must be soaring high up
Among the lullaby
Baby's breath and butterflies
Singing our sweet lullaby
Some will try to hold thee [eyes]
From the [???] lullaby
Come [anon] the angel [???]
Singing our sweet lullaby

??? [lonesome fate]
Your still lost in the rain
???
'Til the [song] comes again.

[Rocl]

I posted them a day or so before early access began. It was played during the break for the 5.0 Patch Note Reading stream. Here's what I got back then (I haven't had time to change a few things I would like to, but ah well.)

Titania's Theme

Dancing through the fields
Up and down again
Round and round the bend
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

From a flowery bed
To the cloud's ascent
Tumble down again
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

Yet with each descent
You will rise again
To our heart's content
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

Fly away my friend
For the day ['ere end]
You'll begin again
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

'Til [taunting] the skies [wanton] quiet
[Wanton] silence [???] we ride
Wond'ring when we'll be...~

Dancing through the fields
Up and down again
Round and round the bend
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

From a flowery bed
To the cloud's ascent
Tumble down again
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

Yet with each descent
You will rise again
To our heart's content
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

Fly away my friend
For the day ['ere end]
You'll begin again
Fa-la-la-la-la-la~

Still [taunting] the sky's gentle sun,
Gently wandering alone in the night,
[Do those] cries when you're free!~

[???] (I can only make out a few words here and there in this section)

Our guest must be soaring high up
Among the lullaby
Baby's breath and butterflies
Singing our sweet lullaby
Some will try to hold thee [eyes]
From the [???] lullaby
Come [anon] the angel [???]
Singing our sweet lullaby

??? [lonesome fate]
Your still lost in the rain
???
'Til the [song] comes again.

Ah, my mistake and apologies! When scrolling through the last pages I missed it—likely because I had done Ctrl+F Titania and it was hidden under the spoiler. ; ;

(I also skipped the patch note reading stream to rest up for early access haha)

[Yuyuka3]

Tomorrow and Tomorrow:

For whom weeps the storm
Her tears on our skin
The days of our years gone
Our souls soaked in sin
These memories ache with the weight of tomorrow

Who fights?
Who flies?
Who falls?

Stand tall my friend
May all of the dark lost inside you find light again
In time, time whirling, turning, we seek amends
Eternal winds to the land descend
Our journey will never end

From those who've fallen to those who will rise:
A prayer to keep us ever by your side
An undying promise that we just might
Carry on in a song

Pray don't forget us your bygone kin
With one world's end as a new begin
And should our souls scatter unto the wind
Still we shall live on

Stand tall my friend
May all of the dark deep inside you find light again
This time, time whirling, turning, we make amends
Eternal winds from all the land ascend
Here to lift us the new world's end

Am I the only one feeling that this is the Ancients that want new generations/people to have a chance at live in the world speaking to those same people?
The song really gets me emotional, since I feel that this carries so much hope as well as a promise for a better future than the one the Ancients left behind...
And I feel it also carries a wish to those who mourn what was lost to one day find succor and happiness again.

[MrThinker]

Tomorrow and Tomorrow:

Am I the only one feeling that this is the Ancients that want new generations/people to have a chance at live in the world speaking to those same people?
The song really gets me emotional, since I feel that this carries so much hope as well as a promise for a better future than the one the Ancients left behind...
And I feel it also carries a wish to those who mourn what was lost to one day find succor and happiness again.

No, no you are not.

I'll be honest, this also sounds like they are taking directly to US, the player character, as they are our 'bygone kin'

[Remedi]

I feel that both songs are

sung from the perspective of the ancients, shadowbringers probably from the ascians themselves, while tomorrow and tomorrow from amaurotines

[ObsidianFire]

Given that Shadowbringers really starts properly playing

when we and Ardbert join souls, I think Shadowbringers is from the pov of the Ancient who we are the reincarnation of. Starting from when they leave the Convocation of Fourteen to now.

It would also tie in nicely with Tomorrow and Tomorrow most likely being from the point of view of the people who decided to summon Hydaelyn.

Probably the most interesting song now is Answers. There's always been the issue of who is it to and now I think we have a much better idea of the context of it.

[Tanama]

Given that Shadowbringers really starts properly playing

when we and Ardbert join souls, I think Shadowbringers is from the pov of the Ancient who we are the reincarnation of. Starting from when they leave the Convocation of Fourteen to now.

It would also tie in nicely with Tomorrow and Tomorrow most likely being from the point of view of the people who decided to summon Hydaelyn.

Probably the most interesting song now is Answers. There's always been the issue of who is it to and now I think we have a much better idea of the context of it.

Isn't Answers from the perspective of Hydaelyn?

[ObsidianFire]

Yes, it is. But we had no idea what question she is answering, or who is asking it. For a long time, we just assumed it was a general question life was asking her.

Given how some of those lines are almost repeated verbatim in ShB... I'm thinking it's a lot more specific to the situation at the end of the MSQ then was previously thought.

[Iscah]

Gonna contribute a few minor things that I hear on Tomorrow and Tomorrow (because it's so good that I can't stop listening to it):

Eternal winds to the land, descend

"Eternal winds to the land, we send"

I definitely hear "descend" in the first verse, and "ascend" in the last.

It makes more logical sense as well - we are carried by the wind, not commanding it.


My take on the lyrics, though Sove92 and Yuyuka3 have done most of the work:

Tomorrow and Tomorrow

For whom weeps the storm,
Her tears on our skin
The days of our years gone,
Our souls soaked in sin
These memories ache with the weight of tomorrow

Who fights?
Who flies?
Who falls?

Stand tall, oh my friend
May all of the dark lost inside you find light again
In time, tumbling, turning, we seek amends
Eternal winds to the land descend
Our journey will never end.

From those who've fallen, to those who'll rise
A prayer to keep us ever by your side
An undying promise that we just might
Carry on in a song

Pray don't forget us, your bygone kin
With one world's end, does a new begin
And should our souls scatter unto the wind
Still we shall live on

Stand tall, oh my friend
May all of the dark deep inside you find light again
This time, tumbling, turning, we make amends
Eternal winds from the land ascend
Here to lift us that we won't end.

"That" in this context meaning so: "Lift us [so] we won't end."