Romeo And Juliet
Emmylou Harris & Mark Knopfler Lyrics


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So your lovestruck Romeo has got his serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Finds a streetlight, steps out of the shade, says something like
"You and me babe, how about it?"

Juliet says "hey it's Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack"
He's underneath the window, she's singing "hey la, my boyfriend's back
You shouldn't come around here singing up at people like that
Anyway whatcha gonna do about it?"

Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start
And I bet and you exploded in my heart
And I forget, I forget the movie song
When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?

We come up on different streets, they both were streets of shame
Both dirty, yeah, both mean yes and the dream was just the same
And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real
How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?

When you can fall for chains of silver, you can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
You promised me everything, yeah you promised me thick and thin
Now you just say "Romeo yeah, you know I used to have a scene with him"

Juliet when we'd make love you used to cry
You said I love you like the stars above, oh I'll love you till the day I die
You know, there's a place for us, you know the movie song
When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong?

Yeah, Juliet

I can't do the talk like they talkin' on the TV
And I can't do a love song like the way it's meant to be
I can't do everything but I'll do anything for you
I can't do anything except be in love with you

And all I do is miss you, the way we used to be
All I do is keep the beat and the rock 'n' roll company
And all I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme
Julie, I'd do the stars with you any time

Juliet, when we made love you used to cry
You said "I love you like the stars above, oh I'll love you till the day I die"
And there's a place for us, you know the movie song
When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?

He walks on, yeah, got a serenade
Laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made
And he finds a streetlight and steps out of the shade, he says something like
"You and me babe, how about it?"





Yeah, so you and me babe, how about it?

Overall Meaning

The song "Romeo and Juliet" by Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler is a tale of unfulfilled love and broken promises. The lyrics depict an encounter between Romeo and Juliet, whose relationship was doomed from the start. Romeo serenades Juliet with a love song that he wrote, but she is not impressed by his overtures. Instead, she reminds him of the bitter reality of their situation, as both of them belong to different worlds that cannot meet. The song appears to refer to Romeo and Juliet on different levels, one a story since it was wrong and the other Juliet's present-day.


Through the lyrics, it is evident that the two lovers come from different backgrounds, it is further reiterated in lines such as "We come up on different streets, they both were streets of shame." But even in the face of this reality, Romeo and Juliet are drawn to each other. They make love, and Juliet cries, confessing that she loves him like the stars above. The lyrics also express Romeo's frustration that his love for Juliet is not enough. He can't do everything for her, but he would do anything for her. The song's chorus, where Knopfler repeats the question, "When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?" further emphasizes that their love was always destined to fail.


Line by Line Meaning

So your lovestruck Romeo has got his serenade
Your enamored Romeo is ready with his love song


Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Reducing everyone to the same low emotional state with his homemade love song


Finds a streetlight, steps out of the shade, says something like 'You and me babe, how about it?'
He comes across a streetlight, steps out of the shadows and proposes 'How about a relationship between you and me, babe?'


Juliet says 'hey it's Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack'
Juliet responds 'Romeo, you almost gave me a heart attack' as he enters the scene


He's underneath the window, she's singing 'hey la, my boyfriend's back
He stands beneath the window, while Juliet sings 'hey la, my boyfriend is back'


You shouldn't come around here singing up at people like that
You should not be approaching people like that


Anyway whatcha gonna do about it?'
Regardless, what are you going to do about it?


Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start
Juliet, the odds were set against us from the very beginning


And I bet and you exploded in my heart
Despite it, I am still invested in our relationship


And I forget, I forget the movie song
I cannot recall the song from the movie we once loved


When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
When will you understand that the timing was just not right for us, Juliet?


We come up on different streets, they both were streets of shame
We come from different backgrounds, though they were equally disreputable


Both dirty, yeah, both mean yes and the dream was just the same
Both areas were rundown, and we shared the same dream


And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real
I dreamt of your dream for you, and now it has materialized


How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?
Why do you treat me like just another one of your transactions?


When you can fall for chains of silver, you can fall for chains of gold
You can be enticed by material possessions, whether they are made of silver or gold


You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
You are susceptible to the charms of attractive strangers and the vows they make


You promised me everything, yeah, you promised me thick and thin
You pledged to me everything, yes, and through both prosperity and adversity


Now you just say 'Romeo yeah, you know I used to have a scene with him'
Now you acknowledge 'Romeo? Yeah, I used to have a relationship with him'


Juliet when we'd make love you used to cry
Juliet, you would tear up during our intimate moments


You said I love you like the stars above, oh I'll love you till the day I die
You told me 'I love you like the stars above, and I will love you forever'


You know, there's a place for us, you know the movie song
You understand that there is an idealized world built for us, as depicted in the film's anthem


When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong?
When will you realize that it was merely the timing which caused our downfall?


