Will-o-the-wisp Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I see you after many years
On an elevated train
Rattling above the streets of a city
Where men don't wait in vain
I think, my, you may have changed
But you're such a handsome thing
Do you still hang around that old arcade
To see what luck will bring?
[Chorus]
(Will of the wisp)
The U1 is such a party train
(Will-o-the-wisp)
From Uhland to Warschauerstraße
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Emerging from below past Nollendorfplatz
(Will-o-the-wisp)
In search of love and laughter
(Will-o-the-wisp)
[Post-Chorus]
Oh (Will-o-the-wisp)
Oh (Will-o-the-wisp)
Oh (Will-o-the-wisp)
Oh
I see you after many years
On an elevated train
Rattling above the streets of a city
Where men don't wait in vain
I think, my, you may have changed
But you're such a handsome thing
Do you still hang around that old arcade
To see what luck will bring?
[Chorus]
(Will of the wisp)
The U1 is such a party train
(Will-o-the-wisp)
From Uhland to Warschauerstraße
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Emerging from below past Nollendorfplatz
(Will-o-the-wisp)
In search of love and laughter
(Will-o-the-wisp)
[Post-Chorus]
Oh (Will-o-the-wisp)
Oh (Will-o-the-wisp)
Oh (Will-o-the-wisp)
Oh
[Verse 2]
You were always such a free spirit
A bright-eyed eager chap
A will-o-the-wisp and charming with it
In your battered leather cap
(Will-o-the-wisp)
But maybe you've gone respectable
With a wife and job and all that
Working for the local government
And living in a rented flat?
[Chorus]
(Will-o-the-wisp)
The U1 is such a party train
(Will-o-the-wisp)
From Uhland to Warschauerstraße
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Emerging from below past Nollendorfplatz
(Will-o-the-wisp)
In search of love and laughter
(Will-o-the-wisp)
[Bridge]
And you, my former will-o-the-wisp
Will you recognize me today?
Give me a smile for old time's sake
Before you run away
You were always such a free spirit
A bright-eyed eager chap
A will-o-the-wisp and charming with it
In your battered leather cap
(Will-o-the-wisp)
But maybe you've gone respectable
With a wife and job and all that
Working for the local government
And living in a rented flat?
[Chorus]
(Will-o-the-wisp)
The U1 is such a party train
(Will-o-the-wisp)
From Uhland to Warschauerstraße
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Emerging from below past Nollendorfplatz
(Will-o-the-wisp)
In search of love and laughter
(Will-o-the-wisp)
[Bridge]
And you, my former will-o-the-wisp
Will you recognize me today?
Give me a smile for old time's sake
Before you run away
[Chorus]
(Will-o-the-wisp)
You were always such a free spirit
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Aren't you getting bored?
(Will-o-the-wisp)
A will-o-the-wisp and charming with it
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Who loved to be adored
(Will-o-the-wisp)
The U1 is such a party train
(Will-o-the-wisp)
From Uhland to Warschauerstraße
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Emerging from below past Nollendorfplatz
(Will-o-the-wisp)
In search of love and laughter
(Will-o-the-wisp)
You were always such a free spirit
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Who came and went so much
(Will-o-the-wisp)
A will-o-the-wisp and charming with it
I'm still longing for your touch
(Will-o-the-wisp)
(Will-o-the-wisp)
You were always such a free spirit
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Aren't you getting bored?
(Will-o-the-wisp)
A will-o-the-wisp and charming with it
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Who loved to be adored
(Will-o-the-wisp)
The U1 is such a party train
(Will-o-the-wisp)
From Uhland to Warschauerstraße
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Emerging from below past Nollendorfplatz
(Will-o-the-wisp)
In search of love and laughter
(Will-o-the-wisp)
You were always such a free spirit
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Who came and went so much
(Will-o-the-wisp)
A will-o-the-wisp and charming with it
I'm still longing for your touch
(Will-o-the-wisp)
About
Genius Annotation
“Will-o-the-wisp” is the opening track of Pet Shop Boys' fourteenth studio album, Hotspot. The propulsive electro-pop track’s lyrics are an amalgamation of two inspirations: lyricist Neil Tennant’s railway journeys on the U1 line of Berlin’s U-Bahn and an entry from one of Christopher Isherwood’s diaries. The title refers to a phosphorescent light caused by decaying plants in marshes. Will-o'-the-wisps have a long folkloric and literary history as metaphors for being ghostly beacons that lead travelers astray.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 1.Will-o-the-wisp
- 3.Happy people
- 4.Dreamland
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Release Date
January 24, 2020
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