King of Wishful Thinking
Go West Lyrics


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I don't need to fall at your feet
Just 'cause you cut me to the bone
And I won't miss the way that you kiss me
We were never carved in stone
If I don't listen to the talk of the town
Then maybe I can fool myself

I'll get over you, I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking
(King of wishful thinking)
I am the king of wishful thinking

I refuse to give in to my blues
That's not how it's gonna be
And I deny the tears in my eyes
I don't wanna let you see, no
That you have made a hole in my heart
And now I've got to fool myself

I'll get over you, I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking (I'll get over you, I know I will)
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking, yeah (king of wishful thinking)

Oh no, I will never, never shed a tear for you
I'll get over you (I know I will)

If I don't listen to the talk of the town
Then maybe I can fool myself

I'll get over you, I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking (king of wishful thinking)
I'm the king of wishful thinking

I'll get over you, I know I will
You made a hole in my heart
But I won't shed a tear for you
I'll be the king of wishful thinking
I'll get over you (I know I will)
I'll pretend my heart's still beating
'Cause I've got no more tears for you
I'm the king of wishful thinking
I'll get over you (I know I will)
You made a hole in my heart




And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "King of Wishful Thinking" by Go West express the idea of denial after a breakup. The singer acknowledges that they have been hurt by their former lover, but instead of wallowing in sadness, they choose to believe they can move on quickly. The line "I'll get over you, I know I will" is repeated throughout the song as a mantra to reinforce this belief. The singer refuses to give in to their sadness, instead, they convince themselves that their heart isn't really broken and that they can fool themselves into thinking the hurt never happened.


The coda of the song is particularly emphatic in its message of self-confidence and the power of positive thinking. The repetition of the phrase "I'll get over you" and the declaration that they will "be the king of wishful thinking" are a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The song might leave listeners pondering the power of denial and the idea that sometimes pretending to feel better can lead to actually feeling better.


Line by Line Meaning

I don't need to fall at your feet
I don't have to be subservient to you


Just 'cause you cut me to the bone
Even though you hurt me deeply


And I won't miss the way that you kiss me
I won't long for the way we used to kiss


We were never carved in stone
Our relationship was never permanent


If I don't listen to the talk of the town
If I ignore what people say about us


Then maybe I can fool myself
Maybe I can deceive myself into getting over you


I'll get over you, I know I will
I will move on from you, I am certain of it


I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
I will act as if everything is okay despite the emotional turmoil


And I'll tell myself I'm over you
I will convince myself that I have moved on from you


'Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking
Because I can imagine a reality in which I am happy without you


I refuse to give in to my blues
I am determined not to be sad


That's not how it's gonna be
I won't let myself be consumed by sadness


And I deny the tears in my eyes
I won't cry in front of you


I don't wanna let you see, no
I don't want to show you my vulnerability


That you have made a hole in my heart
You have caused me emotional pain


And now I've got to fool myself
I have to trick myself into believing I'm okay


Oh no, I will never, never shed a tear for you
I am determined not to cry because of you


You made a hole in my heart
You have caused me emotional pain


But I won't shed a tear for you
I refuse to let you see me cry and give you power over me


I'll pretend my heart's still beating
I will act as if my heart is not broken


'Cause I've got no more tears for you
I have cried enough over you


I'm the king of wishful thinking
I am confident that I can be happy without you




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Peter John Cox, Richard P Drummie, Martin George Page

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Gerard McCartney


on The King Is Dead

When you finally realise that all your life, you've been driven by ego, and the humiliating freedom that realisation affords

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