pale blue eyes
Counting Crows & Fiona Apple Lyrics
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Sometimes I feel so sad,
Sometimes I feel so happy,
But mostly you just make me mad,
Baby, you just make me mad.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
I thought of you as my mountain top,
I thought of you as my peak,
I thought of you as everything,
I had but couldn't keep,
I had but couldn't keep.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
If I could make the world,
As pure and strange as what I see,
I'd put you in a mirror,
But I put in front of me,
But I put in front of me.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Want you to skip a life completely,
Stuff it in a cup,
She said, money is us in time,
It lies, but can't stand up,
It lies, but it can't stand up.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
It was good, we did yesterday,
And I'd do it once again,
The fact that you are married,
Only proves you are my best friend,
But it's clearly, truly a sin.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
The lyrics of the song "Pale Blue Eyes" by Counting Crows and Fiona Apple follow a pattern of the singer expressing contradicting emotions towards their lover. They go from feeling happy to sad, then back to happy, but ultimately, they are mostly angry because of their lover's actions. The repetition of the phrase "linger on, your pale blue eyes" between each verse could represent the singer's longing to hold onto the memory of their lover or the pain caused by their actions.
In the second verse, the singer describes their lover as their "mountain top" and "peak," and everything they had but couldn't keep. This could suggest the singer's idealization of their lover or their inability to maintain the relationship. However, they still long for their lover as they repeat the phrase "linger on, your pale blue eyes."
The third verse presents a seemingly unrelated concept of making the world pure and strange like what the singer sees. They talk about putting their lover in a mirror to have them with them always, but they "put [the mirror] in front of" themselves instead. This could represent the singer's desire to escape reality and live within their idealized version of the world with their lover.
The final verse reveals that the singer's lover is married, making their relationship a sin. Despite this, the singer would still repeat what they did yesterday because their lover is their "best friend." The repetition of "linger on, your pale blue eyes" could be seen as the singer holding onto their memories while acknowledging that the relationship cannot continue.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I feel so happy,
Occasionally, I experience a state of joy,
Sometimes I feel so sad,
Occasionally, I feel melancholy and unhappy,
Sometimes I feel so happy,
Occasionally, I experience a state of joy,
But mostly you just make me mad,
But, for the most part, you provoke anger and frustration within me,
Baby, you just make me mad.
You, my dear, are the source of my anger and frustration.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Stay with me - I can't let go of your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Remain present in my mind, oh your pale blue eyes.
I thought of you as my mountain top,
I envisioned you as my peak, my highest point of happiness and contentment,
I thought of you as my peak,
I envisioned you as my highest point of happiness and contentment,
I thought of you as everything,
I regarded you as the center of my existence,
I had but couldn't keep,
But I couldn't keep hold of you,
I had but couldn't keep.
I had you, but I let you go.
If I could make the world,
If I had the power to do so,
As pure and strange as what I see,
I would make it as genuine and unusual as what I perceive,
I'd put you in a mirror,
I would put your reflection in a mirror,
But I put in front of me,
But instead, I put the mirror in front of me,
But I put in front of me.
I chose to look at myself instead of reflecting on you.
Want you to skip a life completely,
I want you to bypass a life entirely,
Stuff it in a cup,
Collect it in a cup,
She said, money is us in time,
She said, wealth represents our existence within time,
It lies, but can't stand up,
It deceives, but cannot withstand scrutiny,
It lies, but it can't stand up.
It's deceptive, but it won't hold up to inspection.
It was good, we did yesterday,
What we did yesterday was pleasant,
And I'd do it once again,
I would do it again,
The fact that you are married,
The reality of your marriage,
Only proves you are my best friend,
Only confirms that you are my closest confidant,
But it's clearly, truly a sin.
But it's apparent that it is indeed sinful.
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Stay with me - I can't let go of your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Remain present in my mind, oh your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes,
Stay with me - I can't let go of your pale blue eyes,
Linger on, your pale blue eyes.
Remain present in my mind, oh your pale blue eyes.
Contributed by Christopher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nichole9699
Someone wrote this about the meaning of this song and I thought it was great insight:
She thought she finally found someone true, and fell in love. The person had many walls built up, she tried to reach through them and show how much she cared. She thinks he is damaged and has a dark perception of the world. He doesn't really show himself.
She realizes she will never really get through to him, he won't let her. He can't really love her back. What she thought was inside of him really isn't there (but she loves him anyway).
She looks to him and sees "nothing" because what she originally saw in him doesn't really exist and that "nothing" has become truth to her.
The "truth" she looks to him to see, is also the depressing realization that she can't look to someone else to make her happy, he taught her this sad truth.
She doesn't normally open up to people easily either, but she offered her heart to him, to be her home. Deep in his mind, he knows, he realizes how much she loved him, but it's too late. His heart is too protected, but he smiles knowing what she has given him.
...and she fades into him, she loved him so much he became everything to her. She looked to him to make her happy, but ended up trying to be everything to make him happy and lost herself.
She begins to see the darkness in him, in herself. She is hurt and depressed and has lost hope, it's like looking in a mirror.
After everything she thinks it is strange he never knew how much she really cared and how sincere she was. She wanted to be the one to make him happy and for him to be the one to make her happy and what could have been. She loved him for what he was but he was too broken to appreciate it or just didn't feel the same way.
I think it's about disappointment, a broken heart and a damaged soul.
Maybe the darkness also becomes part of what makes him so real to her. Accepting truth in disappointment and hurt. He has damaged her, she can't trust her own perception of reality and now she has to build her own walls. She continues to love him from a distance.
Part of her believes she understood him and that he would have loved her if only he really knew and the other part of her knows the sad truth.
@willtinarey3674
This was the first CD my boyfriend bought me in 94. He became my husband for 23 yrs. He passed away in 2018. I will always love you Wilson Reyes Jr. You will never fade from my heart or memory my love.
@johnboy1828
I hope you find peace.......You are not alone. I lost my wife of 31 years last June. It's been a struggle.
@SirLeDoux
So sorry-prayers for you and your heart
@cantgetright4241
😢
@weluvtomk.__
Bless you. So sad for you as I read this
@Moogiesara
I am so sorry for your loss,,That is an amazing cd he bought you!! RIP Mr Reyes!!
@mazzyellisriddick419
My dad named me after this band and he passed away when I was 5 .he said I would sing like her. & he absolutely adored her songs .now I listen to this song almost daily to feel a embrace of him to me .❤️🩹
@mazzyellisriddick419
No my real name is mazzy .my dad named me after the band
@mwbrada
So sorry you lost your father so early. He had very good taste. One of the best songs ever.
@darealthiqqdaddy
I love you.