White Light
Gene Clark Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, the village of the hill
Sitting silently at will
Like some prophecy forgotten by an age
With no guns before it's gate
The mysterious estate
Lies waiting for it's history's dawning page
With the raging of the sea before it's height
And the strength of those whom see beyond their sight

Oh, the smithies anvil rings
And the symphony it sings
No voice nor poet's pen can put to tune
And electric lines of force
Ring around the humble lives
Of the souls that hear the master saying, "Soon"
With the clouds that gather near disturb the night
Striking flashes of a difference, fleeing fright

No slight of tongue nor hand
Can so boldly there withstand
When the spirit of it's truth shall speak the time
And no ignorance of life
Can be held within the sight
Of the buttresses of ageless binds of time
The communion of the forces take delight
With the fear that no tongues may read nor write

A white light
Oh the village of the hill
Sitting silently still
With the strength of ages past they're still at hand
Reckons not to look behind
But to look within and find
And to hear of those enlightened by the lamb




With the powers of the wind both fierce and light
And the waters of the storm went through the night

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Gene Clark's "White Light" are cryptic and poetic, speaking of a mysterious village on a hill that appears to be waiting for some momentous event. The imagery is rich and evocative, with the song conjuring up a sense of timelessness and transcendence. The first stanza describes the village as "sitting silently at will" with "no guns before its gate," emphasizing its peacefulness and the absence of any need for defense. The second stanza introduces the idea of the village's musicians--"the smithy's anvil rings/and the symphony it sings"--but suggests that their music is beyond the reach of words and poetry.


The third stanza speaks of the importance of truth and the ultimate power of the spirit to overcome ignorance, while the fourth suggests that the village has a long history and is somehow immune to the passage of time. The final stanza echoes the first, noting that the strength of the village lies not in its ability to look back at the past but in its capacity to "look within and find" enlightenment. As a whole, "White Light" seems to be speaking of a world beyond our own, a place of purity and perfection that we can only glimpse in our moments of greatest clarity and insight.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh, the village of the hill
The song begins by painting a picture of a village on a hill.


Sitting silently at will
The village is peaceful and undisturbed.


Like some prophecy forgotten by an age
The image of the village is reminiscent of an old prophecy that has been lost over time.


With no guns before its gate
The village is completely defenseless with no weapons to protect itself.


The mysterious estate
The village has an air of mystery.


Lies waiting for its history's dawning page
The village is waiting for its true story to be revealed.


With the raging of the sea before its height
The village is situated on a hill overlooking the ocean.


And the strength of those whom see beyond their sight
The people in the village have a strong sense of intuition and perception beyond what they can physically see.


Oh, the smithies anvil rings
The sound of a blacksmith working can be heard in the village.


And the symphony it sings
The sound of the blacksmith's work is like a symphony to the people in the village.


No voice nor poet's pen can put to tune
The beauty of the blacksmith's work cannot be captured by words.


And electric lines of force
There is an energy present in the village that is not easily explained.


Ring around the humble lives
The energy affects the lives of the simple, ordinary people in the village.


Of the souls that hear the master saying soon
The people in the village feel that something important is about to happen.


With the clouds that gather near disturb the night
The people sense that there is a disturbance coming.


Striking flashes of a difference, fleeing fright
There is a sense of fear and uncertainty in the village.


No slight of tongue nor hand
No amount of clever words or actions can counteract what is coming.


Can so boldly there withstand
The people know that they cannot fight against what is coming.


When the spirit of it's truth shall speak the time
They believe that the truth of the situation will reveal itself in due time.


And no ignorance of life
No one in the village can ignore what is happening around them.


Can be held within the sight
Everyone can see what is happening and they cannot avoid it.


Of the buttresses of ageless binds of time
The people feel like they are part of something much larger and more ancient than themselves.


The communion of the forces take delight
There is a sense that the different forces at play are coming together in some way.


With the fear that no tongues may read nor write
Despite their intuition about what is happening, the people cannot fully understand it or put it into words.


White Light
The song ends with the repeated phrase 'White Light', which is open to interpretation and could mean many different things depending on the listener's perspective.


Oh the village of the hill
The song ends where it began, bringing the listener back to the image of the village on the hill.


Sitting silently still
The village is still peaceful and undisturbed.


With the strength of ages past they're still at hand
The people in the village feel a connection to the past and the history of the land they inhabit.


Reckons not to look behind
The people are focused on moving forward and accepting the changes that are coming.


But to look within and find
Despite the uncertainty of their situation, the people are turning inward to find their own strength and fortitude.


And to hear of those enlightened by the lamb
They are looking to others who have found enlightenment and strength in difficult times for guidance and inspiration.


With the powers of the wind both fierce and light
The people in the village are affected by both the destructive and the constructive forces of nature.


And the waters of the storm went through the night
The storm that was foreshadowed earlier in the song has now passed, but the people in the village are still grappling with its aftermath.




Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gene Clark

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Donald Maxwell

Came back for another helping of Gene's magic.. One of the most prolific singer
songwriters of my generation .. I have seen comments that Gene needed the Byrds and they needed him.. Hogwash , If he split then he needed his sanity away and I think his solo lps are a great testament to his legacy. Rip Gene you were the man..

Pravin Daswani

@BLUE RAVEN how did you know him?

BLUE RAVEN

GENE IS STILL THE MAN, YOUR LISTING TO HIM...HE WAS ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS...GENE HAD WHAT WE CALL "FEAR OF SUCCESS"...HIS MUSIC AND THAT GREAT VOICE WILL LIVE ON!!!

Michael Oak

For A Spanish Guitar is one of the best songs ever written imho πŸ™πŸ’•

Christine Parker

His voice still gets to me. Beautiful and heartwrenching. Have to hear him every day. Wish there were more.

Peter Hartog

Masterpiece !

Jim Liljeberg

Best of the Best. Thanks, Gene, RIP!

gemes64

Outside of Dylan, Springsteen and The Beatles, Gene is the bees' knees. Thank you, Gene. x

gemes64

@Becks Bolero Wow!

belair90210

I like to listen to Gene at night as I peacefully drift off to sleep and I love this album cover 🌝92021

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