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Charmed Life
The Divine Comedy Lyrics


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When I hold you in my arms
And look back on my charmed life, my charmed life,
I hope, I hope if nothing more
That one day you'll call your life a charmed life.

Well I've never really worried that much
About making lots of money and such
And I always seem to land upon my feet.
And though there's been some difficult times
The good times were never far behind.
I've snatched all of my victories from the jaws of defeat.

When I hold you in my arms
And look back on my charmed life, my charmed life,
I hope, baby I hope if nothing more
That one day you'll call your life a charmed life.

Well the course of true love never ran smooth.
They broke my heart and I broke theirs too,
And breaking up is so very hard to do.
But I knew I'd find the one,
And sure enough she came along,
And not long after that along came you.

Well sometimes this life is like being afloat
On a raging sea in a little row-boat,
Just trying not to be washed overboard.
But if you take your chances and you ride your luck,
And you never, never, never, never, never give up
Those waves will see you safely to a friendly shore.

When I hold you in my arms
I know that this is a charmed life.
A charmed life.

Overall Meaning

The Divine Comedy’s song “Charmed Life” is a reflection on the life of the songwriter and lead singer Neil Hannon. Throughout the first few verses, he talks about his own experiences and how he considers his life a “charmed life.” He doesn’t worry about the normal financial woes that people are often concerned about, though he’s been through some difficult times he has always somehow managed to land on his feet. Despite a few failed relationships, he eventually found the one and their child, and he considers his life well lived.


The chorus of the song reveals that he hopes his child will eventually look back and share the same sentiment about their own life as he does about his. It’s a touching and hopeful idea that every parent could relate to. The final verse provides some words of wisdom to someone who is going through a tough time. He compares difficult moments to being adrift on the sea, but affirms that if you keep pushing and never give up, you will eventually make it to a friendly shore.


“Charmed Life” is a sentimental and heartwarming song that encourages listeners to be grateful for the good things in life.


Line by Line Meaning

When I hold you in my arms
When I have you in my embrace


And look back on my charmed life, my charmed life,
And reflect on my fortunate life as a whole


I hope, I hope if nothing more
I wish, oh I wish even for a small thing


That one day you'll call your life a charmed life.
That someday you will also consider yourself lucky


Well I've never really worried that much
I haven't been too concerned


About making lots of money and such
About earning heaps of cash and whatnot


And I always seem to land upon my feet.
I always manage to come out on top


And though there's been some difficult times
And even though I've faced some tough moments


The good times were never far behind.
The good times have always followed soon after


I've snatched all of my victories from the jaws of defeat.
I've turned all my losses into wins


When I hold you in my arms
When I have you in my embrace


And look back on my charmed life, my charmed life,
And reflect on my fortunate life as a whole


I hope, baby I hope if nothing more
I wish, oh I wish even for a small thing


That one day you'll call your life a charmed life.
That someday you will also consider yourself lucky


Well the course of true love never ran smooth.
Love always has its difficulties


They broke my heart and I broke theirs too,
I've had my heart broken and I've broken hearts too


And breaking up is so very hard to do.
And ending a relationship is extremely difficult


But I knew I'd find the one,
But I was confident that I'd find my perfect match


And sure enough she came along,
And indeed, she appeared in my life as I predicted


And not long after that along came you.
And soon thereafter, you came into my life


Well sometimes this life is like being afloat
Sometimes, living feels like floating


On a raging sea in a little row-boat,
On a turbulent ocean in a tiny boat


Just trying not to be washed overboard.
Just trying not to be overwhelmed


But if you take your chances and you ride your luck,
But if you seize opportunities and take risks


And you never, never, never, never, never give up
And you persist, you persevere, you keep going


Those waves will see you safely to a friendly shore.
You will eventually reach a safe and welcoming destination


When I hold you in my arms
When I have you in my embrace


I know that this is a charmed life.
I am aware that I am leading a lucky life


A charmed life.
A life full of fortune and luck




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NEIL HANNON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Grubby78

My wife and I had this as our first dance at our wedding. Neil Hannon sent us a signed CD with a note that said: "Mind the tricky middle bit." What a man.

xorxee

This guy is a miracle. I'm very happy I have discovered this for myself. Really enjoyable, indeed:)

小樽運河

Most beautiful song ever!

smoodyroo

This such a fantastic song. Long live Divine Comedy!

Anne Edelmann

I love this sooooo much. Neil Hannon is such a great composer. I was so happy that I could see him when he came to Dresden... And the concert was wonderful!

deethr

Divine Comedy absolutely rock :-)

Frank Ch. Eigler

dammit Neil ... tears every time listening to this

Tigerskunk

Indeed...

Dave Wilson

An underrated composer/musician. Such a wonderful repertoire of work and a really decent bloke in real life - I got a massive fan struck moment getting his autograph in Sheffield when he toured with Cathy Davey! I couldn't look him in the eye xD

smoodyroo

Truly beautiful song... Bravo

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