I can't do the talk like they talkin' on the TV
I cannot converse in the way they do on television


And I can't do a love song like the way it's meant to be
I am unable to perform a love song in the way it is typically rendered


I can't do everything but I'll do anything for you
I am incapable of everything, but will do anything for you


I can't do anything except be in love with you
I can only love you, nothing more


And all I do is miss you, the way we used to be
All I feel is longing, for the way things used to be between us


All I do is keep the beat and the rock 'n' roll company
My only distraction is playing the music and keeping time


And all I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme
All I can do is send you loving feelings through my lyrics


Julie, I'd do the stars with you any time
Julie, I'd go to the ends of the universe with you at any moment


And there's a place for us, you know the movie song
And there is a place made for us, as the song from the film says


When you gonna realise it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
When will you realize that it was only a question of timing, Juliet?


He walks on, yeah, got a serenade
He moves on with his music, with a serenade in his heart


Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Demoralizing everyone with his self-written love song


And he finds a streetlight and steps out of the shade, he says something like 'You and me babe, how about it?'
He encounters a streetlight and steps out of the shadows, proposing 'What do you say? You and I, babe?'


Yeah, so you and me babe, how about it?
So, what's the verdict? Shall we do this, babe?




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Mark Knopfler

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@anthonywillson7349

Great tune to sing, along with here’s the lyrics;
A lovestruck Romeo sang the streets of serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Finds a streetlight, steps out of the shade
Says something like, "You and me, babe, how about it?"
Juliet says, "Hey, it's Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack"
He's underneath the window, she's singing, "Hey, la, my boyfriend's back
You shouldn't come around here singing up at people like that
Anyway, what you gonna do about it?"
"Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start
And I bet, and you exploded into my heart
And I forget, I forget the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?"
Come up on different streets, they both were streets of shame
Both dirty, both mean, yes, and the dream was just the same
And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real
How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?
When you can fall for chains of silver you can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin, yeah
Now you just say "oh, Romeo, yeah, you know I used to have a scene with him"
"Juliet, when we made love, you used to cry
You said 'I love you like the stars above, I'll love you till I die'
There's a place for us, you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?"
I can't do the talk like they talk on the TV
And I can't do a love song like the way it's meant to be
I can't do everything but I'd do anything for you
I can't do anything except be in love with you
And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be
All I do is keep the beat and bad company
All I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme
Julie, I'd do the stars with you any time
"Juliet, when we made love you used to cry
You said 'I love you like the stars above, I'll love you till I die'
There's a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?"
And a lovestruck Romeo, he sang the streets of serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Finds a convenient streetlight, steps out of the shade
He says something like, "You and me, babe, how about it?
You and me, babe, how about it?"



All comments from YouTube:

@imanuel6879

Anyone else listening to this masterpiece in 2024

@Gylfi465

Yes.

@imanuel6879

@@Gylfi465 😍😍

@judgegixxer

Yes, enjoyed it but wondering what happened to Emmy Lou Harris?

@itaintalfot

Only found it last year

@1sonicraz

Oh yeah. Been listening to this masterpiece for years!

5 More Replies...

@user-im6ei1kl7t

I was 76 years old when I was diagnosed with stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. A dear friend recommended that my wife and I listen to Mark Knopfler’s music. I had never heard about Mark Knopfler before and so I’ve started listening to him and it was amazing how how he kept me out of my head and put me straight into my heart through the process of simply listening to his words and music. It helped me take care myself I spite of cancer and after 6 months I was cancer free. I’m still listening to Mark Knopfler and I will listen to him for the rest of my life.

@Gordan75

❤❤❤

@LadyDragonfly200

I am so, so glad to know you are now cancer free! I am praising God for your miraculous recovery! I just turned 65 ... today ... and I have just now found Mark Knopfler and I am really enjoying him! I will keep listening to him and I'm sure your story will add fuel to this new flame! God bless you!
@user-im6ei1kl7t

@Patricia-go3wg

I am headed to my final colonoscopy I suspect because my genetic colon cancer has grown Sand spread..it hurts..I am filled with hope, but deep down I know that zI will not win this battle..this was a Good Life and this enchanting music makes me glad hearted. I am 70 and alone, but not fearful..

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