How Far I'll Go Lyrics - Alessia Cara
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I've been staring at the edge of the water Long as I can remember, never really knowing why I wish I could be the perfect daughter But I come back to the water, no matter how hard I try Every turn I take, every trail I track Every path I make, every road leads back To the place I know, where I cannot go Though I long to be See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me And no one knows how far it goes If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me One day I'll know, if I go there's just no telling how far I'll Go-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh I know everybody on this island seems so happy on this island Everything is by design I know everybody on this island has a role on this island So maybe I can roll with mine I can lead with pride, I can make us strong I'll be satisfied if I play along But the voice inside sings a different song What is wrong with me? See the light as it shines on the sea? It's blinding But no one knows how deep it goes And it seems like it's calling out to me, so come find me And let me know, what's beyond that line, will I cross that line? See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me And no one knows how far it goes If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me One day I'll know, how far I'll go Songwriters: Lin-manuel Miranda.
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About "How Far I'll Go" by Alessia Cara
Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda for Disney's Moana, "How Far I'll Go" belongs to the tradition of the animated "I Want" song, but it complicates the form in a way worth noticing. The standard version of this song has a character who knows what she wants and is forbidden from having it. Moana does not know what she wants. She only knows where it is.
The lyric is built on that distinction. She repeatedly tries to be satisfied — she lists her duties, tells herself she is happy on the island, and tries to be the daughter her people need. Each attempt fails against the same pull toward the horizon, and the song is honest that she cannot explain the pull or justify it. The line about the call not being a voice she can silence is the closest it gets to a reason.
The water imagery does double duty, since the ocean is both the literal boundary of her world and, in the film, a character that has chosen her. The line about the line where the sky meets the sea calling her is about a destination that recedes as you approach it, which is the correct image for an ambition that has no specific object.
Alessia Cara's end-credits recording differs from the in-film version by leaning further into pop phrasing and restraint, which makes it function outside the story as a song about any young person who cannot explain why staying is not enough.
"How Far I'll Go" is a english song by Alessia Cara, and this page includes the official music video above so you can listen while you read along. The lyrics open with “I've been staring at the edge of the water”. You can read the complete, 31-line lyrics (across 11 sections) in full on this page — free, with no sign-up.
This is currently the only Alessia Cara song in our library. Discover more English lyrics while you're here.
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More About Alessia Cara
We have 1 song by Alessia Cara in the English category. Each is transcribed in full with accurate, easy-to-read lyrics.