To Ramona
David Gray Lyrics

Ramona, come closer
The singer is requesting for Ramona to approach him.

Shut softly your watery eyes
The singer is requesting for Ramona to close her eyes gently.

The pangs of your sadness will pass as your senses rise
If Ramona allows herself to feel her emotions, she will eventually start to feel better.

The flowers of the city, though breathlike, get deathlike at times
The beauty of the city is fleeting and can sometimes seem lifeless.

And there's no use in tryin' to deal with the dyin'
There is no point in trying to hold onto things that are inevitably passing away.

Though I cannot explain that in lines
The singer cannot fully convey what he means through words alone.

Your cracked country lips, I still wish to kiss
The singer still longs to be with Ramona despite any physical flaws she may have.

As to be by the strength of you skin
The artist is drawn to the strength and resilience of Ramona's character.

Your magnetic movements still capture the minutes I'm in
The artist is enchanted by Ramona's movements and cannot help but watch her.

But it grieves my heart, love, to see you tryin' to be a part of a world that just don't exist
The artist is saddened to see Ramona trying to fit in with a society that is not realistic or genuine.

It's all just a dream, babe, a vacuum, a scheme, babe, that sucks you into feelin' like this
The singer believes that society is an illusion that draws people in and makes them feel a certain way.

I can see that your head has been twisted and fed with worthless foam from the mouth
The artist can tell that Ramona's thoughts and beliefs have been manipulated by others and are of no value.

I can tell you are torn between stayin' and returnin' back to the South
Ramona is conflicted about where she should be and what she should do.

You've been fooled into thinking that the finishin' end is at hand
Ramona has been misled into thinking that the end is near.

Yet there's no one to beat you, no one to defeat you, 'cept the thoughts of yourself feeling bad
The only thing that can defeat Ramona are her own negative thoughts and feelings.

I've heard you say many times that you're better 'n no one, and no one is better 'n you
Ramona tends to compare herself to others and believes that she is better than some and worse than others.

If you really believe that, you know you have nothing to win and nothing to lose
If Ramona truly believes that nobody is better than her and vice versa, then she has nothing to gain or lose from comparing herself to others.

From fixtures and forces and friends your sorrow does stem, that hype you and type you, making you feel that you gotta be just like them
Ramona's sadness stems from social pressures to conform to expectations and be like everyone else.

I'd forever talk to you, but soon my words, they would turn into a meaningless ring
The singer would love to always talk to Ramona, but he fears that eventually his words would lose their value and become empty.

For deep in my heart, I know there is no help I can bring
The artist realizes that he cannot solve all of Ramona's problems and is powerless to help her in some ways.

Everything passes, everything changes, just do what you think you should do
Life is constantly changing and moving forward, so Ramona should do whatever she thinks is best for herself.

And someday, maybe, who knows, baby, I'll come and be cryin' to you
Someday, the roles may reverse and the artist may need Ramona's help and comfort.