Pale Blue Eyes
Counting Crows & Fiona Apple Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴Sometimes I feel so happy,
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.
Overall Meaning
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.
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