In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
There will never be
Another one like you
There will never be
Another one who can
Do the things you do, oh
Will you give another chance?
Will you try, little try?
Please stop and you remember
We were together
Anyway
All right
And if you have a certain evenin'
You could lend to me
I'd give it all right back to you
A how it has to be with you
I know your moves
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
Oh will you stop and think and wonder?
Just what you'll see
Out on the train yard
Nursin' penitentiary
It's gone
I cry
Out long
Go head, brother
Did you stop it to consider?
How it will feel
Cold, grinded grizzly bear jaws
Hot on your heels
Do you often stop and whisper?
It's Saturday's shore
The whole world's a savior
Who could ever, ever, ever
Ever, ever, ever
Ask for more?
Do you remember?
Will you stop?
Will you stop?
The pain
And there will never be another one like you
There will never be another one who can
Do the things you do, oh
Will you give another chance?
Will you try, little try?
Please stop and you remember
We were together
Anyway
All right
How you must've think and wondered
How I must feel
Out on the meadows
While you run the field
I'm alone
For you
And I cry
The sweat, look at it
Optical promise
You'll be dead and in hell
Before I'm born
Sure thing
Bridesmaid
The only solution, isn't it amazing?
Another one like you
There will never be
Another one who can
Do the things you do, oh
Will you give another chance?
Will you try, little try?
Please stop and you remember
We were together
Anyway
All right
And if you have a certain evenin'
You could lend to me
I'd give it all right back to you
A how it has to be with you
I know your moves
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
And your mind
Oh will you stop and think and wonder?
Just what you'll see
Out on the train yard
Nursin' penitentiary
It's gone
I cry
Out long
Go head, brother
Did you stop it to consider?
How it will feel
Cold, grinded grizzly bear jaws
Hot on your heels
Do you often stop and whisper?
It's Saturday's shore
The whole world's a savior
Who could ever, ever, ever
Ever, ever, ever
Ask for more?
Do you remember?
Will you stop?
Will you stop?
The pain
And there will never be another one like you
There will never be another one who can
Do the things you do, oh
Will you give another chance?
Will you try, little try?
Please stop and you remember
We were together
Anyway
All right
How you must've think and wondered
How I must feel
Out on the meadows
While you run the field
I'm alone
For you
And I cry
The sweat, look at it
Optical promise
You'll be dead and in hell
Before I'm born
Sure thing
Bridesmaid
The only solution, isn't it amazing?
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira, edited by by831697, el10931956
Shaman's Blues Lyrics as written by John Paul Densmore Jim Morrison
Lyrics © Doors Music Company
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
i love it when jim sings, "try a little try", haha i dont know why...love the song
I was almost sure the last And your mind he says And you're MINE. At first level, it's a breakup song, but the last words are really Morrisson at his best (that's why it's in the last verse, it's always the better part of the lyrics). Musically it is my best Doors song, the bass part is amazing (isn't it amazing?) it's haunting in his repetitiveness, and it changes chords in this modern revisited blues style, it has a really fast tempo, hard to play, the keyboards are also really complex and the guitar add a soft touch to it all. It would have gained to have a longer solo à la Light my fire. Optical promise, what that means?
The Shaman is Jesus and he wants you to remember "we were together". And whatever you give him, he "gives it all right back to you" "he knows your moods and your mind" In the last verse you mock him on the cross "he's sweatin, look at him" He loves you and suffered earthly hell to demonstrate it. Great song and don't forget Jimbo spent time in seminary school. Most of his great songs were sermons. "The whole world's a savior who could ever ask for more" Most see a hot looking dude with earthly appeal. That's the candy coated outside Jesus gives you. When you get past that, if you have the balls, and are still "with it" you find the peanut and a prize. Most spit the thing out when the candy coating dissolves.
