What More Do I Need?
Anna Francolini Lyrics


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Once I hated this city
Now it can't get me down
Slushy, humid and gritty
What a pretty town

What thought I could be duller
More depressing, less gay
Now my favorite color
Is gray

A wall of rain as it turns to sleep
The lack of sun on a one-way street
I love the grime all the time
And what more do I need?

My window pane has a lovely view
An inch of sky and a fly or two
Why I can see half a tree
And what more do I need?

The dusk is thick and it's galling
It simply can't be excused
In winter even the falling snow looks
Used

My window pane may not give much light
But I see you, so the view is bright
If I can love you, I'll pay the dirt no heed
With your love what more do I need?

Someone shouting for quiet
Someone starting a brawl
Down the block there's a riot
And I'll buy it all

Listen now, I'm ecstatic
Hold me close and be still
Hear the lovely pneumatic
Drill

A subway train thunders through the Bronx
A taxi horn on the corner honks
But I adore every roar
And what more do I need?

I hear a crane making street repairs
A two ton child running wild upstairs
Steam pipes bang, sirens clang
And what more do I need?

The neighbors yell in the summer
The landlord yells in the fall
So loud I can't hear the plumber
Pound the wall

An aeroplane roars across the bay
But I can hear you as clear as day
You said you loved me




Above the sound and speed
With your love what more do I need?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Anna Francolini's song "What More Do I Need?" describe the singer's newfound appreciation for the city that she once hated. She is now able to see the beauty in the grit and grime that surrounds her, and finds joy in even the most mundane things, like an inch of sky and a fly or two visible through her window pane. The singer recognizes that the city is far from perfect, with continuous noise and chaos, but she finds comfort in the fact that she has found someone who loves her, and that makes all of the difficulties worth it.


The singer's love for the city is demonstrated through various sensory details, like the "wall of rain" that turns to sleep, the lack of sun on a one-way street, and the "lovely pneumatic drill." While these things may seem unpleasant to some, the singer relishes in the fact that she can experience them. She recognizes that her window pane may not give much light, but she's grateful that she can see her beloved through it. Even the chaos and noise serve as a reminder of her love, as she can hear him over the sound of the neighbors yelling and the airplanes roaring across the bay.


Overall, the song is about finding joy in unexpected places and recognizing the beauty that can often be overlooked. It's a celebration of the imperfect and a reminder that sometimes love is all you need to make the world seem brighter.


Line by Line Meaning

Once I hated this city
I used to have a bad opinion of this city


Now it can't get me down
But now it can't bring me down or make me feel bad


Slushy, humid and gritty
The city is usually wet, sticky and dusty


What a pretty town
But now I see the beauty in it


What thought I could be duller
What could be more boring


More depressing, less gay
More sad, less happy


Now my favorite color
But now my favorite color


Is gray
is gray, which is a neutral color


A wall of rain as it turns to sleep
Rain turning to snow and it is like a wall in front of me


The lack of sun on a one-way street
The sun never shines in a particular street


I love the grime all the time
I find beauty in the dirt and dust all the time


And what more do I need?
And what else do I need to be happy?


My window pane has a lovely view
The view from my window is beautiful


An inch of sky and a fly or two
I can see a little bit of sky and a couple of flies


Why I can see half a tree
I can only see half of a tree from my window


And what more do I need?
And what else do I need to be happy?


The dusk is thick and it's galling
It's getting dark and it's frustrating


It simply can't be excused
It's unacceptable


In winter even the falling snow looks
Even the snow that falls during winter


Used
Looks dirty and unattractive


My window pane may not give much light
My window doesn't let in much light


But I see you, so the view is bright
But when I see you, everything looks brighter


If I can love you, I'll pay the dirt no heed
If I can love you, I won't mind the dirt and dust around me


With your love what more do I need?
With your love, I have everything I need to be happy


Someone shouting for quiet
Someone is yelling for people to be quiet


Someone starting a brawl
Someone is starting a fight


Down the block there's a riot
There's a riot happening nearby


And I'll buy it all
And I'm enjoying all of it


Listen now, I'm ecstatic
I'm feeling extremely happy right now


Hold me close and be still
Hold me tightly and let's be quiet for a moment


Hear the lovely pneumatic
Listen to the sound of the pneumatic drill, which I find beautiful


A subway train thunders through the Bronx
A subway train is going through the Bronx making a loud noise


A taxi horn on the corner honks
A taxi is making a loud noise by honking its horn


But I adore every roar
But I find all these sounds exciting and beautiful


And what more do I need?
And what else do I need to be happy?


I hear a crane making street repairs
I hear a crane working on some repairs in the street


A two ton child running wild upstairs
A very heavy child is running around uncontrollably upstairs


Steam pipes bang, sirens clang
Steam pipes are making banging sounds, and sirens are ringing


And what more do I need?
And what else do I need to be happy?


The neighbors yell in the summer
My neighbors yell in the summer for some reason


The landlord yells in the fall
My landlord yells in the fall for some reason


So loud I can't hear the plumber
They are so loud that I can't even hear the plumber working


Pound the wall
I can hear them pounding the wall


An aeroplane roars across the bay
An airplane makes a loud noise as it flies across the bay


But I can hear you as clear as day
But I can still hear you perfectly even with all these noises around me


You said you loved me
You told me that you love me


Above the sound and speed
Even with all these sounds and noises around us


With your love what more do I need?
With your love, I have everything I need to be happy




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEPHEN SONDHEIM

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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