There was a man back in '95
Whose heart ran out of summers
But before he died, I asked him
Wait, what's the sense in life?
Come over me, come over me

He said
Son, why you gotta sing that tune?
Catch a Dylan song or some eclipse of the moon
Let an angel swing and make you swoon
Then you will see, you will see

Then he said
Here's a riddle for you
Find the answer
There's a reason for the world
You and I

Picked up my kid from school today
Did you learn anything 'causin' the world today
You can't live in a castle far away
Now talk to me, come talk to me

He said
Dad, I'm big, but we're smaller than small
In the scheme of things, well, we're nothing at all
Still every mother's child sings a lonely song
So play with me, come play with me

And, hey, dad
Here's a riddle for you
Find the answer
There's a reason for the world
You and I

I said
Son, for all I've told you
When you get right down to the
Reason for the world
Who am I?

There are secrets that we still have left to find
There have been mysteries from the beginning of time
There are answers we're not wise enough to see

He said
You looking for a clue
I love you free

The batter swings and the summer flies
As I look into my angel's eyes
A song plays on while the moon is high over me
Something comes over me

I guess we're big, and I guess we're small
If you think about it, man, you know we got it all
'Cause we're all we got on this bouncing ball
And I love you free
I love you freely

Here's a riddle for you
Find the answer
There's a reason for the world
You and I


Lyrics submitted by phil_FFF

The Riddle Lyrics as written by John Ondrasik

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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The Riddle song meanings
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  • +1
    My Interpretation

    There was a man back in '95 Whose heart ran out of summers But before he died, I asked him Wait, what's the sense in life? Come over me, come over me

    -- The narrator is talking about likely about his father, who is about to leave him. The though of losing someone we've had all our life makes the narrator question what the purpose of life is.

    He said Son, why you got to sing that tune? Catch a Dylan song or some eclipse of the moon Let an angel swing and make you swoon Then you will see, you will see

    -- The father reassures the narrator that all is okay, and suggests that he go see a miracle of nature or fall in love to understand how special life is. This will help answer his question.

    Then he said Here's a riddle for you Find the answer There's a reason for the world You and I

    -- The father challenges the narrator to think about why they are here. The riddle is the answer, the father is telling him that the bond between them (Love) is the answer.

    Picked up my kid from school today Did you learn anything causin' the world today You can't live in a castle far away Now talk to me, come talk to me

    --Now the Narrator is in his fathers position with with his child looking up to him. His question to his child suggests that he is a logical man and may have trouble understanding/believing the meaning of life

    He said Dad, I'm big, but we're smaller than small In the scheme of things, well, we're nothing at all Still every mother's child sings a lonely song So play with me, come play with me

    -- The child, like his grandfather, understands the meaning of life. However the narrator still doesn't. The child knows were tiny in this world, but we can make it count. The last two lines refer to the fact that everyone will face a time when their parents are no longer there, "so play with me" and take advantage of this time now.

    And, hey, dad Here's a riddle for you Find the answer There's a reason for the world You and I

    -- Again, the child understands the purpose. He attempts to also explain to his father.

    I said Son, for all I've told you When you get right down to the Reason for the world Who am I?

    • The father can't understand what his meaning in this world is. Like most humans he wants to feel like there is a reason for him on earth, he is searching for destiny.

    There are secrets that we still have left to find There have been mysteries from the beginning of time There are answers we're not wise enough to see

    -- This is likely the son telling the father that there will never be a perfect answer to the meaning of life, and there probably never will be. "God" isn't going to come and tell you. Humans have always struggled with this and always will. The father just needs to appreciate life and love.

    He said You looking for a clue I love you free

    -- The son attempts to explain to his father. "i love you free" Instead of simply "I love you" probably suggests that love isn't destiny, and can not be controlled, it is a beautiful miracle.

    The batter swings and the summer flies As I look into my angel's eyes A song plays on while the moon is high over me Something comes over me

    -- as he stares at the love of his life (likely meaning wife), he suddenly understands.

    I guess we're big, and I guess we're small If you think about it, man, you know we got it all 'Cause we're all we got on this bouncing ball And I love you free I love you freely

    -- He understands that in this universe we are tiny, but to each other they are everything. Because they love each other they have everything they could ever want.

    Here's a riddle for you Find the answer There's a reason for the world You and I

    -- The narrator has solved the riddle

    ed4everon April 09, 2016   Link

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