I want to tell you a story
About a little man
If I can
A gnome named Grimble Crumble
And little gnomes stay in their homes
Eating, sleeping, drinking their wine

He wore a scarlet tunic
A blue green hood
It looked quite good
He had a big adventure
Amidst the grass
Fresh air at last
Wining, dining, biding his time
And then one day, hooray!
Another way for gnomes to say
Ooomray

Look at the sky, look at the river
Isn't it good?
Look at the sky, look at the river
Isn't it good?
Winding, finding places to go
And then one day, hooray!
Another way for gnomes to say
Ooomray
Ooomray


Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by ajlholt

The Gnome Lyrics as written by Syd Barrett

Lyrics © T.R.O. INC.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The Gnome song meanings
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46 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment

    Syd Barrett was the fuckin' greatest...

    pink_angel016on June 01, 2002   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Syd is awesome! No big meanings here, it's just a fun song, about the Bilbo Baggins of the gnome community who's out having an adventure when everyone else is just sitting at home drinking wine (I guess gnomes don't like ale).

    phasetransitionon February 25, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I think you people are looking WAY too deeply into this song, it's an allusion to the Hobbit. Very plainly, and, in fact, he had said that.

    TheFranzFerdinandon February 03, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song gets really creepy when Syd starts whispering:

    "Look as the sky. Look at the river. Isn't it gooooood?"

    it gives me shivers. The good kind of shivers.

    paranoidandroid83on April 16, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    my nickname is the gnome (not from this song, thou....im small.... lol). i bow down to this song, it is the most awesomest thing EVER.

    neveroddorevenon May 12, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This is the news on the Gnome. The gnome is Syd or at least someone else a little short on the old dopamine (satisfaction chemical).

    It's easy to see when you acknowledge that it is a story that progresses through the seperate verses.

    The Gnome is absolute and without limits, so he is discontent in the world because the world doesn't belong to him, to be outside would mean compromising which is limitation & surrender - not good. So in the first verse he stays in doors keeping himself content with wine etc and he ignores the world by shutting it out. He lives in his world that he controls.

    In the second verse he discovers Pot and he can finally go outside (a bit) and be easy going and ignore stuff close up. But then, one day... he discovers LSD (King of Dopamine) and he's more than outside, he's free. He doesn't have to ignore stuff because it all exists in his world that he has created - his trip.

    The sky is generally God or death, and the river is his life, going down by the route of least resistance, see through and formless in itself it still cuts a deep groove that it owns and it is still a beautiful & powerful force of nature. The Gnome is about taking control & escaping the limitation of reality & other people - liberation through self destruction. And as well, it's a song about a Gnome.

    Black&GreenAchilleson January 25, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Its amazing. End of story, and yes it is probably about a gnome, but then again it might not be about a gnome.

    Purple139on June 01, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I'm guessing that the drug meaning is partly true, mostly because Syd did do a lot of drugs. It is either just a song about the gnome, or a song about drugs and the gnome. Anyone thinking it has some connection to Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit, there is no doubt that this very closely resembles the Hobbit, but I think, if anything, it is a loose reference to it. Anyway, it's a great song.

    Unoriginal_Usernameon August 31, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song is about a gnome. A gnome named Grimble Gromble.

    Dale Swansonon December 05, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is a good song to listen to when you're on a sweet mellow high. Very happy, cute song, but I can't help feeling like there's more to it. Like we're ALL the gnome or something.....

    DubC4Lifeon April 08, 2004   Link

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