Don't be afraid, oh mama
Don't be afraid for me
I'll be okay tomorrow, tomorrow

Don't be afraid, oh mama
Don't be afraid for me
I'll be okay tomorrow, tomorrow

I try to, I try to hide my feelings
Don't want to bring you down
But today I been feeling so low, low
But you see my demons
You can read my mind
And you know that I think you don't know, know

Now that everybody wanna see me
Like a star on their living room TV
You know how I'm living ain't easy
Oh mama, yeah

Don't be afraid, oh mama
Don't be afraid for me
I'll be okay tomorrow, tomorrow (aye)

Don't be afraid, oh mama
Don't be afraid for me
I'll be okay tomorrow, tomorrow

Queen, I know you got enough to deal with
I want you to cry no more, cry no more
I don't wanna see it
Queen, but when you look into my eyes I loose it
I'm in pain and I can't refuse it
No no no no

Now that everybody wanna see me
Like a star on their living room TV
You know how I'm living ain't easy
Mama, no no

Don't be afraid, oh mama
Don't be afraid for me
I'll be okay tomorrow, tomorrow (yeah yeah)

Don't be afraid oh mama (don't be afraid, no)
Don't be afraid for me (don't be scared, oh)
I'll be okay tomorrow, tomorrow

One time for the mothers
Who give their lives for their daughters
Who give their lives for their sons
Here's to the beautiful ones, the beautiful ones
The mothers who give their lives for their daughters
Who give their lives for their sons
Here's to the beautiful ones
Beautiful ones, yeah

Don't be afraid, oh mama (hey hey)
Don't be afraid for me (oh no)
I'll be okay tomorrow, tomorrow

Don't be afraid, oh mama
Don't be afraid for me
I'll be okay tomorrow, tomorrow

Overall Meaning

The song "Afraid" by Nico is a touching tribute to the unconditional love and support of a mother. The artist sings reassuringly to his mother not to be afraid for him, that he will be okay tomorrow. The song paints a picture of a son who is struggling with his demons and his emotional pain, but his mother can understand him better than anyone else.

The chorus of the song is a repeated plea to his mother to not be afraid for him, and to trust that he will be okay tomorrow. Nico tries to hide his feelings and not bring his mother down, but she can read his mind and see through his façade. He is grateful for her unwavering support and wants her to know that he sees her sacrifices and appreciates her.

Throughout the song, the artist expresses his pain and the difficulty of living as a public figure. He wants to shield his mother from the spotlight and spare her the pain of seeing him struggle. However, he knows that she will always be there for him, regardless of the challenges he faces.

In conclusion, "Afraid" is a heart-warming tribute to the unconditional love of a mother. It highlights the relationship between a son and his mother, and the unbreakable bond between them. The song encapsulates the struggles of a public figure trying to shield his loved ones from the spotlight, and the comfort that his mother's love brings him.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't be afraid, oh mama
Please do not worry, Mother

Don't be afraid for me
Do not be fearful for my sake

I'll be okay tomorrow, tomorrow
I will be fine and well again, only a day away

I try to, I try to hide my feelings
I make an effort to suppress my emotions

Don't want to bring you down
I do not wish to upset you

But today I been feeling so low, low
Although, today, I am experiencing great despair

But you see my demons
However, you understand the struggles I am facing

You can read my mind
You have a deep understanding of my thoughts and feelings

And you know that I think you don't know, know
Yet, you still comprehend that I believe you do not understand

Now that everybody wanna see me
Given that everybody wants to see me

Like a star on their living room TV
Treated as if I was a celebrity on their television screen

You know how I'm living ain't easy
You acknowledge that my lifestyle is challenging

Oh mama, yeah
Mother, indeed

Queen, I know you got enough to deal with
Mother, I am aware that you have sufficient burdens already

I want you to cry no more, cry no more
I yearn for you to no longer shed tears

I don't wanna see it
I do not want to witness it

Queen, but when you look into my eyes I loose it
Mother, however, when you gaze deeply into my eyes, I unveil my emotions

I'm in pain and I can't refuse it
I am experiencing misery and cannot reject it

No no no no
Not at all

One time for the mothers
To celebrate the mothers

Who give their lives for their daughters
Those who sacrifice their lives for their daughters

Who give their lives for their sons
Those who sacrifice their lives for their sons

Here's to the beautiful ones, the beautiful ones
Here is to the lovely and admirable ones

Don't be afraid, oh mama (hey hey)
Do not worry, dear Mother (hey hey)

