I can't remember
When I was young
I can't explain
If it was wrong
My life goes on
But not the same
Into your eyes
My face remains (I've been so high)

I've been so down
Down to the ground

I was so blind
I could not see
Your paradise
Is not for me

Autour de moi
Je ne vois pas
Qui sont des anges
Sûrement pas moi
Encore une fois
Je suis cassée
Encore une fois
Je ne crois pas

I've been so high
I've been so down
Up to the skies
Down to the ground

There is a light
Above my head
Into your eyes
My face remains

I've been so high (been so high)
I've been so down (been so down)
Up to the skies (to the skies)
Down to the ground (to the ground)

I can't remember
When I was young
Into your eyes
My face remains

Into your eyes
My face remains

I've been so high (been so high)
I've been so down (been so down)
Up to the skies (to the skies)
Down to the ground (to the ground)

I've been so high (been so high)
I've been so down (been so down)
Up to the skies (to the skies)
Down to the ground (to the ground)


Lyrics submitted by spliphstar

Paradise (Not for Me) Lyrics as written by Mirwais Ahmadzai Madonna Louise Ciccone

Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Paradise (Not for Me) song meanings
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21 Comments

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  • +3
    General Comment

    I didn't know this song was about Madonna's mother. I thought it was about a lost lover, especially the lines:

    "I was so blind I could not see Your paradise Is not for me"

    This sounds as though she is mourning the loss of someone who she loved, but just couldn't share her life with for whatever reason.

    Claidheambmoron March 15, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This is just a kinda weird occurence but, the last thing a victim of murder sees sometimes is the face of the killer. So his or her face remains in the victim eyes... If you listen to the song like that, like if it´s the song of someone who killed somebody when she was young, and who feels remorse for it ... it´s attonishing how it fits to the song. Baffling.

    Pelayo54on January 08, 2024   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song is makin' me so bizz that i go like :) its a really good song!!!

    zazou002on September 24, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song is all about a broken heart.... when she was young she was blind in love ....but she could not see that it was going to end soon...

    and when it ended ...she realised that maybe her boyfriend's 'paradise' is not meant for her....

    she accepted her defeat :,(

    retratolec21on November 18, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song is clearly about one sided love.. when she was young she fell in love with a guy who never loved her back so in the end she had to leave him as his paradise/lifestyle was not meant for her .

    But wdr he payed attention on her in the past or not ,her face still remains in his mind. she ll never be forgotten.

    retratolec21on October 17, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song is not about death ,not about her mother but about one sided love. when she was young she fell in love with a man whose paradise was just not for her.

    she decided to move on .......into a different phase or zone where she is not the same girl anymore (as shown in the video)

    now only the memories of her are present in the mind of the man who never payed attention to her.

    retratolec21on October 24, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    This song is simple - a woman in love with a man she will never be able to be with. His "paradise" is not for her, but she cannot get over him - he is an obsession from which she cannot escape.

    After many years, looking back, she sees her life wasting while she dreams about someone who will never be hers.

    She has lived through highs and lows, has made a life for herself, but never felt whole because she was not with her one true love.

    "Into your eyes, my face remains" - he remembers her too - wishful thinking, or a glimpse into the "lost love" that will never be.

    This song resonates with me deeply.

    jasmineusdon June 21, 2015   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    As Lady Madonna's Sad Detroit voice recalls and recoils in absolute horror, Sad Music ballad Paradise is again-like all good Madonna tunes-about her mother's sad, senseless and tragic death. Except this time, Madonna really does have a reason to Sob and Cry in Her Sad and Wet Tears. Our Lady of MDNA Cries-"I can't remember/When I was young/I can't explain/If it was wrong/My (Sad) Life Goes On but Not the Same/Into your eyes, my face remains!" Madonna Tries to be happy but all she can really do is figure out why she's here on Earth searching for her existence. Still Madonna loves her life because she's got the Rock Crowd-an adoring fanbase, Rolling Stone and USA Today among many publications-to help her along in her brilliance! As someone who delivers on stage every time, Madonna Cries "I have the best job in the world. I'm gonna sing my heart out tonight!" That you do Madonna! Because your Paradise is the same as ours, you make our lives better! We then love you in kind and return! Thanks, Madge!

    rabbitbunnyon October 22, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    beautiful song about the loss of her mother and the quest to keep her alive in her mind...the lost and the continuing search for her...the paradise she is talking about is where her mother is now that she is dead (regardless where that should be)...and that it's not for her...her face remains in her mind

    shentallon March 09, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yeah, it is NOT about her mother for reasons as said above. To me this song is about suicide, its as though shes talking about her own death, not mourning anothers.

    Alexis507on August 30, 2006   Link

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