Saw it written and I saw it say
Pink moon is on its way
And none of you stand so tall
Pink moon gonna get ye all

And it's a pink moon
Hey, it's a pink moon
Pink, pink, pink, pink, pink moon
Pink, pink, pink, pink, pink moon

I saw it written and I saw it say
A pink moon is on its way
And none of you stand so tall
Pink moon gonna get ye all

It's a pink moon
Yeah, it's a pink moon

Overall Meaning

The song "Pink Moon" by Nick Drake is a simple yet haunting tune that has left fans and critics wondering about the meaning behind the lyrics. The lyrics are filled with mysterious images that seem to hint at a deeper meaning that is left open to interpretation. The song starts with "Saw it written and I saw it say / Pink moon is on its way / And none of you stand so tall / Pink moon gonna get ye all." This opening stanza suggests that something ominous is approaching, and no one can avoid it. The use of the color pink, which is often associated with love, seems an odd choice given the bleak feeling of the song.

As the song continues, the phrase "pink moon" is repeated several times, almost like a chant. This repetition gives the song an incantatory quality, as if the singer is trying to summon or ward off something. The phrase "none of you stand so tall" suggests that everyone is vulnerable to whatever is coming, no matter how confident or secure they might feel. The lyrics of the song leave a lot of room for interpretation, but it certainly seems to be about impending doom, whether literal or metaphorical.

Line by Line Meaning

Saw it written and I saw it say
I read somewhere and confirmed that a pink moon is predicted

Pink moon is on its way
A rare phenomenon of a pink-colored full moon is going to occur soon

And none of you stand so tall
Even the mighty and powerful will not escape its influence

Pink moon gonna get ye all
Everyone will be affected by this special event

And it's a pink moon
The emphasis is on the uniqueness and significance of this pink-colored full moon

Hey, it's a pink moon
Once again, the rarity and importance of this event is being highlighted

Pink, pink, pink, pink, pink moon
Repeating the color of the moon to further signify its importance

Pink, pink, pink, pink, pink moon
Repeating again to emphasize the significance of this event

I saw it written and I saw it say
The repetition of this line is used to reinforce the previously mentioned prediction

A pink moon is on its way
Repeating the prediction of the rare pink-colored full moon

And none of you stand so tall
The fact that the moon will affect even the most powerful and influential people is being repeated

Pink moon gonna get ye all
The repetition further emphasizes that this special event will affect everyone

It's a pink moon
The rarity and uniqueness of the moon is being reiterated

Yeah, it's a pink moon
Again, emphasizing the importance and significance of this pink-colored full moon

Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Nick Drake

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@saveit7257

1y↑41

All comments from YouTube:

@averilleX

4d↑30

Tonight is a full pink moon in Scorpio. Thinking of Nick Drake.

@lynne5322

3d↑9

Happy Pink Moon Day, Nick Drake 🙏

@marcushernandezgarcia520

2y↑801

I play this every night on thirds at 5:50 a.m. 10 minutes before I sign off duty. Driving the country roads thanking God that I made it home safe every night. This song means deep for me. No matter how bad the shift was and how bad some of the calls I may get, I always smile because I made through another day.

@aronliu9725

1y↑5

dude, why 5.50 am (morning or night)?

@bartonknight2677

1y↑5

Nice. It means deep to me to

@govansquared4759

one hundred and eighty

@Starrman69

51w↑19

I retired from a Michigan Sherriff's Office and I know what you mean! I did enjoy midnights, not so many wizards and warlocks...Nick left us far too soon...**sigh**... Music can sooth the soul!!

@andrewjoyner4133

46w↑6

@@aronliu9725 night shift maybe ??

24 More Replies...

@fionatyler9928

5d↑7

Prepping for Pink Moon, 24th April 2024. 😊

@The.Last.Guitar.Hero.

1y↑222

Very few songs can bring tears to my eyes but this is one. Made sadder by the fact Nick thought nobody cared about his music when he died yet millions now do.

@Cnsalmoni

24w↑10

Isn’t that the irony of genius?