Don't be afraid for me (oh no)
Please do not fear for me (oh no)

I'll be okay tomorrow, tomorrow
I will be back to normal, only a day away

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alexsej Vlasenko, Claire Anderson, Henrik Meinke, Jamie Scott, Jeremy Chacon, Jonas Kalisch, Kahouly Nicolay Sereba, Vincent Dery

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@hadiakash3604

2y↑6

Cease to know or to tell
Or to see or to be your own
Cease to know or to tell
Or to see or to be your own
Have someone else's will as your own
Have someone else's will as your own

You are beautiful and you are alone
You are beautiful and you are alone

Often the adolescent plague
Reward your grace
Often the adolescent plague
Reward your grace

Confuse your hunger capture the fake
Confuse your hunger capture the fake

Banish the faceless reward your grace
Banish the faceless reward your grace

@OhPenSezMe

10y↑22

Nico had a strong German accent which sometimes makes it hard to figure her lyrics out at times, but this is one of her easier songs to get right. She didn't publish her lyrics on her albums, at least not the earlier ones and she's not with us anymore to ask, so …. my guess is as good as anyone's, but I know her music and believe me she would not write such dumb and meaningless lines as: "Often the adolescent plague", and "Capture the fake" which are getting perpetuated here and as far as I can tell come from crappy song lyric websites, which are full of mistakes. Even Neko doesn't get it right!

Try these instead (and hopefully the song will make more sense):

OFFEND the adolescent play
Reward your grace

Confuse your hunger
Capture the FATE

All comments from YouTube:

@DFranco91

2y↑14

My family doesn't understand my liking for this type of music. Just makes me feel better because it confirms that those few of us have an AMAZING taste in music.

@griftegrd

4y↑67

Nico was amazing. Her music was as unique as her voice, and nobody liked it, "she sings like a man" "too strong German accent". Still she found her style and made really unique and beautiful music. Sad to know that to this day nobody gave her the attention she deserved, except for John Cale. The things she could have done... and to have suddenly died. "You are beautiful and you're alone" I really think she's singing about herself. So beautiful yet alone. I hope she rests in peace now.

@JakeGittes84

2y↑1

Dragoon

@griftegrd

2y↑1

@JJ Gittes I've returned.

@JakeGittes84

2y↑1

@nostalgia Input command.

@BlackfreeMind

Grande verità !💯

@EmiPianoMX

Cale wasn't the most welcoming guy when she was in the Velvets...

@Slader382

18w

Wonderful song!
I'm ready to listen all time long ❤

@mozboy76

12y↑42

"You are beautiful and you are alone " U can hear the emotion in her voice

@unlamaunponaif9192

7y↑69

She was so beautiful and yet so lonely and sad, wandering around the world looking for something she never found, being appreciated and loved by many of the greatest artists of her time but still unsatisfied... to me Nico was one of the most fascinating female characters of all times

@ripgutcat

5y↑6

@skeleton yup...thats true she also attacked a mixed race couple at a restaurant.😑😑😑

@georgepetty4096

5y↑1

Well put, thank you

@northseahero3387

3y↑4

@ripgutcat so you're saying she was based and redpilled too? Truly we didn't deserve her.

@ripgutcat

3y↑2

@NorthSeaHero what's redpilled mean amigo?

@griftegrd

2y↑1

@NorthSeaHero lmao

3 More Replies...

@jimajello1028

1y↑2

I like that song (Afraid). Classical, folk, abstract & chromatic. Great voice . Sullen & deep. Very real. Unique. 🌹

@jam-nc8ut

6y↑49

This song is beautiful, unsettling and mysterious, just like life.

@joenicholls461

5y↑18

Nico. What an album this
And the Marble Index are masterpieces

@lonobl7575

3y↑4

Chelsea Girls and Drama of Exile are also brilliant - such an incredible discography!

@freightweek4413

1y↑2

An absolute masterpiece from Nico,

@hadiakash3604

2y↑6

@yvonneballarin1163

7y↑15

Only Nico has the ability to convey such vocal emotion....truly inspirational

@cocabots

12y↑61

Nico is the beauty of sadness.

@kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631

5y↑2

cocabots melancholy is not romantic. Nothing sexy does all day In bed. Not showering. Over eating. Etc

@kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631

4y↑3

cocabots depression should never be romanized

@Stefanio64

4y↑7

Sadness is beautiful, loneliness is tragical.. Bbs

@websurfer5772

There is beauty in suffering.

