The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
If i told you he was your brother
We could reminisce
Then you would go about your day
If i said you ought to give him
Some of your water
You'd shake your canteen and walk away
The perception that divides you from him
Is a lie
For some reason you never asked why
This is not a black and white world
You can't afford to believe in your side
This is not a black and white world
To be alive
I say the colours must swirl
And I believe
That maybe today
We will all get to appreciate
The beauty of gray!
If I told you she was your mother
We could analyse the situation and be gone
If I said you ought to give her
Some of your water
Your eyes would light up like the dawn
The perception that divides you from her
Is a lie
For some reason you never asked why
This is not a black and white world
You can't afford to believe in your side
This is not a black and white world
To be alive
I say the colours must swirl
And I believe
That maybe today
We will all get to appreciate
Yes we will all get to appreciate
The beauty of gray (x3)
Look into your eyes
No daylight
New day now
Its not a black and white world
To be alive
I say the colours must swirl
And I believe
That maybe today
We will appreciate the beauty of gray
Its not a black and white world
To be alive
I say the colours must swirl
And I believe
That maybe today
We will all get to appreciate
Yes we will all get to appreciate
The Beauty of Gray! (x10)
We could reminisce
Then you would go about your day
If i said you ought to give him
Some of your water
You'd shake your canteen and walk away
The perception that divides you from him
Is a lie
For some reason you never asked why
This is not a black and white world
You can't afford to believe in your side
This is not a black and white world
To be alive
I say the colours must swirl
And I believe
That maybe today
We will all get to appreciate
The beauty of gray!
If I told you she was your mother
We could analyse the situation and be gone
If I said you ought to give her
Some of your water
Your eyes would light up like the dawn
The perception that divides you from her
Is a lie
For some reason you never asked why
This is not a black and white world
You can't afford to believe in your side
This is not a black and white world
To be alive
I say the colours must swirl
And I believe
That maybe today
We will all get to appreciate
Yes we will all get to appreciate
The beauty of gray (x3)
Look into your eyes
No daylight
New day now
Its not a black and white world
To be alive
I say the colours must swirl
And I believe
That maybe today
We will appreciate the beauty of gray
Its not a black and white world
To be alive
I say the colours must swirl
And I believe
That maybe today
We will all get to appreciate
Yes we will all get to appreciate
The Beauty of Gray! (x10)
Lyrics submitted by Caverna[RR]
The Beauty of Gray Lyrics as written by Chad David Taylor Chad Alan Gracey
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I can't believe nobody has commented on this song. I think its really good- and they play it incredible live. I love the chours.
I feel that we go through this world apart. Distancing ourselves from each other. Putting up barriers for "protection". We claim things to be black and white, good and evil, hot and cold, when in actuallity it all shades of grey. There is no pure good or pure evil except as an abstract idea. And when you realize this the colors will swirl.
I love the way this song puts into words what medicman and aiwubf explain. Take: "for some reason you never asked why, this is not a black and white world, you can't afford to believe in your side" That last sentence punches richt into your heart and makes you doubt your own values. Best about it all is the positive attitude by not saying 'someday' but 'today': "that maybe today we will all get to appreciate." I have to admit I'm not that positive but one day 'someday' will be 'today'.
I think the song it's about who we change our perception of things depending on the person. For instance, if an stranger rob my bank and I loose all my money, I would want him in jail. However, if my mother or my brother rob a bank wouldn't want them in jail.
I love this song so much. It's one of those songs that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It's just so emotional. From my point of view I see this song is talking about how we can't take everything we're told for the face value, we need to ask the age old question: why? that's my interpretation
I started useing the quote from this song to my ex when we were going through our hardships just before the brake up..I al ways go.calm down...lets just chill out and appresiate the beauty of grey for a bit...hahahahaha....yeah it didn't work...she never saw things like I did..no wonder we are now as we are..after 3 years
Some of the commenters here seem to be saying that the song is saying to not ask "why?", but I'm pretty sure that it's the opposite.
"The perception that divides you from him/her is a lie. For some reason you never asked 'why?'"
They never asked why they see a division between them and others.
"This is not a black and white world. You can't afford to believe in your side."
Things aren't as simple as people believe them to be.
This song reminds me of "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby.
"Said, 'Hey, old man, how can you stand to think that way? Did you really think about it before you made the rules?'
He said, 'Son, that's just the way it is. Some things will never change. That's just the way it is.'
But don't you believe them."
The songs seem to be about the need to think and not just accept things because they have always been the way that they are.
Sky or "ethereal blue" reflected off of a jet airplane to represent figurative silver which shines more brilliantly than a pure-white canvas.
Crimson or imperial red independent of the visible light spectrum. Beyond domain of purple, the colors not even clear beneath black or white: which is only light.
It's 2020 and the lyrics still ring true. We have become even more engrained in binary (this or that, red vs blue, hot or cold, black and white) thinking. If we all looked at the beauty of the middle ground, maybe our perspective will be widened.
This song is about Buddhism. They all are.