Through Mark Burgess' vocals and dark and ironic lyrics, their songs often dealt with personal themes of childlike innocence and a reverence for nostalgia. Musically, perhaps most notable in their work was the band's innovative and distinctive use of dual guitar melodies, courtesy of Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding, as opposed to the traditional rhythm-and-lead guitarist format prevalent in rock music even to this day. These arrangements were often characterized by the use of delay and chorus effects.
Although The Chameleons never attained the level of commercial success or fame enjoyed by their contemporaries (e.g. The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen), their body of work is still critically acclaimed within the music press and influenced bands as diverse as Kitchens of Distinction, Puressence, Protokoll, Interpol, and Editors.[1]
tears
Chameleons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, you can talk that way
But I have to say, I don't believe in it
It was a chill of chance
I decided to dance the days away
And I wasn't worried at all
Sneaking through the back door
Dreams are what you live for
Waiting for the light to turn green
Carry me home
To the kindest eyes that I've ever seen
Carry me home
Well, can you tell me how will it be now?
How will it be?
Can you tell me how will it be now?
How will it be?
Well, we were younger then
And the days were long and slow
But were we wiser then?
I couldn't say, I wouldn't know
But I wasn't worried at all
I had someone to run to
And I wasn't worried at all
I knew which way the wind blew
Counting out the chaos and gloom
Carry me home
And I watched the ceiling spin 'round the room
Carry me home
Well, can you tell me how will it be now?
How will it be?
Can you tell me how will it be now?
How will it be?
In the real world how would it be?
In the cold world how would it be?
In the lonely world how would it be?
Will the ghosts stop following me?
No, now drawn into the sun
He was the only one
In the real world how would it be?
In the cold world how would it be?
Beck and call, beg and crawl, how would it be?
Will the ghosts stop following me?
No, now drawn into the sun
He was the only one
And so I'll remember you
I'll remember the days and the thousands of ways you pulled me through
And dream of all the things you've seen
Of all the faces and all the places you have been
Now you have no phone, and you have no name, and you have no number
And it comes to an end in the blink of an eye, and it makes me wonder
The Chameleons' song "Tears" is a reflective and nostalgic piece that explores the themes of chance, worry, and memory. The song starts with the singer acknowledging the existence of coincidence in life, but admits not believing in it. Instead, they attribute their decision to dance "the days away" as a chill of chance. The singer goes on to express how they weren't worried during a specific time in their life, having someone to run to, and knowing which way the wind blew. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "carry me home" twice, indicating a longing for comfort or a return to a more innocent time.
The second verse takes on a more philosophical tone, with the singer questioning if they were wiser when they were younger and if they were prepared for the cold and lonely world they face now. They also ask if the ghosts of their past will continue to follow them. The bridge section of the song provides a glimmer of hope, with the singer being drawn to the sun, represented by a single person. The final verse is a poignant and emotional tribute to this person, who has seen many things and been to many places, but now has no phone, no name, and no number. The song ends with the realization that life can come to an end in an instant and leaves the singer wondering about the meaning of it all.
Line by Line Meaning
It's just coincidence
The situation happened by chance or luck
Well, you can talk that way
Although you can have a different point of view, it doesn't change my perspective
But I have to say, I don't believe in it
I have a different belief compared to what you stated earlier
It was a chill of chance
The occurrence happened due to an unpredictable circumstance
I decided to dance the days away
I chose to enjoy every moment and be carefree
And I wasn't worried at all
I had no fear or doubt about what was happening
Sneaking through the back door
Entering in a discreet or secretive way
No, I wasn't worried at all
Once again, I had no fear or doubt about what was happening
Dreams are what you live for
Having aspirations and goals in life is what motivates us to keep living
Waiting for the light to turn green
Anticipating a positive sign or outcome
Carry me home
Taking me to a safe and familiar place
To the kindest eyes that I've ever seen
Referring to someone who has always been a source of comfort and support
Can you tell me how will it be now?
Asking for foresight or insight on a situation
Well, we were younger then
Referring to a past time when we were more naive and inexperienced
And the days were long and slow
Days felt more stretched out and leisurely
But were we wiser then?
Questioning if we truly had more wisdom back then
I couldn't say, I wouldn't know
Uncertain if we truly had greater wisdom
I had someone to run to
Having a dependable support system when going through tough times
I knew which way the wind blew
Being aware of the situation at hand and able to adapt accordingly
Counting out the chaos and gloom
Trying to focus on positivity and order amidst a chaotic and gloomy situation
And I watched the ceiling spin 'round the room
Feeling disoriented and lost in a daunting situation
In the real world how would it be?
Reflecting on how things would be in reality, without any idealism or hopefulness
In the cold world how would it be?
Thinking about how harsh reality can be and how it could affect the situation
Will the ghosts stop following me?
Being pursued or haunted by past mistakes or traumatic memories
No, now drawn into the sun
Being pulled into a brighter future
He was the only one
Referring to someone who was instrumental in helping the situation improve
And so I'll remember you
Having an enduring memory of someone's impact on the situation and life in general
I'll remember the days and the thousands of ways you pulled me through
Reflecting on the various ways someone has helped and supported you in the past
Of all the faces and all the places you have been
Imagining all the experiences they may have had, the people they've met, and the places they've been to
Now you have no phone, and you have no name, and you have no number
The person being referred to has disappeared from your life, with no way of contacting them
And it comes to an end in the blink of an eye, and it makes me wonder
Realizing how quickly things can change and how fleeting life could be, triggering introspection
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Mr.NewWave1998
It's just coincidence
Well, You can talk that way
But I have to say I don't believe in it
It was a chill of chance I decided to dance the days away
And I wasn't worried at all
Sneaking through the back door
No I wasn't worried at all
Dreams are what you live for
Waiting for the light to turn green
Carry me home, to the kindest eyes that I've ever seen
Carry Me home
Well, can you tell me how will it be now, how will it be?