@dickmydog <br /> <br /> Too right. <br /> <br /> There can be no doubt that this song is one written by a soul crying out to at least one other, I think at least two. The first few verses being dedicated to both, each having double meanings making it both romantic and religious. The latter few dedicated to the lover or eve the audience at large. <br /> <br /> "There will never be another one like you. There will never be another one who can do the things you do." Can be broadly interpreted.<br /> <br /> The second sentence emphasises that this person uniquely has abilities that will never be surpassed by another. Don't forget Morrison was well read, he knew of many men throughout history repeatedly besting each other, this person is obviously extremely unique.<br /> <br /> In the next verse he goes from exaltation to begging.<br /> <br /> "Will you give another chance?" and further "Will you try, a little try?" <br /> <br /> We hear the third plea "Please stop and you'll remember, we were together" and note here, not only the power of threes important in poetry and apparently magic, maybe Shamanism too but also the fact that Jim indeed went to seminary school. He could be talking to a previous lover while also God. <br /> <br /> Next he goes from a plea to an offering.<br /> <br /> "If you have a certain evening you could lend to me, I'd give it all right back to you". Keyword, all, everything, from body and mind to soul. He knows 'how it has to be, with' who? <br /> <br /> The lord who, "knows your moods, and your mind".<br /> <br /> Here is where I think the 'you' is focused more on the lover rather than the Lord due to the regress from offering to once again pleading. <br /> <br /> To her he says "Will you stop and think and wonder, just what you'll see?"<br /> <br /> While "out on the train yard" which is a place where people travel from one place to another. I believe this is metaphor for the moments beginning the afterlife, we are given the image of a "Nursing penitentiary(/prison)", this sounds to me like a form of purgatory or hell. <br /> <br /> "It's gone, I cry out long" Is so short as to be open to multiple interpretations, for example is love gone, life or hope?<br /> <br /> Similar tone indicates the following verses are directed at the same person. "Did you stop to consider, how it will feel? Cold grinding grizzly bear jaws hot on your heels" - however you choose to interpret this, it definitely sounds like a form of hell. <br /> <br /> Jim then takes a different approach asking "Do you often stop and whisper in Saturday shore?" Saturday being the holy Sabbath of the Jews it is the day where they stop and do no work, but do pray, with a whisper? Interestingly he seems to be hinting that it is something that should be done as to avoid the terror he previously sung of. This makes me think that he was limited in the explicit messages he was allowed to convey as it seems many artists are today. Just a thought.<br /> <br /> "The whole world's a saviour" as the holy spirit exists everywhere. "Who could ever ever ever ever, ever, ever, ask for more?" Says it all really. <br /> <br /> These next two verses combined sound to me like an appeal to the shaman to stop a pain, in doing so the pain was brought onto the shaman himself. Hence, 'Shamans Blues' <br /> <br /> "Do you remember? Will you stop? Will you stop, the pain?". Seems to be intended to invoke a memory of an appeal to a figure who healed a pain, but not necessarily Jim appealing to another due to the verse below "How you must think and wonder how I must feel. Out on the meadows while you're on the field. I'm alone for you and I cry."<br /> <br /> I think Jim thought of himself as a shaman somewhat, I can't remember where or when but I have definitely read a thing or two saying something like that. <br /> <br /> Considering the earlier sentiment "I'd give it all right back to you" we can obviously see this pain is deep and if I'm reading into all this correctly, he regrets his action/s.<br /> <br /> This last verse is without a doubt the most complex. <br /> <br /> He's sweatin' look at him - Either as the writer above said "You mock him on the cross" or an out of body visual of the shaman himself.<br /> Optical promise - A promise, likely to a cult, that can be seen and therefore either imaginary and intangible or physical and therefore transient matter.<br /> (laughs) - Sounding almost menacing, diabolical power-fuelled laugh possibly about this optical promise, shamanistic deal or the sweating man. <br /> You'll be dead and in hell before I'm born. - Is obviously a sentiment from who? Is it from the bridesmaid, Israel, representing the church and Christianity itself? Or did he envision the Messiah talking to him about his second coming?<br /> Sure thing. - A nonchalant seemingly ignorant reply.<br /> Bridesmaid. - Aka Israel in the bible, metaphor for the church? Is it who he's replying too? <br /> The only solution. - Acceptance or defiance? Is he saying the bridesmaid is the only solution, knowing that the Lord will forgive his sins if he truly repents?<br /> Isn't it amazing? - The ultimate plan it would seem, left still ambiguous in the final moments of this song. However it does seem to have a free tone of release.
@dickmydog lol. i don't know whether to just laugh or call you the dumbest fuck on earth
Damn, nobody's commented on this. This is definately one of the most underapriciated Doors songs. It was unlike most of there other songs, but it's a decent tune with a good guitar part.
belter of a song, good lyrics. sounds like hes missing a friend or sumthing???????
i wish i could say i was a shaman.. if only...
The best song from the Doors. I also reckon that the last repeat of And your mind is actually And you're mine. Always heard it that way. Optical promise... some sort of visualization of a wish... or a curse? The name of the song would make more sense, when this wanna-be Shaman not only tells about reading the minds, but also throws a spell on the new boyfriend. You = Lost girlfriend, He = New boyfriend. And Jimbo no happy ;)
The text is not realy coherent because it's a sort of psalmodiation.
I don't think this speaks of the personalized relationship it may imply, between a women or otherwise. Instead I'm reminded of the seeming wont or 'duty' it was of Morrison's to lead his listeners towards the inverted internal.
And if you have a certain evening You could lend to me, I'd give it all right back to you. Know how it has to be, with you I know your moods. And your mind. And your mind. And your mind. And your mind. And your mine.
The assignation he requests isn't sullied with romantic promises. He proposes you give him just one night.. to meet, to listen?.. And he'll give it right back.
How you must think and wonder How I must feel. Out on the meadows While you're on the field. I'm alone for you. And I cry.
I don't think this speaks of the personalized relationship it may imply, between a women or otherwise. Instead I'm reminded of the seeming wont or 'duty' it was of Morrison's to lead his listeners towards the inverted internal.
And if you have a certain evening You could lend to me, I'd give it all right back to you. Know how it has to be, with you I know your moods. And your mind. And your mind. And your mind. And your mind. And your mine.
The assignation he requests isn't sullied with romantic promises. He proposes you give him just one night.. to meet, to listen?.. And he'll give it right back.
How you must think and wonder How I must feel. Out on the meadows While you're on the field. I'm alone for you. And I cry.