Twilight fades
Through blistered avalon
The sky's cruel torch
On aching autobahn
Into the uncertain divine
We scream into the last divine
You make me real
You make me real
Strong as I feel
You make me real
Sheila rides on crashing nightingale
Intake eyes leave passing vapor trails
With blushing brilliance alive
Because it's time to arrive
You make me real
You make me real
Strong as I feel
You make me real
Lately, I just can't seem to believe
Discard my friends to change the scenery
It meant the world to hold a bruising faith
Now it's just a matter of grace
A summer storm graces all of me
Highway warm sing silent poetry
And I could bring you the light
And take you home into the night
Lately, I just can't seem to believe (you make me real)
Discard my friends to change the scenery (you make me real)
It meant the world to hold a bruising faith (strong as I feel)
But now it's just a matter of grace (you make me real)
Through blistered avalon
The sky's cruel torch
On aching autobahn
Into the uncertain divine
We scream into the last divine
You make me real
You make me real
Strong as I feel
You make me real
Sheila rides on crashing nightingale
Intake eyes leave passing vapor trails
With blushing brilliance alive
Because it's time to arrive
You make me real
You make me real
Strong as I feel
You make me real
Lately, I just can't seem to believe
Discard my friends to change the scenery
It meant the world to hold a bruising faith
Now it's just a matter of grace
A summer storm graces all of me
Highway warm sing silent poetry
And I could bring you the light
And take you home into the night
Lately, I just can't seem to believe (you make me real)
Discard my friends to change the scenery (you make me real)
It meant the world to hold a bruising faith (strong as I feel)
But now it's just a matter of grace (you make me real)
Lyrics submitted by Ice, edited by iceblink-luck
To Sheila Lyrics as written by William Patrick Corgan
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Edited by delial on May 28 2008, at 06:43AM
I see the first verse as a movement from light to darkness. This might signify the shift from life to death, but it definitely describes major change. "Twilight fades" It also uses a cynical or jaded view on the "light." "Blistered avalon" (a beautiful world where you have a sense of control lost) "Aching autobahn" (as the long, highway of life). The reason I think it may be talking about death is where it says "into the uncertain divine, we scream into the last divide." Lots of people talk about afterlife as great, possibly "divine", but when it comes down to it, no one wants to go "screaming into the last divide" (divide between life and death).
The chorus makes perfect sense if the person dying is of major importance to the narrator.
I think the second verse has to do with the actual dying process, as mentioned on one of the comments. "Crashing nightingale" she can only sing at night now = death. "Vapor trails" and "blushing brilliance" seem like literal body reactions to trauma. "Time to arrive" once again means dying. Anyone know who Sheila could be???
The rest of the song I think deals with the narrator's coping with the death which has already occurred (agreeing with that original comment again). Grappling with questions of who he really is and God. "It meant the world to hold a bruising faith, but now its just a matter of grace." I think bruising faith has to do with his frustration with God in times of desperation. The grace he mentions after comes in forms outside of religion like change in scenery or lifestyle.
I'm having trouble lining up the last verse up perfectly with my interpretation, but I think it has to do with him finally coming to terms with the death and being content. And he uses that word grace again : ) Change in scenery represented by a "summer storm," which could really have a positive or negative sentiment attachment attached to it depending on the reader. Summer storms can be fun and peaceful because you can still be outside and feel warm rain in comfort. Or it could be more metaphorical and signify a negative event at a time when you should be happy (summer). It throws me off when he references light and night in this verse, but I think its just because he's using them differently metaphorically than the first verse. I think it means he can make her happy by joining her and dying one day, which he inevitably will. Maybe the simple thought that they will see her again is what graces him.
Ok it looks like a small comment turned into a huge one and i analyzed the song to death. Hope I got an A and didn't put anyone to sleep, lol. Hope this helps.
Not sure.
Anyways, I thought that maybe some different music would help make me forget Sheila, so I dug out Ava Adore, not having the slightest idea what would be on it, and I just kind of chilled and put it on. The first song immediately struck me as the perfect song. I was just so peaceful, and it instantly reminded me of the light at dusk in January on the blacktop of my elementary school for some reason, and I thought it really beautiful. I kept playing it over and over again, and eventually I just had to go online and lookup the lyrics. When I saw that it was titled "To Sheila" I actually just started laughing hysterically. It was like one of those coincidences that happen in sitcoms or the comics, and it just made me think that my plight wasn't so bad, and that if it seemed like the gods were toying with me, that was cause for laughter.
and now you can just be, you can just feel.
Made me start thinking that he's singing about a car that allows him to just get away from it all, even if for only a moment. Like riding in that car is what calms and centers him. It's that time that he spends alone, driving down the road at night that gives him the ability to reflect on his life. Could be the hum of the motor or the sound of the wind passing by but being in that car is like a therapy session.
I always get this picture in my head when I listen to this song, of a cherry red car with black racing stripes, convertable, top down driving on a winding road at night with the headlights on and the only other light being the moon.
I'm sure the song is deeper in meaning than that, but that's what I see when I listen to it. Great song, very relaxing.
Which leads to the main theme of the song and the entire album, a girl he is totally smitten by. No matter how successful and confident you are, you can meet a person who totally takes you back.
The third verse just explains a little why she drives him crazy, eyes that draw you in and leave vapor trails.
The next verse maybe he starts to doubt the way he feels towards her as time goes by, the normal decline when reality sets in from when everything is new and great. She wrongs him, and he leaves everything behind for a change. Thoughout everything he holds on despite being negatively affected. When its all said and done, he just chalks it up to the good times were worth the bad, him being graced.
I know someone who could make you feel like that:)
Thanks for your words