1
Who has dressed you in strange clothes of sand?
Who has taken you far from my land?
Who has said that my sayings were wrong?
And who will say that I stayed much too long?
Clothes of sand have covered your face
Given you meaning, taken my place
Some make your way on down to sea
Something has taken you so far from me
Does it now seem worth all the color of skies?
To see the earth through painted eyes
To look through panes of shaded glass
See the stains of winter's grass
Can you now return to from where you came?
Try to burn your changing name
Or with silver spoons and colored light
Will you worship moons in winter's night?
Clothes of sand have covered your face
Given you meaning taken my place
So make your way on down to the sea
Something has taken you so far from me
Who has taken you far from my land?
Who has said that my sayings were wrong?
And who will say that I stayed much too long?
Clothes of sand have covered your face
Given you meaning, taken my place
Some make your way on down to sea
Something has taken you so far from me
Does it now seem worth all the color of skies?
To see the earth through painted eyes
To look through panes of shaded glass
See the stains of winter's grass
Can you now return to from where you came?
Try to burn your changing name
Or with silver spoons and colored light
Will you worship moons in winter's night?
Clothes of sand have covered your face
Given you meaning taken my place
So make your way on down to the sea
Something has taken you so far from me
Lyrics submitted by lumosnox90, edited by Ziwdon, papple
Clothes of Sand Lyrics as written by Nick Drake
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
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 thoughts
"Clothes of sand have covered your face given you meaning but taken my place"
Sand is a harsh material, used in sandblasting and sandpaper - products that strip away imperfections. His "clothes of sand" could be an allusion to his antidepressant meds, which were supposed to make him "better." I can also see a parallel to another harsh material, the hair shirt, which was worn against the skin as a penance.
"Does it now seem worth all the color of skies to see the air through painted eyes to look through panes of shaded glass see the stains of winters grass"
This verse makes me think of the deadening of emotions caused by some antidepressants. He could be asking if the mental equilibrium is worth the loss of one's emotional and creative life.