In the mid-1960s Clapton left the Yardbirds to play with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. Immediately after leaving Mayall, Clapton formed the power trio Cream with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce, in which Clapton played sustained blues improvisations and "arty, blues-based psychedelic pop". After Cream broke up, he formed blues rock band Blind Faith with Baker, Steve Winwood, and Ric Grech. Clapton's solo career began in the 1970s, where his work bore the influence of the mellow style of J. J. Cale and the reggae of Bob Marley. His version of Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" helped reggae reach a mass market. Two of his most popular recordings were "Layla", recorded with Derek and the Dominos; and Robert Johnson's "Crossroads", recorded with Cream. Following the death of his son Conor in 1991, Clapton's grief was expressed in the song "Tears in Heaven", which was featured on his Unplugged album.
Clapton has been the recipient of 18 Grammy Awards, and the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2004 he was awarded a CBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music. He has received four Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In his solo career, Clapton has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In 1998, Clapton, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, founded the Crossroads Centre on Antigua, a medical facility for recovering substance abusers.
Wrapping Paper
Eric Clapton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 so 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's "Wrapping Paper" can be interpreted as a tale of lost love and longing for a time and place that has passed. The first verse sets the scene of a person walking down a street, where wrapping paper is seen in the gutter, slowly moving like the wind on the sea. The faces of people who once roamed these streets can be seen on the walls of old houses. The singer wonders if the person he is singing to can hear him, as he wanders sadly, perhaps lost in memories of a past that no longer exists.
The second verse takes us to the city, where the singer is feeling pretty, but also down and out, making love to the person he is singing to on the shore. Ruined buildings and empty faces surround him as he gazes ahead and doesn't see that they're calling out for him. The stairs lead to nowhere, and shattered windows are a reminder of how things have changed since the love they once shared.
In the final verse, the singer wishes he knew what the person he is singing to had done to him, as she turned him on to things he never knew before. The love they once had is broken, and weeds are growing where once beautiful gardens stood. He wishes he could return home and be with the person he loved so well by the shore. Someday he'll get back, somehow he'll do it, and together they'll walk and tread the weeds down, kissing again in the picture on the wall of the old house where he loved her so well.
Line by Line Meaning
Wrapping paper in the gutter
Discarded wrapping paper lies in the street gutter
Moving slowly as the wind on the sea
Blowing as gently as a sea breeze
In your picture on a wall of a house of old times
In a photo of a house from long ago, where you are in the picture
(Can you hear me) Can you hear me
I wonder if you can hear my words
(Can you hear me) Wandering sadly?
Am I just wandering aimlessly, hoping to be heard?
In the city, feeling pretty
I'm in the city, and I'm feeling good about myself
Down and out and making love to you on the shore
Despite being poor and homeless, I made love to you on the beach
(Ruined buildings, faces empty)
As I look around, all I see are empty faces and run-down buildings
In the picture as I gaze ahead and don't see
In the photo, I'm looking straight ahead, but not really seeing anything
(That they're calling) That they're calling.
Despite my lack of awareness, people are trying to get my attention
(That they're calling) Wandering sadly.
Yet I still aimlessly wander, not really sure what direction to take
Shattered windows, stairs to nowhere
I see buildings with broken windows and stairs that lead to nothing
(Hear you calling) Hear you calling
I hear your voice calling out to me
(Hear you calling) As I wander so sadly.
But I keep wandering, feeling sad and lost
Wish I knew what you'd done to me;
I wish I understood how you've affected me
Turned me on to things I never knew.
You've introduced me to things I never knew existed
It's all broken, weeds are growing.
Everything around me is broken and falling apart, weeds growing everywhere
Wish I was going home to the house by the shore
I long to return to the beach house we once shared
(Where you loved me) Where you loved me,
The house where you and I shared so many memories
(Where you loved me) Loved me so sadly.
But even our love story ended on such a sad note
Someday I'll get back, somehow I'll do it.
I refuse to give up hope, someday I'll return to the beach house
I'll arrive there and you'll be there to meet me.
And when I return, you'll be there to welcome me back with open arms
(Walk together, tread the weeds down)
We'll walk together, trampling the weeds underfoot
Kiss again in the picture on the wall
We'll share another kiss, just like in the photo on the wall
(Where I loved you) In the old house.
The house where I loved you so deeply, all those years ago
(Where I loved you) Loved you so well.
Back when our love was new and strong, and we loved each other so well
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JACK BRUCE, PETER CONSTANTINE BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Patrick Stocks
Wrapping paper in the gutter
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
Down and out and making love to you on the shore
(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 so 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
Harrison McCartney
I'm really surprised this song hasn't made its way onto more movie soundtracks. This would be a great song to end a film with a Hunter S. Thompson vibe, like a lonely alcoholic watching the sun set with a glass of whiskey and a cigar.
Allan Cerf
Totally agree - I guess Baker hated it but it's great song-writing and yes jonathan Steadman it does sound as good as the best Queen songs...
Patrick Stocks
Wrapping paper in the gutter
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
Down and out and making love to you on the shore
(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 so 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
Cláudio Basile
Amazinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng
jonathan Steadman
Can imagine Queen doing this, very Freddy.
MikeBlitzMag
Yes and no. Queen's execution was almost invariably exuberant and bombastic. By definition, Wrapping Paper needs a more subdued approach, as it has here.
R&RDream
it sounds like bass and piano, as if there are 4 people playing
marktarmannpiano
oi. that was painful. glad they got away from that rot to power chord power trio stuff .
MikeBlitzMag
@R&RDream Concur. Elated that they did this, What purpose would it have served for them to have been a one trick pony and just do the power trio, bashing stuff? That's great, but the fact that they stretched out a bit (Wrapping Paper, Mother's Lament, Pressed Rat And Warthog, etc.) kept it more interesting. Wrapping Paper is kind of art deco otherworldly. It's almost like Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Oscar Wilde and Jenny Lind came back to life in Europe in 1927 and started a band!
martin moffitt
@Arthur F. Scaltrito Pete Brown a Genius in his own right!