@machtschnell7452

2y↑277

Nick is like an old friend that I have not seen in a long time. I miss you, Nick

@steamdean100

2y↑12

You're not wrong.

@herdhrry485

2y↑8

Exactly how I feel, it hurts sometimes....

@andydalessio939

2y↑4

🙏❤️

@lindahandley5267

2y↑2

That's exactly what it feels like.😥

@GT380man

1y↑3

I hope he can feel the love for him, encircling the Earth. Be at peace, Nick.

2 More Replies...

@jaceyp.8457

50w↑72

Nick drake is the vincent van gogh of music and this song is his starry night

@zafurchio5687

Yes man, i thought the same yesterday at night. You nailed it 🙂

@jamesstewart-hunter7527

1y↑110

No one liked his music til he was dead
My dad went to Cambridge University in his year. He told me that he played music around the campus all day and no one even looked at him. I showed dad his music and he was blown away by the cult following he has received since those times. He is incredible, really sad stuff.

@flipindisticalproductions4736

41w↑19

he was signed to Island Records and had his flat and bills paid for him by one of the best record companies in the world. yes, his records didn't sell as much as Cat Stevens, who was also on Island, and Bob Marley, later, but he was extremely well respected by his peers, as evidenced by some of the musicians that played on his first two albums.......but this album proves he was probably better alone, just like he preferred to be.

@derrickgreen9020

30w↑1

Which university was that? I visit Cambridge often.

@planomathandscience

21w↑4

That's bullshit. Lots of artists we know today loved him back then. But he made it so damned hard to with his shyness on stage and refusal to interact with people. We know why, now, but then? Hard to stomach.

@gregkuruvilla4280

20w↑3

He may have thought himself a failure. But he wrote a really good song. He was so young. Too bad he didn't get the help he needed to pull out of his depression. He died with a lot of good songs that we'll never hear.

@candymintz

2y↑419

I've been in to Nick Drake music since he released his first album, I have all his albums.....wish Nick was here today, the music he would have created would have been as legendary as his earlier work. and here in St Petersburg, Florida there is a full moon tonight April 17th 2022

@amunetashraqutanwr7955

2y↑12

And it was a pink full moon🥺

@ancientcitypoets

2y↑5

The same moon was mesmerizing on Saturday morning in St. Augustine, Florida.

@alfching2499

2y↑4

It’s a great pity he didn’t get all this acclaim when he was alive.He needed encouragement then,it may have stopped he’s suicide.

@nejijuan

2y↑6

thats awesome u are a legend

@GT380man

1y↑6

I saw that moon, too, from Siesta Key, FL.
What a great song.

16 More Replies...

@mrwriter6536

2w↑4

Wish Nick could just see how much his music is appreciated and how much he is loved.

@Deedee-ee1sg

6d↑2

Remembered for a while...
Remembered for a long time!
Remembered forever!
R.I.P NICK DRAKE
Hope you're now flying free of sadness and pain. ❤

@ezclappoggers

8w↑10

When I first listened to Nick Drake I was travelling through India for the first time, on a 6 hour train ride, I could've spent days on that train looking at the scenery listening to his albums. His soul in his music changed me and my view on life.

@teresamaze55

1y↑145

The first time I listened to Nick Drake's music I could feel the depth of his soul in every note and lyric, and I understood the connectedness shared by every soul.

@whiteyfisk9769

1y↑3

Incredible guitar player. Absolutely abysmal vocalists and at best sophomoric lyricists

@reidshupingdesign7094

49w↑1

Thanks for the nick drake shoutout. Hadn’t heard of him before and taking a listen now.

@davemiller6884

14w

That sir, is your opinion and yours only.@@whiteyfisk9769

@johnbarry1965

3w↑7

When the world seems too much, Nick is there for us ❤

@countingcoup

2y↑88

Iconic ~ that stark piano over that brilliant chord progression gets me every time… Perfection

@MarioRossi-lh7rr

1y↑5

Ray LaMontagne does this some 50 years later and it's just as beautiful , Be Here

@proletariatbourgeoisie9929

44w

I hear a lot of parallels between Ray and Nick. Roll Me, Mama sounds like it came straight off Five Leaves Left

@SashaLaurenAuthor

1y↑22

It's a pink moon tonight. Love you, Nick Drake.

@MarkingTime34

2w↑1

New Pink Moon started 4/8/24... same day as the N. American total solar eclipse... there's gotta be something to that... statistically. I take astronomy seriously... astrology sometimes asks for a ride-along, though.

@ponybreath12

2y↑111

Still one of the best albums ever made.

@stanleyklein524

38w

Right next to the Shagg's Philosophy of the World.

@eamonrodgers4751

42w↑7

Troubled soul, a flawed genius, been to his grave and thanked him for his music, God be good to him, ❤

@noblshtplz

24w

He will be...he knows an angel when he hears one...♥️🎵🙏

@pauljonesesquire

2y↑53

I went for a walk in the early evening twas indeed a big pink moon on the horizon and its gonna get ye all. I love this album.

@GT380man

1y↑1

We none of us stand so tall. He knew.

@robfranklyn1091

2y↑97

my heart grows just a tiny bit every time I hear this song

@marbleblue5127

2y↑13

It restores what is lost from being in the world out there. His music is like coming in from the cold.

@talesfromthecrypto1

1y↑72

I am playing this in honor of the pink moon in April this year. I didn't realise it actually existed. Happy pink moon everyone. Blessings to you nick drake for this beautiful melody that has enchanted all of us❤❤❤

@filmesehenbewerten9761

1y↑3

Your comment just made my day, so thank you for that

@sethwetzel974

22w↑11

Amazing song. I remember it was on a Volkswagon commercial back in the mid nineties. I was a DJ on a radio station and a man called me up right after he seen the commercial and asked me about it. Of course I knew the artist and the song cause I had the CD. He requested it every friday night. Of course I played it for him but he never asked who the artist was. What an amazing song and it's probably on my favorite ever folk album.

@frankmageean6027

1y↑84

I played this album to my teenage daughters. They were flabbergasted. Nick Drake's music spans the ages.

@Jase_0

45w↑1

heheh flabbergasted hehe

@markojungels6740

44w

This dope is hope😊

@reverb508

38w↑2

This record could have come out last week and it would still sound fresh. His music is evergreen.

@kiptamine3662

4w↑3

wer never gonna forget u for this nick drake just u watch bro, this shit is timeless, i wish u could see what uve done in the landscape of music....

@saveit7257

1y↑41

@lessthanthreemetal

4w↑10

The Vincent Van Gogh of music. If only he knew.

@sudanbewaobdedebo

1y↑15

I've just recently stumbled upon him whilst looking up the singer songwriter John Martyn. Apparently John used to tell him that he was a genius, but he was so shy to tour so records didn't sell well Then came the depression and he left us.......but luckily his music lives on and probably grows and grows. Just what he wished for. Nothing more and nothing less. God bless his gentle soul. A genius that left too soon!!!

@lindahandley5267

2y↑104

The hardest thing for me is knowing that he's not here anymore and there's no chance to tell him just how much I love his music and what it means to me. There's the mystery also of how he came and went before I even knew of him. 🌹❤

@lindahandley5267

1y↑3

@jeremy graceThat's very kind of you Jeremy. 🤗 Thank you!

@kingpetra6886

1y↑2

It is harder for those who did hear his music when he was here. For some people, some things are better left alone. That info is out there and so is his music.

@lindahandley5267

1y↑4

@@kingpetra6886 Tell me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you're scolding me and I don't think I like it.

@bobdavis4848

1y↑3

Hi Linda, I feel exactly the same way about Nick Drake's music as you do, and have repeat played his albums more in recent years than anyone else's albums. No one should sound scolding to you for feeling that way.

@paulrizo5469

1y↑2

@@bobdavis4848 I agree with Bob, Linda.

