“Refugees” is the fourth song off Atlas Genius' second album Inanimate Objects. Like many of their songs, a large concept (in this case, that of finding one’s place in life) is given a metaphor to run throughout the song.
[Verse 1]
Roads of gold are forever dulled
Taking stock of what you lost
And what you want to take
Roads of time will be straight again
If we stop, we can see ahead
The mountains desecrate
[Pre-Chorus]
So as we caught ourselves astray
We're floating on our own
Hoping to reach tomorrow
[Chorus]
These ghosts of ours, we sent away
Like refugees, nowhere to stay
A carousel of fallen days
Like refugees, nowhere to stay
[Verse 2]
Tried to cross at the quiet edge
Fell asleep at the shallow end
The hours turn to grey
I want to feel like you meant it
I want to think that we held it all
As the fever starts to take
[Pre-Chorus]
So as we caught ourselves astray
We're floating on our own
Hoping to reach tomorrow
[Chorus]
These ghosts of ours, we sent away
Like refugees, nowhere to stay
A carousel of fallen days
Like refugees, nowhere to stay
[Bridge]
I put my thoughts through a metal sift
To separate my truth as illusion
And what I find, I will forgive
'Cause there aren't really any solutions
You said you felt so alive right at the summer's edge
This moment never resolves 'cause
There is no end
[Chorus]
These ghosts of ours, we sent away
Like refugees, nowhere to stay
A carousel of fallen days
Like refugees, nowhere to stay
[Outro]
This road is unknown
We let go of these ghosts
This road is unknown
We let go of these ghosts
This road is unknown
We let go of these ghosts
This road is unknown
We let go of these ghosts
Atlas Genius released Refugees on Fri Aug 28 2015.