Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic stated that Volume 2 had more songs on it than its predecessor, including two songs whose album versions were released as singles. He also commented on how the sound quality was some of the best at the time. He did not like, however, that there were not as many extended jams as there were on the predecessor and that Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton's singing is not good on "White Room" and "Sunshine of Your Love." Greenwald felt that the live version of "Deserted Cities of the Heart" is better than the studio version.
Personell:
Eric Clapton – vocals, guitar
Jack Bruce – vocals, bass, harmonica
Ginger Baker – drums
Felix Pappalardi – producer
Tom Dowd – recording engineer
Bill Halverson – recording engineer
Gene Paul – re-mix engineer
Kevin Brady – re-mix engineer
Jim Marshall – cover photography
Gene Trindl – backliner photography
Stanisław Zagórski – album design
Deserted Cities Of The Heart
Cream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The golden treat you never tried.
In times of old, in days gone by.
If I could catch your dancing eye.
It was on the way,
On the road to dreams, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
The street is cold, its trees are gone.
The story's told the dark has won.
Once we set sail to catch a star.
We had to fail, it was too far.
It was on the way,
On the road to dreams, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
I felt the wind shout like a drum.
You said, "My friend, love's end has come."
It couldn't last, had to stop.
You drained it all to the last drop.
It was on the way,
On the road to dreams, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
On this dark street the sun is black.
The winter life is coming back.
On this dark street it's cold inside.
There's no retreat from time that's died.
It was on the way,
On the road to dreams.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love.
The lyrics of Cream's song Deserted Cities Of The Heart describe the despair and disillusionment of a failed relationship that has left the singer feeling lost and alone in a dark, cold, and lifeless city. The first verse establishes the setting of the deserted city, where time has stood still and opportunities have been missed. The second verse adds to the feeling of hopelessness by describing the loss of trees and the victory of darkness over light. The third verse reveals that the relationship was once full of promise and ambition, but it ultimately failed due to distance or some other obstacle. The fourth verse details the final moments of the relationship and the draining of all emotions until there was nothing left.
There is a sense of resignation and acceptance in the lyrics, underscored by the repetition of the phrase "Now my heart's drowned in no love streams". The singer has given up on love and is resigned to being alone in this desolate place. The song is a powerful meditation on the universal experience of lost love and the pain that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Upon this street where time has died.
On this abandoned street where there is no longer any life or activity.
The golden treat you never tried.
The opportunity of something wonderful that you never took advantage of.
In times of old, in days gone by.
In the past when things were different.
If I could catch your dancing eye.
If I could get your attention and hold it.
It was on the way,
There was a time when it seemed possible.
On the road to dreams, yeah.
On the journey to achieve something great.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
Now my heart is full of disappointment and lovelessness.
The street is cold, its trees are gone.
The street is lifeless and barren.
The story's told the dark has won.
The sad ending has already happened and there is no hope for anything good.
Once we set sail to catch a star.
We had high aspirations and dreams.
We had to fail, it was too far.
We inevitably failed to reach our high expectations because they were too unrealistic and unattainable.
I felt the wind shout like a drum.
I experienced something intense and overwhelming.
You said, "My friend, love's end has come."
You told me that our relationship had come to an end.
It couldn't last, had to stop.
Our relationship wasn't sustainable and had to end.
You drained it all to the last drop.
You used up all of our love until there was none left.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
Now my heart is full of disappointment and lovelessness.
On this dark street the sun is black.
There is no hope or light in this dark place.
The winter life is coming back.
The cold, barren season is returning.
On this dark street it's cold inside.
This dark place is also affecting me internally and emotionally.
There's no retreat from time that's died.
There's no going back to when things were better and more alive.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Now my heart is full of disappointment and lovelessness even more than before.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
Now my heart is full of disappointment and lovelessness.
Now my heart's drowned in no love.
Now my heart feels no love whatsoever.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JACK BRUCE, PETER CONSTANTINE BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ralph Signorelli
on Spoonful
First time I heard Cream I was stoned out of my mind on LSD lying of the floor between two very large speakers, for 8 hours. These guys are the best musicians England ever produced. All Rock music after this was just was just imitation.