2 More Replies...

@flynnt1953

2y↑38

Saw the Pink Moon on Saturday night, reminded me of Nick.
Beautiful song from a beautiful album, been listening since 1970.
🌕🎸🎶

@siosio6935

44w↑14

Everytime I hear his voice it makes me cry. A true talent gone far too soon

@rachel-rb4bp

1w↑1

wonderful song and singer love it

@relicofgold

1y↑27

Nick was so real in his music. Authentic as can be. A real gem, lost by about the first time I ever heard this song. There was no opportunity to tell him how great he was.

@jeffzekas

2y↑12

Saw a pink moon last night, thought about Nick Drake, all souls connected together, we shall meet again.

@guerrillaradio9953

50w↑9

INFP male....kindred soul....I like to think of it like this: at the end of the song, he just becomes part of nature, man. He didn't die, he just became part of what he loved most. Right behind you, man...✌️😌✌️

@rick3747

24w↑1

57 year old INFP. I am with you and Nick and nature.❤

@juliaingram7448

1y↑6

I was lucky enough to take my sons for a bit of a pilgrimage to Tanworth in Arden to pay our respects. Nick lives on in the coming generations.

@alastairmcbricky3456

the coming of Christ

@funcrunch

2y↑13

Pink Moon has been my favorite album ever since I saw that car commercial back in 1999 that used the title song. Immediately had to know what it was. I think Nick Drake posthumously gained a lot of U.S. fans that year based on that commercial.

@candymintz

2y↑1

Tell me you have Bryter Layter and Five Leaves Left in your record collection :) I recall going to a local record store in 1969 when I lived in Great Britain and buying his first album which was released in 1969

@funcrunch

2y↑1

@@candymintz Yep, as well as Time of No Reply and Made to Love Magic.

@GT380man

1y↑1

Apparently, VW dealers received a huge number of enquiries after that Golf Cabrio aired. Trouble for then was, they were interested in the news model variants, but instead were repeatedly asked what was the song used behind the advert. Apparently they were generous about it .

@flochiiko

13w↑1

You did it nick 🙌🌟❤️

@mrsszmanda07

2y↑28

Adore Nick. Grew up listening to his music ❤️

@tokenofdevotion

1y↑6

Probably the safest song I can hear when I'm alone. I feel warm

@SuperMcabral

2y↑5

I miss his music and him: gone way too soon. Thank you for playing this song.

@mikkimification

Missing you, Nick Drake. Your music was amazing and kind.

@michaelpate6700

2y↑7

Always excited to see any output from the estate........

@bobdavis4848

How do you know the estate of the wonderful Nick Drake is running this great channel?

@warrenevans8139

1y↑6

His music is as timeless as a Pink Moon is and may everyone discover it soon and the world find peace as he himself I hope finally found too.

@exzisd

1y↑6

Rolling into 2023 in a few hours. Still listening to this song over so many years and it still has that magic that calls me back from time to time.

@ugomastroianni7473

1y↑2

Son passati 51 anni e la splendida LUNA ROSA di Nick ci sussurra ancora bellezza da lassù.

@catherinethompson4869

1y↑2

Listening right now, on the Full Pink Moon, April 6th, 2023 - timeless beauty

@Esprox

Right here with you, friend

@red10018

1y↑3

I didn't know about Nick until the early 90s. I regret all the years I was ignorant of him. I can't imagine my life without this genius now. So fundamental.

@michelbourbonnais1727

49w↑3

Beautiful, moving, and very sophisticated music....

@Goatchild90

19w↑1

The OG 2003 Rolling Stone 500 Albums list was the only reason I even heard of Nick Drake. I was 19 or something. I heard those albums back in 2008 and have been a fan ever since. RIP to a legend.

@bartonknight2677

1y↑2

I didn't realize that in the past they had pink moons as well. Can't remember them. Just seems like a recent thing. Blood moons etc. This song just touched something so deep inside me. It just resonates. I am sure that wherever his soul took him. He's making beautiful music there as well. Possibly at the very feet ... of God. I've heard him compared to King David. So very true. Thank you, Nick. Thank you so very much.

@eg8419

2y↑2

Thanks for this Beautiful Presentation of the one and only Nick Drake....

@teresaangless3055

2y↑3

And tonight is the last full moon of my 50s. And it was pink!

@RonaiHenrik

2y↑4

Thanks Spotify for reminding me of the 50th jubileum of this album.

@GT380man

1y↑1

That’s just incredible. It’s so fresh that Nick might have recorded it in lockdown & we’d regard it equally beautiful compared with this “Easter egg” of a tune from ‘72.
I was 12 when this was recorded. I’d never heard of Nick Drake until five or so years ago, when my very awake daughter asked what I thought about Nick Drake.

@alemarlur

2y↑6

Thank you so much Bryter Music for making me know about this video!

@catalina525

8w↑1

beautiful

@lubizzle8670

Full moon tonight, I’d like to think it’s a very pale pink. For some reason this song appeared on an Instagram post reminding me to take my meds! I’d forgotten about this song, I can’t remember where and when I first heard it all but I think the universe brought it back to me tonight for a reason ❤

@nathancritz

50w↑2

Tonight i decided to listen to this album after i got off work. It was 2am when i got off, i work graveyard shift once a week. I looked up and the moon was half full and slightly colored. I think that was a sign it was the right time to listen to Nick.

@BrickBlacktoe

2y↑22

Like so many others, taken from us far too young. One of the most influential, yet barely recognized artists of his time.

@marcpeters4599

1y↑3

Sounds like he wasn't taken from us, I understand he committed suicide from some of the other comments. I suppose you could rightly say he took himself from us - just not outside forces, then again the devil/demons may have influenced his decision, I am speaking from experience since they almost did so for me. I am only still here by the grace of God.

@GT380man

1y↑2

@@marcpeters4599 I believe the coroners verdict determined that the cause of death was overdose of the medicine he’d been prescribed for depression. The coroner ruled that the alternatives, inadvertent v deliberate, could not be separated. This medicine is well-known to have a very low margin of safety. I don’t recommend that particular medicine at all, for this reason,

@marcpeters4599

@@GT380man thanks for the info, I hope it's not the same medication I'm on - Lithium - which I've never had any problems with since I was prescribed after my attempt in 2016.

@NatureEllaJ

11w

Magnifique 🌸✨ Merci Nick Drake ❤️

@colm47

2y↑11

Got excited when I got the email from Bryter Music, thought it might be a 50th anniversary box set being announced. Oh well, video will have to do!!

@girlmeetsreggae

Ya...pink moon will do ❤️

@YarrBr0

2y↑4

saw an orangey-pink moon tonight and immediately thought of this song…. thanks for putting up this lovely video!

@zedxxx9

2y↑9

lovely visuals for a lovely classic.

@lesterpaul9657

2y↑6

Nick Drake represents memories of a great time in my life.
Listen to Night flight with Alan Bangs round midnight on BFBS.
In this show I came in touch with british and irish folkmusic like Strawbs, Fairport Convention, Clannad, Steeleye Span and guitarists like John Martyn and Nick Drake.
Wish there would be any live footage by Drake.

@teresaangless3055

Is there really none?

@GT380man

Was that a period of National Service? It’d ceased by the time I came of age In 1978. I recall a program on BBC radio, perhaps on a Sunday, where the anchor would read out requests from the fragmenting British Empire, where servicemen and their families might be anywhere, in far flung posting, usually having a call sign of BFBO (British forces based abroad), BFOR (British Forces on the Rhine ), etc.

@GT380man

1y↑1

@@teresaangless3055 none at all. Hardly any pictures of him as an adult, mostly taken by his sister, who has looked after Nick’s musical affairs for decades. She has said that she is guided by her guesses about what Nick would have wanted. There is a fantastic oral biography that she wrote about het brother.

@user-hs3zl2pp5f

47w↑2

Long live nick ❤

@antoniofdez

2y↑3

A genius creating intimacy through music, just like Chopin... tragic destiny

@bluehouse6480

1y↑3

With life being so complicated, this song just lets you escape, leave that behind you .... let the real you be.. just be

@paulclarkson1778

11w↑1

The actress Gabrielle Drake is his sister. She must be so proud of Nick.

@canucklehead11

25w↑3

This album sounds simple and beautiful the first time you hear it. It's not until the 2nd or 3rd listen that you hear the loneliness.

@denisefreitas6727

2y↑4

Simply beautiful! 💖

@veroverdier514

2y↑10

Love it so much!!!

@cyndykated1083

I heard this by another artist.. thought it was her original...thanks Heath Ledger for leading me here.❤

@anandkishor2791

1y↑10

You guys are awesome , u have such wonderful taste for music

@manupi17

2y↑3

Beautiful💜 thank you all🙏🌟🤍🧚‍♀️🌝 Now we rise and we are everywhere...☀️🌸💞 #nickdrakegreatspiritualmovement

@chrisschultz8598

1y↑1

Have a happy pink moon 2023.

@kaarenremley7585

1y↑4

Someone suggested I give this a listen! Love his voice! ❤

@darklingeraeld-ridge7946

2y↑4

Beyond excellent.

@johnlittle3430

1y↑9

Every time I wake up and I'm still alive, I play this song.

@Titusmuddler

2y↑9

Stunningly beautiful what a talent ❤🖤

@shilohrising

2y↑3

Love it!

@CarrickWebb

40w↑1

What a lovely little album; I’m glad I finally decided to listen to it.

@imannonymous7707

49w

I moved to ft McMurray Alberta from Toronto when I was 12... I'd never heard of northern lights , let alone see them. The land of the midnight sun ,is always in my heart

@smilesgiggles8013

22w

Thank you for all you do!!!!

@unamsanctam7296

2y↑5

Great song.

@franvazquez5804

43w↑1

Perfect Theme. Timeless and wonderfull song.
Immortal.❤

@mikeclark7429

29w↑6

Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley, two young talents that died far too soon. Both brilliant song writers and musicians.

@kouinetsu

1y↑1

Here because of Lou Diamond. They state this album was a huge inspiration for their early music. I can see why, Its very good!

@sudanbewaobdedebo

44w↑3

Simply beautiful!! What a sad loss to the music world 🌎

@andreawoodward4757

Bury me to this ❤

@NickHintonMusic

2y↑1

Adore. Thank you.

@haysfordays

1y↑1

Pink Moon tonight. April 5, 2023. Austin, Tx.

@jrochamp3

1y↑1

Nick is always in my head and in my heart. Years ago I made a pt_br version of Nick's CoS.

@JoaoSoares66

42w

Always here to ear this music. Fabulous theme!

@michaelgask

2y↑18

Perfect! Waking up on Easter morning to an email from Bryter Music, and seeing this... well, it made my weekend. Stunning photography.Thank you.

@candymintz

Me too and today is my birthday, I shall play the whole album today through my Tannoy GRF 1959 Red's....just fabulous, and there's a full moon tonight here in St Petersburg, Florida April 17th 2022
https://youtu.be/MGmGYZgILpo

@acidbatharchive

2y↑3

Best album ever

@adrianbarnes-white3655

2y↑4

That works so well - excellent! 👏👏👏

@andrewthomas4631

44w↑1

He's in my soul❤

@evrimoon9457

1y↑1

It's a pink moon tonight...just waiting for Jesus ✝️

@JeanMartin-zp3ji

21w

Such a gem. It's kind of sad that recognition comes after Nick's gone.

@robduncan5214

2y↑1

Ah pink moon… so good to have you come around again

@douglasjaeger1559

46w↑1

I first heard Pink Moon on that Volkswagen commercial years ago. It evoked a beautifully peaceful feeling in me, and every time I hear Pink Moon I’m transported back to that sublime feeling again.

BTW I have a wonderful photo of the pink moon that occurred November 19th, 2021.

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