@seencrazyshiii

29w

@@kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631But why are you listening to this then?

@florencehenderson3707

1y↑2

on top of everything else, she was an amazing lyricist... I'd never seen the lyrics to this song,. thank you. "confuse your hunger, capture the fake".. wow.

@cauavalentim4420

2y↑16

Listening to this after watching Nico- Icon is such a gut punch... She was in some ways, a bad person , yes but... she was also used and never taken seriously, to the point where she hated her own beauty because of it, a shame, because she truly was one of the greatest and most underrated musicians ever.

@theunrealtimemm

2y↑8

There is no-one who is not, in some way, a bad person, even saints.

@clearlynotacheerleader7807

7y↑22

Every time i want to do a Cover of this Song, i cant figure out one single way to do it right. I just cant. Its too beautiful

@icantbelieveya

5y↑2

I covered this. Years ago. When the time is right, I'll post soon. Cheers

@theballadofamixtape

5y↑1

Espers do a really beautiful cover and X-TG do a slightly terrifying cover (in fact they do the whole of Desertshore)

@andrewpenn7618

3y↑1

neko case

@giuseppeplaitano1177

51w↑3

The right song for a very,very sad sunday(07.05.2023,h 14.07,in Italy).Nico touch and break my heart.

@philippemoi8082

Beautiful woman .. Beautiful voice... Beautiful song ! What more ? RIP beautiful angel 🙏 from France 🇫🇷

@livingnoise6399

34w↑1

this is such a beautiful song

@timleopardxolo

Beautiful and timeless genius from the best duo ever.

@michaelbluom9469

11y↑29

you are all fucking beautiful even if you feel alone, general love is like a big cloud rising up like prayer or song and then raining down upon you. I like you no matter what type of crazy you are and even though I don't know you. Sure in the end we're all the same and we all like to have our hands held and our cheeks kissed, even metaphorically, and even me

@CockLobster

you are fucking beautiful. sike

@hairymarx

11y↑9

It's soooo beautiful, it's almost too much.

@wonkydude1

6y↑33

The Velvet Underground and Nico felt such great empathy for people that nobody else gave a shit about . . . not even those goddamn hippiecrites.

@sterlingcale1242

37w

You get it

@heliosnett7954

5y↑3

Merveilleuse chanson...

@OhPenSezMe

10y↑22

@genericusername337

7y↑3

i think "often the adolescent play" makes more sense
and "capture the fake" (because the 2nd time she says it i can hear the 'k' a bit)

capturing fate/the fake are both as vague as each other. but 'fake' is more related to the theme of authenticity in this song.

@OhPenSezMe

7y↑2

"Offend the adolescent play" makes sense to me - she used verbs to start each lyric line in this song. Sadly we'll probably never know for sure, unless she wrote it down somewhere and that survived. Anyhow songs are what we hear – everybody suffers the 'Mondagreens' and it matters not a jot.

@dalebentham9990

I always had a problem with those lines too. I'm gonna take your lyrics as the correct ones. Nico, why didn't you write us your lyrics?! Ha

@spencerpontius7227

4y↑4

@Dale Bentham If anything the lack of written lyrics make it more authentic and pure. Still to this day we are asking questions about the song, is that not what art is? Is it not supposed to leave us in a shroud of questions? I personally like that we all can have a different idea of what the lyrics mean or even say.

@M.C.P.

10y↑17

Sublime.

@jozefscheeren5959

4y↑4

Great song

@freudastaire

12y↑11

Damn you Nico, I'm now crying....

@Willburys

12y↑6

he is Inspiration of many young female Artist

@icantbelieveya

5y↑3

I covered this. Years ago. When the time is right I will release the jingle. Cheers

@vinimadruga1

4y↑1

Today is the day....32 years she passed

@icantbelieveya

@Vinícius Lages https://youtu.be/2Bi8bz0rtko

@ancestrosdelsol9494

6y↑8

You are beautiful and you are alone

@sterlingcale1242

37w

We had to let eachother go, we knew we had to, it was the Lords will and we knew it. We didnt want to, we could have remain for ever, but we knew it would please him more to give up what was precious to us, even though what we had made us die a thousand deaths.
We chose life, and doing so is very painful for a bit, since this life is a breath in the face of eternity.

I pray for peace and the lords grace over your heart riv. The Lord loves you, your father is with Him, and we will soon be too.

