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Veronica Lyrics
Is it all in that pretty little head of yours?
What goes on in that place in the dark?
Well I used to know a girl and I would have sworn that her name was Veronica
Well she used to have a carefree mind of her own
And a delicate look in her eye
These days I'm afraid she's not even sure if her name is Veronica
CHORUS
Do you suppose, that waiting hands on eyes
Veronica has gone to hide
And all the time she laughs at those who shout
Her name and steal her clothes
Veronica
Veronica
Did the days drag by, did the favors wane
Did he roam down the town all the time
Will you wake from your dream, with a wolf at the door,
Reaching out for Veronica
Well it was all of sixty-five years ago
When the world was the street where she lived
And a young man sailed on a ship in the sea
With a picture of Veronica
On the "Empress of India" and as she closed her eyes upon the world
And picked upon the bones of last week's news
She spoke his name out loud again
CHORUS
Veronica sits in her favorite chair
and she sits very quiet and still
And they call her a name that they never get right
And if they don't then nobody else will
But she used to have a carefree mind of her own,
With a devilish look in her eye
Saying "You can call me anything you like,
But my name is Veronica"
CHORUS
What goes on in that place in the dark?
Well I used to know a girl and I would have sworn that her name was Veronica
And a delicate look in her eye
These days I'm afraid she's not even sure if her name is Veronica
Do you suppose, that waiting hands on eyes
Veronica has gone to hide
And all the time she laughs at those who shout
Her name and steal her clothes
Veronica
Veronica
Did he roam down the town all the time
Will you wake from your dream, with a wolf at the door,
Reaching out for Veronica
When the world was the street where she lived
And a young man sailed on a ship in the sea
With a picture of Veronica
And picked upon the bones of last week's news
She spoke his name out loud again
and she sits very quiet and still
And they call her a name that they never get right
And if they don't then nobody else will
With a devilish look in her eye
Saying "You can call me anything you like,
But my name is Veronica"
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Most compelling "biography" song ever written, IMO. I remember when my grandmother died, I kept myself together like a good man and read a touching eulogy. On the drive from the church to the cemetery this song came on the radio... somewhat ironically. No one else in my family noticed it and the mood had gone from somber to light-hearted anyway. But when it got to the bridge where he mentions the Empress of India I completely a totally lost it a sobbed like a baby.
@Matty Dubs Your own reminiscence made my cry as well. Here's to your grandmother's memory.
@Matty Dubs Your own reminiscence made my cry as well. Here's to your grandmother's memory.
For me, "And they call her a name that they never get right and if they don't then nobody else will" is the absolute heartbreaker. Nobody else will get her name right because nobody else ever comes. She turned her back on the world after she lost her sailor - and has ended up forgotten and alone. "And as she closed her eyes upon the world and picked up the bones of last week's news She spoke his name out loud again" Now, at last, she has even mostly forgotten herself. That's the wolf at the door. All of us exist in a dream of youth and beauty, but there's a wolf waiting at the door, reaching out to snatch us away.
@Teletha the lyrics say nothing about turning "her back on the world", only that she's old and has dementia, and doesn't have the capacity to correct those saying her name incorrectly. Closing "her EYES on the world" just means she's dreaming/envisioning a sailor from years ago, maybe the one she married, maybe not. But he's fondly remembered.
@Teletha the lyrics say nothing about turning "her back on the world", only that she's old and has dementia, and doesn't have the capacity to correct those saying her name incorrectly. Closing "her EYES on the world" just means she's dreaming/envisioning a sailor from years ago, maybe the one she married, maybe not. But he's fondly remembered.
The "bridge" or middle section, THAT'S the heartbreaker, with the details of the name of his ship and the picture he carries. And "last week's news" either meaning that she last heard from him last week or the...
The "bridge" or middle section, THAT'S the heartbreaker, with the details of the name of his ship and the picture he carries. And "last week's news" either meaning that she last heard from him last week or the fact that by the time news got to her it was a week old... it is a masterful song, EC was well out of his Angry Young Man phase, and into his Old Master phase (evidenced by writing with McCartney!)
@Teletha ... The line "And they call her a name that they never get right and if they don't then nobody else will" is about the staff of the nursing home that "cares" for her of the nursing home doesn't even take the time to learn her name. I guess they are too busy stealing her clothes! To many people, including me the swipe against her nursing home is well deserved.
@Teletha ... The line "And they call her a name that they never get right and if they don't then nobody else will" is about the staff of the nursing home that "cares" for her of the nursing home doesn't even take the time to learn her name. I guess they are too busy stealing her clothes! To many people, including me the swipe against her nursing home is well deserved.
Talk about contrast! A wonderfully light tune with a heartbreakingly sad lyric. Not to mention the irony of creating an unforgettable hook for a song about someone with Alzheimer's disease.
My real name is Veronica. This song came out when I was a teenager, so you can imagine (in addition to hearing "how's Archie and the Gang") EVERYONE sang it to me! But I was just so happy that a song actually had my unique name! Parts of this song remind me of me. I'm not a grandma and I don't have alzheimer's (which unfortunately runs in my family), but there are some lines that are so me. "Devilish look in her eye", totally me. "They call her a name they never get right"...I can't tell you how many times someone can't pronounce my name, or called me Victoria, Vivian, Valerie, etc. In fact, my screen name, "brunicas" is actually a nickname I earned when I was a baby because someone misheard my name and thought my parents had named me brunicas! LOL. The line "you can call me anything you like, but my name is Veronica" is another line that reminds me of me. I have about 44 (at last count) nicknames. Everyone loves to make up some sort of nickname out of my real name. "She used to have a carefree mind of her own"...well, I have a pretty carefree mind (odd for a Taurus).
grandmother's senility
Paul McCartney co-authored this song, and I can't help but compare it to "Eleanor Rigby" - both tunes sort of make up a character and in 4 minutes or less, give you a complete picture - Elvis is pretty awesome as well, and I'm sure that the collaboration was in equal parts -
good song
nice song
great song. my favorite that i havent heard in like 8 years
This is a great song. I really like the video too, nice touch having him give a background/meaning to the song, and how he sang over the track at some points.