We're headed for the great smokey mountains to see the wild flowers
bloom in spring
'Cause we've decided that there's no better place to be for two young
people who just wanna do their thing in the spring
I know we're gonna be happy
'Cause James is a freedom fighter and he lives for the moment
His parents are hippies and he sees everything through a rainbow
He's never unhappy cause he never wears a watch
He lives on his mountain bike and he sees beauty in everyone
James says he's gonna change the world
James says that I am his flower girl and James and I we're gonna make a
difference just wait and see we're gonna set the world free
It's two years later now and we're both out of college and we've decided
to love one another for eternity
I've got a good job but James says no one understands him he's an artist
He needs time to find out what that means
He answers to a higher calling the moon and the sun and the stars are
falling through his time and his space and I'm lucky to be part of it all
He is bigger than life he sees things he knows things he is not like you and
me
James finally found a steady job and now we're gonna settle down
He still loves his music but he knows where his priorities lie
He stepped on his dreams so many times and wore out the path he needed
to take to find the life he thought would just happen to him like the
changing of a season



Lyrics submitted by itsmesarah1

James Lyrics as written by Lloyd Cole

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

James song meanings
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3 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    NO COMMENTS YET! God I love this cd...

    i hate the ending of the song...i'm rooting for the hippie part of the song, the song of 2 in love people. i dunno. what do i know.

    i love the line "He stepped on his dreams so many times and wore out the path"

    good song.

    misspantlesspantson November 14, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is amazing-- but it stabs me right in the ticker every single time...

    It's sung from the point of view of a young woman who's in love with and in awe of her lover, James- a beautiful, creative and vibrant free spirit who's "gonna change the world." She seems to believe with all her heart that he will. But life takes its toll on the couple, and they're gradually pulled back down to the "real world." James is particularly affected, and the woman sees him struggle more and more with his dreams and his identity as an artist. In the end, he does not have the drive to make his dreams reality, and settles instead into the monotony of normal society. A life with so much potential, wasted.

    Being an artist who struggles at times myself, it's just so tragic to me... so close to home. I honestly tear up whenever I'm listening to it. :'(

    Waffles McCoyon November 27, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion

    pretty sure it's about Craig Elkins' brother, James, and through the perspective of his boyfriend. 'two ypoung people' 'freedom fighter' 'sees everything through a rainbow' 'gonna change the world' 'gonna make a difference' 'set the world free' ,but obviously, the song is up to interpretation, and it can mean whatever you want it to. After all, that is the beauty of music.

    gesundheit69on May 28, 2017   Link

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