History Chimes
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics

Bells
The sound of bells is ringing.

High on a hill
The bells are ringing high on a hill.

History chimes
The bells are ringing to remind us of the past.

And you want a new beginning
The ringing of the bells represents the desire for change and a fresh start.

Tell me
The artist wants to know something.

In biro or quill
The singer wants the answer to their question in a written form using either a ballpoint pen or feather quill.

Your purpose and mine
The singer is asking for the purpose of the person being addressed as well as their own purpose.

Prove that our world is spinning
The artist is asking for evidence that our world is constantly changing and moving forward.

So
The artist is concluding their previous thoughts and moving on to a new topic.

Here goes
The artist is starting something new or taking a risk.

Nothing better
The singer is acknowledging that there is nothing better than taking a risk and trying something new.

And
The artist is connecting their previous thoughts with their current thoughts.

Here's to
The singer is raising a toast or expressing good wishes for someone or something.

Something else
The singer is implying that there is more to come, or something different than what may be expected.

Until tomorrow
The singer is acknowledging that time will continue on and there will be a new day tomorrow.

But that's another time
The artist is acknowledging that tomorrow is not today and there will be new experiences and events in the future.

It's just another time
The artist is acknowledging that this moment in time is not the final moment and there will be more time to come.

It's just some other troubled time
The singer is acknowledging that there will be future difficult and challenging times.

The seed
The singer is likely using a metaphor of a seed to represent growth or potential.

Grew up a boy
The artist is referring to a young male child growing into a man.

Turned to a man
The young male child is now a mature adult.

Is this the world you wanted?
The artist is questioning whether the current state of the world is what was desired or expected.

It seems
The singer is expressing their opinion about something that appears to be true.

Under the soil
The artist is referring to the area beneath the surface of the ground.

Over the sand
The singer is referring to the area above the surface of the beach sand.

Not quite the seed I planted
The singer is acknowledging that the current result is not what they anticipated or aimed for.

I've seen you
The singer is indicating that they have observed the person being addressed in some manner.

And now
The artist is connecting their past and present observations of the addressed person.

I know better
The artist is implying that they have gained insight or knowledge from their past observations of the addressed person.

I've been you
The singer is indicating that they may have had similar experiences or thoughts as the addressed person in the past.

Now I'm
The singer is indicating that they have moved from a previous state to a new state.

Someone else
The artist is indicating that they have changed or developed into a different person compared to their past experiences.

Until...
The artist is creating a sense of anticipation or suspense, noting there is something more to come.