Nature Boy
David Bowie Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

This story is about love
The woman I loved is dead

There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy

They say he wandered very far
Very far over land and sea

A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise, was he

And then one day
One magic day, he passed my way
While we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me

The greatest thing
You'll ever learn
Is just to love




And be loved
In return

Overall Meaning

The song "Nature Boy" by Massive Attack is a beautiful melancholic ballad about love and loss. The opening lines "This story is about love / The woman I loved is dead" set the tone for the rest of the song, which reflects on a romance that has ended in tragedy. The lyrics then shift to describe a mysterious and otherworldly boy who wanders far and wide, possessed of a wisdom beyond his years. The singer meets this boy and they have a conversation about many things, including the nature of love. The song's chorus, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn / Is just to love and be loved in return," encapsulates the message of the song: that love is the most important thing in life, and that it is worth pursuing even if it ultimately ends in heartbreak.


The lyrics of "Nature Boy" are hauntingly beautiful and open to interpretation, but one common reading is that the singer is mourning the loss of a past love and seeking solace in the wisdom of the strange and magical boy. The song could be seen as a meditation on the power of love to transform us and give our lives meaning, even in the face of death and loss.


Line by Line Meaning

This story is about love
The story being told is centered around the idea of love


The woman I loved is dead
The person telling the story has lost the woman they loved


There was a boy
The story begins by introducing a male character


A very strange enchanted boy
The boy is described as being odd and magical


They say he wandered very far
Rumors exist that the boy traveled a great distance


Very far over land and sea
The boy's alleged travels took him over both land and water


A little shy and sad of eye
Despite his extraordinary nature, the boy was somewhat introverted and melancholy


But very wise, was he
Despite his young age and demeanor, the boy was wise


And then one day
At some point in the past, something happened to the boy


One magic day, he passed my way
The artist had a chance encounter with the boy, which was seemingly magical


While we spoke of many things
During their conversation, the singer and the boy covered a variety of topics


Fools and kings
The specific content of their conversation included discussions of people of various social statuses


This he said to me
At some point in the conversation, the boy expressed a particular idea to the singer


The greatest thing
The idea the boy conveyed to the singer is seen as being of great importance


You'll ever learn
The idea the boy conveyed has to do with learning something important


Is just to love
The important thing the boy conveyed has to do with the concept of loving others


And be loved
In addition to loving others, the boy stressed the importance of being loved as well


In return
The final part of the boy's message had to do with how love should be reciprocated




Lyrics © GOLDEN WORLD
Written by: Eden Ahbez

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@user-vj2nq5vd1s

아!
놀랍습니다
이곡을 이분이 부르신게 있다는게 기적같은 놀라움입니다
게다가 오케스트라반주로 ...
지금 가슴이 뜁니다
80이 다 되가는 이나이에 이곡을 이렇게 만날 줄이야!
데이빗 보위! 나에게 한때는 신비의 대상이었었는데....
십대에 로저윌리암스의 피아노선율과 낫킹콜의 감미로운 허스키곡에 잠못아루던 시절이 가슴먹먹 그립습니다
올려주신 그 어떤분에게 진심으로 감사드립니다
그리고 youtube란 것에게도..
매일 들어야 겠습니다



@MrSirDrew

Lyrics
There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return

The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return



@MrSirDrew

Lyrics
This story is about love,
The woman I loved is dead

There was a boy,
A very strange enchanted boy.

They say he wandered very far,
Very far over land and sea.

A little child and sailed about,
But very wise, was he.

And then one day, one magic day he passed my way,
While we spoke of many things fools and kings, this he said to me.

The greatest thing, you'll ever learn,
Is just to love, and be loved in return.



@ZOGGYDOGGY

“Late Fragment

And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.”

― Raymond Carver, A New Path to the Waterfall



All comments from YouTube:

@godlygirls62

David's rendition of Nature Boy, is hauntingly beautiful.

I had no idea he sang this well.

@cynthiacurrie5589

Please listen to David's recording of A Foggy Day in London Town. I think you will cry, as I did.

@Jlweber

There is only one point early in the song, about two notes where the Bowie twang showed until the final verse. Otherwise I had no idea it was him. Damn that was good!

@cynthiacurrie5589

@Jlweber  I agree. I had not realized David Bowie had done the vocal for what was to be the theme music for Moulin Rouge. In the credits, I saw Jose Feliciano (recorded my favorite version of Light My Fire) was the Musical Director for the entire movie. I had been completely ignorant that Feliciano had gone into the creative and lucrative world of film Musical Directors, or that David was quietly creating an entire library of classic songs.

@phus2001

Rally?

@englishteacher.8635

Try his version of Wild Is The Wind. Beautiful.

2 More Replies...

@mrarkane

Bowie, who amongst many other things, was the master of making wrong intervals right, takes on a song, which already has wrong intervals made right, and adds his magic! I was lucky enough to have seen him live in 2004.

@yehudivenuti

i was lucky enough to live thru the bowie arc. got to see him live on a number of tours, from ziggy stardust to the reality tour. and i had no idea he did this tune. always an easter egg with that guy ...😉

@mrarkane

Wow you saw him in the Ziggy days, awesome.@@yehudivenuti

@user-vj2nq5vd1s

아!
놀랍습니다
이곡을 이분이 부르신게 있다는게 기적같은 놀라움입니다
게다가 오케스트라반주로 ...
지금 가슴이 뜁니다
80이 다 되가는 이나이에 이곡을 이렇게 만날 줄이야!
데이빗 보위! 나에게 한때는 신비의 대상이었었는데....
십대에 로저윌리암스의 피아노선율과 낫킹콜의 감미로운 허스키곡에 잠못아루던 시절이 가슴먹먹 그립습니다
올려주신 그 어떤분에게 진심으로 감사드립니다
그리고 youtube란 것에게도..
매일 들어야 겠습니다

More Comments

More Versions