Lilac Wine Lyrics
I lost myself on a cool damp night
Gave myself in that misty light
Was hypnotized by a strange delight
Under a lilac tree
I made wine from the lilac tree
Lost my heart in its recipe
It made me see what I want to see
And be what I want to be
But I think more than I ought to think
I do things I never should do
I drink much more than I ought to drink
Because it brings me back you
[Chorus 1]
Lilac wine is sweet and heady, like my love
Oh lilac wine, I feel unsteady, like my love
Listen to me, I cannot see clearly
Isn't that he coming to me, nearly here?
[Chorus 2]
Lilac wine is sweet and heady, where's my love?
Lilac wine, I feel unsteady, where's my love?
Listen to me, why is everything so hazy?
Isn't that he, or am I going crazy, dear?
Lilac Wine, I feel I'm ready for my love
Feel I'm ready for my love
About
“Lilac Wine” is a song written by James Shelton (lyrics and music) in 1950. It was introduced by Hope Foye in the short-lived theater musical revue, Dance Me a Song. The song has since been recorded by many artists including Eartha Kitt, Nina Simone, Elkie Brooks, Jeff Buckley, Clare Maguire, Jeff Beck, Fanny Ardant, John Legend, Miley Cyrus, Emily Keener, The Cinematic Orchestra, and (of course) Katie Melua on her debut album “Call Off the Search.”
The lyrics form a narrative of heartache at losing a lover and taking solace from wine made from a lilac tree. The song focuses on the blissful oblivion achieved by becoming intoxicated. Its inspiration was a line in the 1925 novel Sorrow in Sunlight (published in America as Prancing Nigger) by Ronald Firbank, in which the main character, Miami Mouth, circulates through a party “offering a light, lilac wine, sweet and heady”.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 11.Faraway Voice
- 12.Lilac Wine