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.
All your seven dreams
Look close, son, and you'll believe
As your things come undone
See you are the only one
Flower, seize the hour I did
I wait Waiting, waiting for your wake
I'll wait
When you wake up you're all weak
Throwing your life away
Someday, sorry coming home
Sorry snail
What you wait for
Flower, the pain will wash away, away
When the sun shines
Climbs through your window into your bed
When you wake up you're all weak
Throwing your life away
Someday, sorry coming home
Sorry snail
Down in my heart
Flower save the hours
Flower away
What you wait for
Flower chase the sunshine
Flower chase the sunshine
Flower
Look close, son, and you'll believe
As your things come undone
See you are the only one
Flower, seize the hour I did
I wait Waiting, waiting for your wake
I'll wait
When you wake up you're all weak
Throwing your life away
Someday, sorry coming home
Sorry snail
What you wait for
Flower, the pain will wash away, away
When the sun shines
Climbs through your window into your bed
When you wake up you're all weak
Throwing your life away
Someday, sorry coming home
Sorry snail
Down in my heart
Flower save the hours
Flower away
What you wait for
Flower chase the sunshine
Flower chase the sunshine
Flower
Lyrics submitted by Ice, edited by viKK, BIRDDUDE830
Snail Lyrics as written by William Patrick Corgan
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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this is one of the more psychedelic songs Corgan has written...I think its about being optimistic no matter what happens and waiting for that moment when everything seems perfect...the line "flower chase the sunshine" is about how we are all after something good
if you substitute flower with poppies (opium) suddenly the song makes sense...
Just to add - if you google around you'll find Billy was a functional user of opiate painkillers around this time (heroin was used but not frequently). <br /> <br /> see here: en.allexperts.com/q/Smashing-Pumpkins-593/f/Billy.htm
It's about going for something and not giving up no matter how hard it may be. He talks about a snail who is after a flower but the snail is so slow that it may take lots of hard work and time.
"All your seven dreams Look close, son, and you'll believe"
The "seven dreams" refer to 7 petals on a flower, and telling the snail to believe that he can make it to the flower.
"Flower, seize the hour I did I wait Waiting, waiting for your wake I'll wait"
The flower speaking to the snail telling him to seize the day and make the most of it, telling the snail that he (the flower) also had to work hard to turn into a flower but it was all worth it. The flower is waiting for him to wake up.
"When you wake up you're all weak Throwing your life away"
The snail is weak from struggling to get to the flower, and so he slacks off, wasting his life away.
"Someday, sorry coming home Sorry snail What you wait for"
The flower hoping someday the snail will join him. The flower is wondering what the snail is waiting for, and that he can make it if he tries.
"Flower, the pain will wash away, away When the sun shines Climbs through your window into your bed"
The snail thinking that when he finally gets to the flower that all his pain and sorrow will go away; the sun will shine.
"Flower save the hours Flower away"
The snail realizes that he needs to start getting on with his life so that he can make it the flower, so he asks the flower to wait for him.
"What you wait for Flower chase the sunshine Flower chase the sunshine Flower"
The snail gets to the flower, thanks to the flower's encouragement, but now the snail is the one now asking the flower "what you wait for?", and is saying "now that I have made it to what I was looking for (the flower), it's your turn. The flower wants sunshine, so the snail is now encouraging the flower to chase the sunshine.
I think it's about not wasting your life. It's to both hold onto your dreams and seize the day. Simple and complex.
In the literal sense: A snail has been asleep all summer in its shell, dreaming seven dreams. Billy is a child waiting for the snail to come out, waiting for his wake. Then billy is sorry because he has to go home and the snail either hasn't woken up or has but is not moving and the day is up. The imagery is strong here. I think the snail is sitting on a flower in the sun and Billy (wrongly) expects it to wake from the sunlight. In the end he snail to chase the sunshine, wake up!
Metaphorically: You are the snail (or perhaps Billy is singing to himself). You are urged to wake up from dreaming and actually pursue your dreams. Billy is probably referring to young people waking up in the afternoon weak with a hangover from last night and then wasting whatever daylight they have left throwing their life away just moping about doing nothing. He's probably been in the same situation. Because you wake in the afternoon, you must chase the sunshine before your time runs out and you waste your life. "Flower - save the hour" - time is of the essence! "The pain will wash away" - Your hangover will pass.
Just hearing the song i can tell you it's about dreams.
I actually believe the lyric goes
When you wake up your own way Throwing your life away Someday, siren coming home Siren Snail Yeah, with my hope
I could be wrong but thats what that part has always sounded like to me
Smashing Pumpkins Snail
My analysis and thoughts
All your seven dreams Look close, son, and you’ll believe As your things come undone See you are the only one
Not certain of meaning. The writer seems to be addressing a son who has seven dreams. Seems odd to have seven dreams unless he does not really know what he wants to do. Look close at what? At this parable of the flower and snail? Seems a little discouraging to say – ‘as your things come undone, see you are the only one’ – unless he is saying that all the other flowers are out and the son is not flowering like he should. Note: I believe the son is the flower and the snail is the observer – maybe the patient father. See below – the writer is addressing the Flower (son) – The Father is waiting for his wake.
Flower, seize the hour, I did, I wait Waiting, waiting for your wake, I’ll wait
When you wake up you’re all weak Throwing your life away Someday, sorry coming home Sorry snail What you wait for?
Flowers probably do wake up weak – due to a night of no sun. In the case of the son - this could be apathy. Waking up with no direction - throwing life away. I guess the father thinks he will be sorry someday. I think it could be the flower (son) saying “sorry snail, what you wait for?”
Kind of humorous in a way because snails are obviously slow and for a snail to wait would imply a very long wait – like it’s never going to happen. I don’t know if snails hang around waiting for flowers to open, but it seems this one is. It is a sad picture assuming the snail is the father.
Flower, the pain will wash away, away When the sun shines Climbs through your window into your bed
Make you wonder if the son is pained somehow. Maybe pained for the snail? I picture a son in bed not wanting to get up. This part is sung softly, like the father is trying to encourage the son somehow. Though a flower may not necessarily be behind a window – it would be in a flowerbed – nice use of metaphor there...
When you wake up you’re all weak Throwing your life away Someday, sorry coming home Sorry snail Down in my heart?
Repeat of previous. ‘Down in my heart’ sounds like ‘down in my home’. The live version shows Billy pounding his heart – so it must be heart… Either way – it seems like the son is sorry - down in his heart.
Flower save the hours Flower away
This seems to be the climax of the song. The drums rolling and all. Is the flower opening? ‘Flower away!’ seems to suggest the flower is deploying petals. The music seems to communicate some sort of desperation here.
What you wait for? Flower chase the sunshine Flower chase the sunshine Flower
I think it is now the snail (father) saying back ‘What you wait for?’ Seems odd there is so much emotion in the music at this point. Is there not another day? Maybe the son has opened up and has decided to do something and the father wants him to chase it before he gets discouraged again? Maybe the father has reached the end of his life and wants to see his son prospering before he goes? It really is open to interpretation at this point. The interpretation by Xaz was good. I hope this one is also useful?
I did not realize until this day how deep this song was.
no its not
so what is it about then?