You And I-The Story Of Chess
Chess Lyrics


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(THE RUSSIAN)
Knowing I want you
Knowing I love you
I can't explain
Why I remain
Careless about you

(FLORENCE)
I've been a fool to allow
Dreams to become
Great expectations

(THE RUSSIAN)
How can I love you so much
Yet make no move?

(BOTH)
I pray the days and nights
In their endless weary procession
Soon overwhelm my sad obsession

You and I, we've seen it all
Chasing our hearts' desire
But we go on pretending
Stories like ours
Have happy endings

(THE RUSSIAN)
You could not give me
More than you gave me
Why should there be
Something in me
Still discontented

(FLORENCE)
I won't look back anymore
And if I do, just for a moment

(THE RUSSIAN)
I'd soon be happy to say:
"I knew her well"

(BOTH)
But if you hear today
I'm no longer
Quite so devoted to this affair
I've been misquoted

You and I, we've seen it all
Chasing our hearts' desire
But we go on pretending
Stories like ours
Have happy endings


(CHORUS)
Each game of chess
Means there's one less
Variation left to be played

Each day got through
Means one or two
Less mistakes remain to be made

Not much is known of early days of chess beyond a fairly vague report
That fifteen hundred years ago two princes faught, tough brothers, for a Hindi throne

The mother cried, for no one really likes their offspring fighting to the death
She begged to stop the slaughter with her every breath, but sure enough one brother died
-
Sad, beyond belief, she told her winning son:
"You have caused such grief, I can't forgive this evil thing you've done"

He tried to explain how things had really been
But he tried in vain, no words of his could mollify the queen

And so he asked the wisest men he knew the way to lessen her distress
They told him he'd be pretty certain to impress by using model soldiers
on a chequered board to show it was his brother's fault
- he thus invented chess

Chess
displayed no inertia
soon spread to Persia
then west

Next
the Arabs refined it
thus redesigned, it
progressed

Still further west, and when Constantinople fell in fourteen fifty-three
One would have noticed every other refugee included in his bags a set

Once in the hands and in the minds of leading figures of the Renaissance
The spirit and the speed of chess made swift advance through all of Europe's vital lands

Where, we must record, the game was further changed
Right across the board, the western touch upon the pieces ranged

King and queen and rook and bishop, knight and pawn
All took on the look we know today - the modern game was born

And in the end we see a game that started by mistake in Hindustan
and boosted in the main by what is now Iran
become the simplest and most complicated
pleasure yet divised for just the kind of mind
who would appriciate this well-researched and fascinating yarn


(FLORENCE)
This is an all too familiar scene

(THE RUSSIAN)
Hopeless reflections on what might have been

(BOTH)
? ? ?

(FLORENCE)
Bearing in mind your predicament now

(THE RUSSIAN)
What you did then...

(BOTH)
We're just dying to know,
would you do it all again?

(CHORUS)
Each game we ? ? ?
Therefore the naming

(BOTH)
But they know for well
It's not hard to tell
Though my heart is breaking

I'd give the world for that moment with you,
And we thought we knew
That our love would last,
But the moment's past
With no morning far too far

You and I, we've seen it all
Chasing our hearts' desire
But we go on pretending




Stories like ours
Have happy endings

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "You and I - The Story of Chess" are about two individuals, the Russian and Florence, who are in love but unable to express their feelings for one another. The Russian knows he loves Florence deeply, but remains careless about her. He wonders how he can love her so much yet make no move towards her. On the other hand, Florence acknowledges that she has been a fool to have great expectations from their love. She resolves to move on and not look back, but admits that she would soon be happy to say that she knew him well.


The chorus talks about the game of chess and how each game and each day means one fewer mistake and variation left to be played. The song ends with both the Russian and Florence acknowledging that their love story may not have the happy ending they thought it would. They go on pretending that stories like theirs have happy endings, but deep down they know that their moment has passed.