Psalm 139

July 30th 2023,

@TheNineteenKing

3y↑2

Neko Case did a haunting cover of this

@lauraeiriarte

4y↑1

"You are beautiful and you are alone "

@j.c7719

26w

The fact Nico hasn’t been inducted into the rock and roll or songwriter’s hall of fame is offensive. There’s few better.

@GeoMariaGeorge

2y↑1

You are beautiful and you are alone.

@garrywindshield1

9y↑8

The comment below sounds like such a nonsense to me - being alone because you're beautfiul...wow, since when that happens? Total isolation is what happens when you're actually ugly. When it's not only in your head and there is almost nothing you can do about it. People just don't look at you and don't give a damn about you.

Still, I don't think Nico meant this. What she sings is just a pure fact: you're beautiful yet alone. There is sadness about it. But beauty is not a foundation for that, not in any way, not on this planet.

@genericusername337

7y↑8

you are pretty warped. Both ugly and beautiful people suffer for their looks. Honestly, up to this point in your life, have you still not learned that your kind of suffering is not the only true suffering there is?
Nico was somebody who suffered for her good looks, she apparently hated her own beauty and had no problem destroying it.
beautiful people can be beautiful on the inside too, and I think that's the loneliness she was grieving over.

@garrywindshield1

7y↑3

I wasn't criticizing the song and I do know there different kinds of suffering. The truth is you change your attitude, but you can't change your looks. Like if she's beautiful and she has problems with it she still can change it (at least there is a possibility). If you are ugly and you hate it - well, there is no way you can change your looks. How can you even argue with it?

@pucspcomfil

6y↑1

may be a song that tells also about the contemporary reality of the beauty in fashion and media where beauty can be a superficial value may be about this sense of emptyness and meaningless of beauty we have some iconic examples like marilyn monroe and not only

@SalomeBaptistSmith

6y↑3

highway61 The lyrics are, "You are beautiful/And you are alone..." The copula "and" is not a marker of causation.

@tsneem1052

Thank u beautiful dana🖤

@danielzuzek3034

10y↑19

Nobody can ever know us because we can not understand our mirror reflection but we have the power to doubt it and through these illusions one of our images may become permanent.

@mr.marcelli7607

deep and sad one

@budddees

6y↑1

Ugh

@palteonato

5y↑3

Nico ,I love you .

@Dopethroner

2y↑1

Underrated AF

@afraerika

where can I find a partition?

@ripgutcat

5y↑7

This shoulda been the song Arthur Morgan rode to his grave to

@Rokudammela

12y↑3

Have someone else's will as your own

@seventeenboi

12y↑45

my body is decaying and no one loves me

@fishing1335

4y↑7

We all love you homie <3

@kikeheebchinkjigaboo6631

4y↑5

pk1990 love yourself

@e.jenima7263

35w

As sad and dpressing as they can be I like her OWN Music that she did in the 70's and early 80's BC they were her own. Nico has been called the founder of the Goth movement...........something I am not Shure she did or could fathom. Myself Personally I both love and hate Nico as I approach my 30's I do not listen to her work out of enjoyment as much as I used to....I can not listen to works such as 'Afraid " or "my only child" without crying because with age and true life experience comes pain....something so called GOTHS and Hipsters do not understand especially young kids because they have not lived. To be honest I do not hate Nico I love her I guess What I hate is life has robbed me of that youthfull nievety that i had 15, 10 or even 5 years ago only a true mature adult can understand and appreciate the pain, sorrow love, regret and sadness of Nico's true songs/poems.

@GregoryWonderwheel

13y↑4

Almost zen.

@ricardoarias6292

This is soooo bautiful

@brajean8925

6y↑92

jobs?! NEVER!!!!

@lizardboy6698

6y↑4

YES! YES! YES!

@CockLobster

6y↑5

you horn tooter's are all the same

@OscarRodriguezGimeno

4y↑1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUzozVOhGBA

@jrlakin370

4y↑2

My fav skate Video! 👍

@borispolonski

Mama!!!!!

@edu8273

11y↑2

guess not all of us can be popular

@user-uk2gu5lt6n

6y↑2

джобс?! невер!!!!

@ryobibattery

4y↑6

The End Of Evangelion

@alexsaucedo7424

3y↑1

nice

@FayzaBensalem-rn5yf

31w

For me

@initialsGS

Ariane. Ariadne. Icon.

@andresmedina6387

5y↑7

Jim Greco tssssss

@anjucastle9462

5y↑5

jim greco lov u

@ian6329

This sounds like a Steven Universe song, but i could be wrong.

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