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Chinaberry Tree
Mew Lyrics
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My first love said to me:
"Tears out for the world to see"
I would not be
I did not see the China berry tree
Tears out, it would feel so
Heavenly, heavenly, heavenly
Hard now to picture a me
Without a you
"Don't interfere"
Part of her back was frozen
For the remainder of the war
"Don't be concerned"
But I never learned how not to be
As my first love said to me:
"I don't care. I'm not there"
So that I could not sleep
My whole being was falling apart
So that I soon cried out:
"Dear friends, hold me!"
The lyrics of Mew's song Chinaberry Tree depict the complex emotions of lost love and the pain of separation. The song conveys a sense of longing and sadness as the singer reflects on the memories of their first love. The opening lines ask an existential question, "In parallel sea what would I be?", which suggests a yearning for a different reality or circumstances. The singer's first love taught them to express their emotions freely, "Tears out for the world to see," but the pain is so intense that they can't even express themselves anymore. The line, "I did not see the Chinaberry tree," is likely symbolic of not seeing something beautiful due to being consumed by grief.
The next verse switches to a different perspective where someone is telling the singer not to interfere, indicating perhaps a second person coming in between the singer and their first love. The line, "Part of her back was frozen for the remainder of the war," is a haunting image of being frozen in time, unable to move on from the past. The singer is in pain, but their first love seems unbothered by it, saying "I don't care. I'm not there." The singer's whole being is falling apart, and they beg their friends to hold them.
Overall, the song is a reflection on the pain of lost love, the difficulty of letting go, and the intense emotions that come with heartbreak. The lyrics are poetic and evoke a sense of wistful nostalgia.
Line by Line Meaning
In parallel sea what would I be?
I wonder who I would be if I was in a parallel universe.
My first love said to me: 'Tears out for the world to see'
My first love told me to be open with my emotions and express them to everyone.
I would not be
I would not exist.
I did not see the China berry tree
I missed something beautiful and significant in my life.
Tears out, it would feel so
Heavenly, heavenly, heavenly
Letting out emotions would feel like a weight being lifted from me.
Hard now to picture a me
Without a you
It's difficult to imagine who I would be without the person I love.
"Don't interfere"
Someone is telling me not to involve myself in something.
Part of her back was frozen
For the remainder of the war
The person is carrying emotional scars from the past that still affect them today.
"Don't be concerned"
But I never learned how not to be
Despite being told not to worry, I can't help but be concerned about the situation at hand.
As my first love said to me:
"I don't care. I'm not there"
My first love didn't care about the problem and wasn't present to help me through it.
So that I could not sleep
My whole being was falling apart
The problem was so overwhelming that I couldn't sleep and it was affecting my mental health.
So that I soon cried out:
"Dear friends, hold me!"
I needed emotional support from my friends to help me through the difficult time.
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: BO RUNE MADSEN, JOHAN HASLUND WOHLERT, JONAS BJERRE TERKELSBOEL, SILAS UTKE GRAAE JOERGENSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind