Wrapping Paper
Eric Clapton; Cream Lyrics
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Moving slowly as the wind on the sea,
(Faces calling, waves moving)
In your picture on a wall of a house of old times.
(Can you hear me) Can you hear me
(Can you hear me) Wandering sadly?
In the city, feeling pretty,
(Ruined buildings, faces empty)
In the picture as I gaze ahead and don't see
(That they're calling) That they're calling.
(That they're calling) Wandering sadly.
Shattered windows, stairs to nowhere.
(Hear you calling) Hear you calling
(Hear you calling) As I wander sadly.
Wish I knew what you'd done to me;
Turned me on to things I never knew.
It's all broken, weeds are growing.
Wish I was going home to the house by the shore
(Where you loved me) Where you loved me,
(Where you loved me) Loved me so sadly.
Someday I'll get back, somehow I'll do it.
I'll arrive there and you'll be there to meet me.
(Walk together, tread the weeds down)
Kiss again in the picture on the wall
(Where I loved you) In the old house.
(Where I loved you) Loved you so well.
The lyrics of Eric Clapton & The Cream's "Wrapping Paper" are poetic and deep, presenting a multilayered story of a lost love and the nostalgia it brings. The first verse describes the singer's despair as they stumble through the city streets, their memories of a past love intertwined with the present reality. The imagery of the wrapping paper in the gutter and the slow movement of the wind on the sea reflect the singer's sense of loss and detachment from the world.
The second verse brings the listener deeper into the singer's mind, as they dwell on their memories of being with their lover on the shore. The ruined buildings and empty faces around them become a backdrop to the images in their mind's eye, as they yearn for what is lost. The chorus repeats the melancholic refrain of wandering sadly, emphasizing the singer's sense of aimlessness and sadness.
The final verse offers a glimmer of hope, as the singer envisions a future where they will return to the house by the shore and be reunited with their love. The imagery of walking together and treading the weeds down hints at a reconciliation, and the final lines of kissing again in the picture on the wall suggest a return to a happier time.
Line by Line Meaning
Wrapping paper in the gutter
Discarded wrapping paper on the dirty street
Moving slowly as the wind on the sea,
The wrapping paper is moving slowly like the waves on the sea
(Faces calling, waves moving)
The sight of abandoned faces and waves moving in the background
In your picture on a wall of a house of old times.
The image of you on a wall of an old house
(Can you hear me) Can you hear me
The artist is wondering if the person in the picture can hear them
(Can you hear me) Wandering sadly?
The singer is wandering sadly and wondering if the person in the picture can hear them
In the city, feeling pretty,
The singer is in the city and feeling good about themselves
Down and out and making love to you on the shore,
Despite feeling down and out, the artist is imagining making love to the person on a shore
(Ruined buildings, faces empty)
The city is full of ruined buildings and empty faces
In the picture as I gaze ahead and don't see
Looking at the picture, the artist is not fully seeing it
(That they're calling) That they're calling.
The people in the picture seem to be calling out to the singer
(That they're calling) Wandering sadly.
The artist is wandering sadly and can hear the people in the picture calling out to them
Shattered windows, stairs to nowhere.
The city is full of broken windows and stairs that lead nowhere
(Hear you calling) Hear you calling
The singer can hear the person in the picture calling out to them
(Hear you calling) As I wander sadly.
The singer is wandering sadly and can hear the person in the picture calling out to them
Wish I knew what you'd done to me;
The artist is unsure what the person in the picture has done to them
Turned me on to things I never knew.
The person in the picture introduced the artist to new experiences
It's all broken, weeds are growing.
Everything seems broken and overgrown with weeds
Wish I was going home to the house by the shore
The singer wishes they could go home to a house by the shore
(Where you loved me) Where you loved me,
The house is where the person in the picture loved the artist
(Where you loved me) Loved me so sadly.
The person in the picture loved the artist, but it was a sad love
Someday I'll get back, somehow I'll do it.
The artist is determined to go back to the house by the shore
I'll arrive there and you'll be there to meet me.
The singer believes the person in the picture will be there to meet them
(Walk together, tread the weeds down)
The artist wants to walk with the person in the picture and clear away the weeds
Kiss again in the picture on the wall
The singer wants to kiss the person in the picture again
(Where I loved you) In the old house.
The singer wants to kiss the person in the picture in the old house where they loved each other
(Where I loved you) Loved you so well.
The singer loved the person in the picture very much in the old house
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JACK BRUCE, PETER CONSTANTINE BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind