A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Gary Brooker Lyrics

We skipped the light fandango
We danced lightly and joyfully.

Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
We were so giddy and happy, we did cartwheels across the room.

I was feeling kinda seasick
I was feeling a bit unwell or uncomfortable, perhaps from all the spinning.

But the crowd called out for more
Despite feeling unwell, the audience wanted us to keep performing.

The room was humming harder
The atmosphere was growing more intense and frenzied.

As the ceiling flew away
The sense of disorientation and excitement was so strong, it felt like the roof was lifting off.

When we called out for another drink
We were so caught up in the moment that we wanted more alcohol to keep the high going.

The waiter brought a tray
A server brought more drinks to us.

And so it was that later
At a later point in the night, after more drinking and dancing.

As the miller told his tale
As a storyteller or singer began recounting their experience.

That her face, at first just ghostly,
As the story progressed, a woman's face seemed to gradually appear before us.

Turned a whiter shade of pale
She became increasingly pale or ghostlike herself, for reasons that are unclear.

She said, 'There is no reason
The woman claimed there was no explanation for her appearance or behavior.

And the truth is plain to see.'
It was obvious to everyone what was happening to her, but she still wouldn't explain.

But I wandered through my playing cards
The singer was lost in thought, perhaps trying to make sense of what was happening around him.

And would not let her be
He couldn't stop obsessing about the woman and her strange presence.

One of sixteen vestal virgins
The woman was said to be one of sixteen pure and chaste women.

Who were leaving for the coast
A group of them were apparently going on a journey towards the ocean.

And although my eyes were open
Despite appearing to see everything, the singer felt blind or disconnected from the world around him.

They might have just as well've been closed
He felt like he was in a dream or trance state, where sensory perception was irrelevant.

She said, 'I'm home on shore leave,'
The woman claimed to be on a break from military service, which didn't quite make sense.

Though in truth we were at sea
In reality, they were still on a ship or boat (perhaps triggering the singer's seasickness).

So I took her by the looking glass
The singer led the woman to a mirror, trying to get her to confront her own ghostly reflection.

And forced her to agree
He made her acknowledge what was happening, perhaps hoping she'd give an explanation.

Saying, 'You must be the mermaid
The singer teased her, insinuating she was a mythical sea creature instead of a human.

Who took Neptune for a ride.'
He joked she was a powerful seductress who had even charmed the god of the sea himself.

But she smiled at me so sadly
Instead of laughing along, the woman's expression betrayed a deep sadness or sorrow.

That my anger straightway died
The singer's own negative emotions suddenly evaporated in the face of her despondency.

If music be the food of love
The singer referenced a famous quote by Shakespeare, saying that music was the thing that fueled his passions and romances.

Then laughter is its queen
He further explained that humor and joy were the things that made love truly great.

And likewise if behind is in front
The singer played with the idea that everything is relative, and that things which seem opposite might actually be the same.

Then dirt in truth is clean
He went on to claim that things which seem dirty or bad might actually be pure and good, depending on your perspective.

My mouth by then like cardboard
The singer's physical state had deteriorated, perhaps from all the drinking, to the point where his mouth felt dry and uncomfortable.

Seemed to slip straight through my head
His thoughts were incoherent or disconnected, perhaps from the combined effects of alcohol and sensory overload.

So we crash-dived straightway quickly
As the night progressed, things got more and more intense, until they 'dove' headfirst into a new level of excitement.

And attacked the ocean bed
The metaphorical 'ocean' was their own delirium or madness, which they fully embraced with wild abandon.