This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
I was sipping on a whiskey when I got the call
Yeah, my friend Lex was lying in the hospital
She'd been pretty sick for about half a year
But it seems liked this time the end was drawing near
So dropped my plans and jumped the next London train
I found her laid up and in a lot of pain
Her eyes met mine and then I understood
That her weather forecast wasn't looking too good
So I sat and spun her stories for a little while
Tried to raise her mood and tried to raise a smile
But she silenced all my rambling with a shake of her head
Drew me close and listen this is what she said now
"You'll live to dance another day
It's just now you'll have to dance
For the two of us
So stop looking so damn depressed
And sing with all your heart that the Queen is dead"
Yeah, she told me she was sick of all the hospital food
And of doctors, distant relatives, draining her blood
She said, "I know I'm dying but I'm not finished just yet
Yeah, I am dying for a drink and for a cigarette"
So we hatched a plan to book ourselves a cheap hotel
The center of the city and to raise some Hell
They waste to all the clubs
And then when everyone else is long asleep
Then we know we're good and done
You'll live to dance another day
It's just now you'll have to dance
For the two of us
So stop looking so damn depressed
And sing with all your heart that the Queen is dead
And South London's not the same anymore
The Queen is dead
And the last of the great has finally gone to bed
Well, I was working on some words when Sarah called me up
She said that Lex had gone asleep and wasn't waking up
And even though I knew that there was nothing to be done
I felt bad for not being there and now, well, she was gone
So I tried to think what Lex would want me to do
At times like this when I was feeling blue
So I gathered up some friends to spread the sad, sad news
And we headed to the city for a drink or two
And we sang
We live to dance another day
It's just now we have to dance for one more of us
So stop looking so damn depressed
And sing with all our hearts, long live the Queen
Yeah, my friend Lex was lying in the hospital
She'd been pretty sick for about half a year
But it seems liked this time the end was drawing near
So dropped my plans and jumped the next London train
I found her laid up and in a lot of pain
Her eyes met mine and then I understood
That her weather forecast wasn't looking too good
So I sat and spun her stories for a little while
Tried to raise her mood and tried to raise a smile
But she silenced all my rambling with a shake of her head
Drew me close and listen this is what she said now
"You'll live to dance another day
It's just now you'll have to dance
For the two of us
So stop looking so damn depressed
And sing with all your heart that the Queen is dead"
Yeah, she told me she was sick of all the hospital food
And of doctors, distant relatives, draining her blood
She said, "I know I'm dying but I'm not finished just yet
Yeah, I am dying for a drink and for a cigarette"
So we hatched a plan to book ourselves a cheap hotel
The center of the city and to raise some Hell
They waste to all the clubs
And then when everyone else is long asleep
Then we know we're good and done
You'll live to dance another day
It's just now you'll have to dance
For the two of us
So stop looking so damn depressed
And sing with all your heart that the Queen is dead
And South London's not the same anymore
The Queen is dead
And the last of the great has finally gone to bed
Well, I was working on some words when Sarah called me up
She said that Lex had gone asleep and wasn't waking up
And even though I knew that there was nothing to be done
I felt bad for not being there and now, well, she was gone
So I tried to think what Lex would want me to do
At times like this when I was feeling blue
So I gathered up some friends to spread the sad, sad news
And we headed to the city for a drink or two
And we sang
We live to dance another day
It's just now we have to dance for one more of us
So stop looking so damn depressed
And sing with all our hearts, long live the Queen
Lyrics submitted by simon_quine, edited by smitchey
Long Live the Queen Lyrics as written by Francis Edward Turner
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Some friends who saw him in Cardiff in '07 mentioned that he'd just come back to the funeral and also wrote "Ballad" about her.