Can you tell me how will it be now, how will it be?
We were younger then and the days were long and slow
But were we wiser then?
I couldn't say I wouldn't know
But I wasn't worried at all
I had someone to run to
And I wasn't worried at all
I knew which way the wind blew
Counting out the chaos and gloom
Carry me home and I watched the ceiling spin 'round the room Carry me home
Well, can you tell me how will it be now, how will it be?
Can you tell me how will it be now, how will it be?
In the real world how would it be?
In the cold world how would it be?
In the lonely world how would it be?
Will the ghosts just stop
following me?
No, now drawn into the sun
He was the only one
In the real world how would it be?
In the cold, cold world how would it be?
Beck and call, Beg and crawl
how would it be?
Will the ghosts just stop
following me?
No, now drawn into the sun
He was the only one
And so I'll remember you
I'll remember the days and the thousands of ways
You pulled me through
And dream of all the things you've seen
Of all the faces and all the places
You have been
Now you have no phone and you have no name
And you have no number
And it comes to an end in the blink of an eye
And it makes me wonder
@stefanogallo511
And so, I'll remember you
I'll remember the days and the thousands of ways
You pulled me through
And dream of all the things you've seen
Of all the faces and all the places
You have been
Now you have no phone and you have no name
And you have no number
And it comes to an end in the blink of an eye
And it makes me wonder
@augustocaie
It's just coincidence
Well you can talk that way, but i have to say,I don't beleive init
It was the chill of chance, i decided to dance the days away
And i wasn't worried at all
Sneaking through the back door
No, I wasn't worried at all
Dreams are what you live for
Waiting for the light to turn green
Carry me home
To the kindest eyes that i've ever seen
Carry me home
Well can you tell me how will it be now
how will it be
Can you tell me how will it be now
How will it be?
well we were younger then
And the days were long and slow
But were we wiser then?
I couldn't say, I wouldn't know
But i wasn't worried at all
i had someone to run to
And i wasn't worried at all
I knew which way the wind blew
Counting out the chaos in bloom
Carry me home
And I watched the sinners spin round the room
Carry me home
Well can you tell me how will it be now
how will it be
Can you tell me how will it be now
How will it be?
In a cold world
How will it be?
In the real world
How will it be?
In a lonely world
How will it be?
Will the ghosts just stop
Following me
All now drawn into the sun
He was the only one
In the real world
How will it be?
In a cold cold world
How will it be?
Beck and call
Beg and crawl
How will it be?
Will the ghosts just stop
Following me
All now drawn into the sun
He was the only one
And so, i remember you
I remember the days and the thousands of ways you pulled me through
And dreamed of all the things you've seen
Of all the faces and all of the places you have been
And now you have no phone and you have no name and you have nonumber
And it comes to the end in the blink of an eye and it makes me wonder
@vivien6160
It's just coincidence
Well, you can talk that way
But I have to say, I don't believe in it
But with the chill of chance
I desired to dance the days away
And I wasn't worried at all
Sneaking through, through the back door
No, I wasn't worried at all
Dreams are what you live for
Waiting for the light to turn green
And carry me home
To the kindest eyes that I've ever seen
Carry me home
Well, can you tell me how will it be now?
How will it be?
Can you tell me how will it be now?
How will it be?
Well, we were younger then
And the days were long and slow
But were we wiser then?
I couldn't say, I wouldn't know
But I wasn't worried at all
I had someone to run to
No I wasn't worried at all
I knew which way the wind blew
Picking out the chaos and gloom
Carry me home
I watched the ceiling spin 'round the room
Carry me home
Well, can you tell me how will it be now?
How will it be?
Can you tell me how will it be now?
How will it be?
In a cold world how will it be?
In the real world how will it be?
In the lonely world how would it be?
Will the ghosts just stop following me?
In a cold world how will it be?
In the real world how will it be?
Beg and crawl, how will it be?
Will the ghosts just stop following me?
Oh, now drawn to the sun
He was the only one
He calls out to everyone
For his only son
From the window of my room
I can see the colored moon now
Haunting the look in my eyes now, what will you see?
If you could look into my eyes now, what would you see?
What would you see?
Just coincidence
You can talk that way
It's just coincidence
Well you can talk that way
Don't believe him
Don't believe him
@theegyptianfringe8074
One of the greatest songs ever recorded. One of my all time favourite bands. First time i saw them was with mates who travelled up from Brum to Manchester in 86. Soundtrack to my life.
@whwh7339
Such wondrous, pure songwriting. Hands down the most underrated band I’ve ever encountered.
@lynneearnshaw8867
One of the purest most perfect songs of my youth ❤
@maureensaul8417
Absolutely. We are so fortunate to know of them Wonderful 🎶
@ablesister
musical perfection and breaks my heart every time. i wish i could be this song and not myself
@perpetual61
One of The Prettiest Songs from the 80's. Gems like these shouldn't never be forgotten or Ignored.
@marbleblue5127
One of the greatest post-punk songs that the world doesn't know
@PomskieSaints91
One of the best songs of all time.
@micycledalgleish2005
The Chameleons UK, after 40 years of music fandom, are sitting as #1 on my lifelong list of best bands. Practically brings me to tears how powerful this was back in the day and how it helped me survive uncertain times. I would fall asleep wearing headphones listening to this.......better than any other drug I did.
@Mr.NewWave1998
Music/Art is the best drug says a melancholic 24 year old I can't count the times I've listened to this (Gem) nor can I count the times I've listen to this while falling asleep wearing headphones on my bed....