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Will-o-the-Wisp Lyrics
I see you after many years
On an elevated train
Rattling above the streets of a city
Where men don't wait in vain
I think my, you may have changed
But you're such a handsome thing
Do you still hang around that old arcade
To see what luck will bring
I see you after many years
On an elevated train
Rattling above the streets of a city
Where men don't wait in vain
I think, my, you may have changed
But you're such a handsome thing
Do you still hang around that old arcade
To see what luck will bring?
The U1 is such a party train
(Will-o-the-wisp)
From Uhland to Warschauerstraße
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Emerging from below past Nollendorfplatz
(Will-o-the-wisp)
In search of love and laughter
(Will-o-the-wisp)
(Will-o-the-wisp)
(Will-o-the-wisp)
(Will-o-the-wisp)
You were always such a free spirit
A bright-eyed eager chap
A will-o-the-wisp
And charming with it
In your battered leather cap
(Will-o-the-wisp)
But maybe you've gone respectable
With a wife and job and all that
Working for the local government
And living in a rented flat?
The U1 is such a party train
(Will-o-the-wisp)
From Uhland to Warschauerstraße
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Emerging from below past Nollendorfplatz
(Will-o-the-wisp)
In search of love and laughter
(Will-o-the-wisp)
And you my former will-o-the-wisp
Will you recognise me today?
Give me a smile for old time's sake
Before you run away
You were always such a free spirit (Will-o-the-wisp)
Aren't you getting bored? (Will-o-the-wisp)
A will-o-the-wisp
And charming with it (Will-o-the-wisp)
Who loved to be adored
The U1 is such a party train
(Will-o-the-wisp)
From Uhland to Warschauerstraße
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Emerging from below past Nollendorfplatz
(Will-o-the-wisp)
In search of love and laughter
(Will-o-the-wisp)
You were always such a free spirit (Will-o-the-wisp)
Who came and went so much (Will-o-the-wisp)
A will-o-the-wisp
And charming with it
I'm still longing for your touch
(Will-o-the-wisp)
On an elevated train
Rattling above the streets of a city
Where men don't wait in vain
But you're such a handsome thing
Do you still hang around that old arcade
To see what luck will bring
On an elevated train
Rattling above the streets of a city
Where men don't wait in vain
I think, my, you may have changed
But you're such a handsome thing
Do you still hang around that old arcade
To see what luck will bring?
(Will-o-the-wisp)
From Uhland to Warschauerstraße
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Emerging from below past Nollendorfplatz
(Will-o-the-wisp)
In search of love and laughter
(Will-o-the-wisp)
(Will-o-the-wisp)
(Will-o-the-wisp)
(Will-o-the-wisp)
A bright-eyed eager chap
A will-o-the-wisp
And charming with it
In your battered leather cap
(Will-o-the-wisp)
With a wife and job and all that
Working for the local government
And living in a rented flat?
(Will-o-the-wisp)
From Uhland to Warschauerstraße
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Emerging from below past Nollendorfplatz
(Will-o-the-wisp)
In search of love and laughter
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Will you recognise me today?
Give me a smile for old time's sake
Before you run away
Aren't you getting bored? (Will-o-the-wisp)
A will-o-the-wisp
And charming with it (Will-o-the-wisp)
Who loved to be adored
(Will-o-the-wisp)
From Uhland to Warschauerstraße
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Emerging from below past Nollendorfplatz
(Will-o-the-wisp)
In search of love and laughter
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Who came and went so much (Will-o-the-wisp)
A will-o-the-wisp
And charming with it
I'm still longing for your touch
(Will-o-the-wisp)
Song Info
Submitted by
mellow_harsher On Jan 24, 2020
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Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
After many years, the speaker sees a man who he was once acquainted with riding on a train. Whether or not the two were romantically involved is unclear, but the speaker definitely had feelings for him. He is still strongly attracted to the man and wonders whether or not the man remains the puckish free spirit he once knew. One way or another, the speaker views his chance of having a lasting relationship with the man as slim: if the man has not settled down by then, then (the speaker assumes) he is still flighty and would not stay with anyone long. On top of this, it has been many years and the man might not even recognize him. The recurring lyric “Will-o-the-wisp”, which gives the song its name, refers to a folkloric being. Will-o’-the-wisps are moving, floating lights, typically in swamps, bogs, or other marshy areas, which retreat from travelers and may lure them to their dooms. This emphasizes the man’s alluring, unpredictable, fey nature and suggests that trying to pursue him could be perilous as well as futile.
[Edit: I realized that whether or not the two had ever been romantically involved is ambiguous, though the speaker’s attraction to the man is made explicit.]