Wrapping Paper
Cream Lyrics
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Moving slowly as the wind on the sea,
(Faces calling, waves moving)
In your picture on a wall of a house of old times.
(Can you hear me) Can you hear me
(Can you hear me) Wandering sadly?
In the city, feeling pretty,
Down and out and making love to you on the shore,
(Ruined buildings, faces empty)
In the picture as I gaze ahead and don't see
(That they're calling) That they're calling.
(That they're calling) Wandering sadly.
Shattered windows, stairs to nowhere.
(Hear you calling) Hear you calling
(Hear you calling) As I wander so sadly.
Wish I knew what you'd done to me;
Turned me on to things I never knew.
It's all broken, weeds are growing.
Wish I was going home to the house by the shore
(Where you loved me) Where you loved me,
(Where you loved me) Loved me so sadly.
Someday I'll get back, somehow I'll do it.
I'll arrive there and you'll be there to meet me.
(Walk together, tread the weeds down)
Kiss again in the picture on the wall
(Where I loved you) In the old house.
(Where I loved you) Loved you so well.
In Cream's song Wrapping Paper, the lyrics express the theme of longing for a lost love. The first verse describes the feeling of being discarded like wrapping paper into a gutter, with the wind carrying one through an aimless journey. The wind and waves are reminiscent of the sea, a metaphorical representation of life's unpredictable nature. The lyricist then depicts a picture on an old wall, representing a long-lost memory, where faces are seen calling and waves are moving. The singer asks over and over again whether the lost love can hear him wandering sadly.
The second verse talks about the singer feeling pretty in the city, but down and out at the same time. The picture he gazes upon in the old house is that of his lost love. The faces in the picture call out to him, and he feels a sad longing for his love. The broken and ruined buildings mirror the singer's broken heart. The stairs lead to nowhere, signifying the aimlessness of the singer's wanderings. The singer hears his lost love calling out to him, but he can't physically find her.
The third verse is reflective of the singer's struggles caused by not knowing what his lost love has done to him as he laments over how she turned him onto new experiences, which now is all broken, and weeds are growing. He wishes to go back to the house by the shore where he was loved, suggesting a constant longing for his lost love. The lyrics touch on the sorrowful wistfulness that comes with these memories. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer will find a way back to his lost love someday, and they will meet again.
Line by Line Meaning
Wrapping paper in the gutter
Discarded and forgotten wrapping paper lying in the dirty street
Moving slowly as the wind on the sea,
Being carried slowly by the wind, much like small waves on the surface of the sea
(Faces calling, waves moving)
People's faces are calling and the sound of the waves is noticeable
In your picture on a wall of a house of old times.
You are present in a photograph hanging on a wall inside an old house
(Can you hear me) Can you hear me
Asking if you can hear their call
(Can you hear me) Wandering sadly?
Continuing to wonder if you can hear them while feeling sorrowful
In the city, feeling pretty,
Being in the city and feeling confident
Down and out and making love to you on the shore,
Despite being down on their luck, they long for a romantic time with you on the beach
(Ruined buildings, faces empty)
The city is dilapidated and the people in it are desolate
In the picture as I gaze ahead and don't see
While looking at a picture, thoughts drift away and become detached from reality
(That they're calling) That they're calling.
Shifting focus to the fact that someone is calling them
(That they're calling) Wandering sadly.
Continuing to wander and mournfully realizing that someone is calling them
Shattered windows, stairs to nowhere.
Description of the desolate surroundings full of broken windows and unnecessary stairs
(Hear you calling) Hear you calling
Remembering that you are calling to them
(Hear you calling) As I wander so sadly.
Feeling melancholy while hearing your call and aimlessly wandering
Wish I knew what you'd done to me;
Wanting to understand how you have affected them
Turned me on to things I never knew.
Feeling like you have opened up new experiences and perspectives for them
It's all broken, weeds are growing.
Acknowledging the dire state of the surroundings with broken artifacts and overgrown weeds
Wish I was going home to the house by the shore
Yearning to return to a place of comfort and familiarity
(Where you loved me) Where you loved me,
Reflecting on the memories of a place where you felt loved
(Where you loved me) Loved me so sadly.
Feeling remorseful that the love experienced in that place was sad and bittersweet
Someday I'll get back, somehow I'll do it.
Vowing to return to that place eventually one way or another
I'll arrive there and you'll be there to meet me.
Imagining a reunion with you upon returning to that cherished place
(Walk together, tread the weeds down)
Imagining walking together with you, stepping on the overgrown weeds in the area
Kiss again in the picture on the wall
Envisioning them kissing once again in front of the photograph hanging on the wall
(Where I loved you) In the old house.
Expressing nostalgia for the love felt in that old house
(Where I loved you) Loved you so well.
Recalling how much they loved and cared for you in that particular place
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.