Overall, the song is a reflection on the theme of love, its complexities, and how it can be both the simplest and the most complicated pleasure yet devised for just the kind of mind that would appreciate it.


Line by Line Meaning

Knowing I want you
Admitting that I desire you


Knowing I love you
Acknowledging that I am in love with you


I can't explain Why I remain Careless about you
Being confused for not being careful about my love for you


I've been a fool to allow Dreams to become Great expectations
Realizing that I was foolish to expect too much from my dreams


How can I love you so much Yet make no move?
Wondering why I love you deeply but don't take any action


I pray the days and nights In their endless weary procession Soon overwhelm my sad obsession
Hoping for time to pass quickly to overcome my painful emotions


You and I, we've seen it all Chasing our hearts' desire But we go on pretending Stories like ours Have happy endings
Acknowledging that we have gone through a lot for our love, still hoping for a happy ending


You could not give me More than you gave me Why should there be Something in me Still discontented
Being unsatisfied despite receiving all that you have given me


I won't look back anymore And if I do, just for a moment
Deciding not to dwell on the past, or at most just briefly


I'd soon be happy to say: "I knew her well"
Being pleased to have known you well


But if you hear today I'm no longer Quite so devoted to this affair I've been misquoted
Reassuring you that any talk of me being less devoted to our relationship is a mistake


Each game of chess Means there's one less Variation left to be played
Every time we play chess, there is one less possible game that we haven't played yet


Each day got through Means one or two Less mistakes remain to be made
Every day we get through, we make one or two fewer mistakes in the future


Not much is known of early days of chess beyond a fairly vague report That fifteen hundred years ago two princes faught, tough brothers, for a Hindi throne The mother cried, for no one really likes their offspring fighting to the death She begged to stop the slaughter with her every breath, but sure enough one brother died -Sad, beyond belief, she told her winning son: "You have caused such grief, I can't forgive this evil thing you've done" He tried to explain how things had really been But he tried in vain, no words of his could mollify the queen And so he asked the wisest men he knew the way to lessen her distress They told him he'd be pretty certain to impress by using model soldiers on a chequered board to show it was his brother's fault - he thus invented chess Chess displayed no inertia soon spread to Persia then west Next the Arabs refined it thus redesigned, it progressed Still further west, and when Constantinople fell in fourteen fifty-three One would have noticed every other refugee included in his bags a set Once in the hands and in the minds of leading figures of the Renaissance The spirit and the speed of chess made swift advance through all of Europe's vital lands Where, we must record, the game was further changed Right across the board, the western touch upon the pieces ranged King and queen and rook and bishop, knight and pawn All took on the look we know today - the modern game was born And in the end we see a game that started by mistake in Hindustan and boosted in the main by what is now Iran become the simplest and most complicated pleasure yet divised for just the kind of mind who would appriciate this well-researched and fascinating yarn
Recalling the origin of chess and its evolution from it being invented by a prince to becoming the popular game it is today


This is an all too familiar scene
Noticing a familiar pattern or situation


Hopeless reflections on what might have been
Feeling hopeless about what could have been


? ? ?
Unknown


Bearing in mind your predicament now What you did then...
Considering your present situation while thinking about your past actions


We're just dying to know, would you do it all again?
Curiously asking if you would make the same choices again


Each game we ? ? ? Therefore the naming
Referring to the process of how chess is named


But they know for well It's not hard to tell Though my heart is breaking
Knowing that someone else understands my heartache


I'd give the world for that moment with you, And we thought we knew That our love would last, But the moment's past With no morning far too far
Expressing the depth of my love for you and recognizing that although we hoped our love would last, it has faded away with no hope for revival


You and I, we've seen it all Chasing our hearts' desire But we go on pretending Stories like ours Have happy endings
Reflecting on our past journey to fulfil our hearts' desire, yet holding on to our naive hope that all will end happily


King and queen and rook and bishop, knight and pawn All took on the look we know today - the modern game was born
Noting how the pieces in chess have evolved to the form and appearance that we know today




Contributed by Riley G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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