Clay
Goldfrapp Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Words sail
Out into the wind
Their meaning
Taken by time

Your deep seeing eyes
Ancient stars
We wanted only to love
How will I find you again?
Fate or chance

A beauty
In uncertainty
We fought them
On great white sand

Our shadows reframed memories
We want only to live
Only to love and breathe again

Your white waves in the night
Longing I'm lost
In dreams of mine

Blue billowing green waves of grass
The iron sky
Turning in the looking glass

Your deep seeing eyes
Ancient stars

You are wonderful light
My only love




Sleep well
Good night

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Goldfrapp's song "Clay" are beautifully poetic and carry a sense of nostalgia and longing. The opening lines — "Words sail out into the wind, their meaning taken by time" — convey a feeling of loss and impermanence. The song is about a lover who has been lost, and the singer is left wondering how she will find them again. She questions whether their reunion will be a result of fate or chance. The lyrics also touch upon the beauty in uncertainty and the fact that sometimes, in order to live and love again, we must fight against the obstacles that life throws our way.


The chorus of the song — "Your deep seeing eyes, ancient stars, we wanted only to love, how will I find you again?" — is the central theme of the song, encapsulating the singer's feelings of longing and searching for her lost love. The second verse goes on to describe the setting of their love, hinting at the beauty of the natural world that surrounded them, with "white waves in the night" and "blue billowing green waves of grass."


The final verse brings an almost fairy tale quality to the song, with the reference to "wonderful light" and the singer's goodnight to her absent lover. Ultimately, "Clay" is a song about the power of love to endure, even in the face of uncertainty and separation.


Line by Line Meaning

Words sail
The words were spoken and sent out into the world


Out into the wind
They were carried away by natural forces


Their meaning
The intended message or sentiment of the words


Taken by time
Has become obscured or forgotten over time


Your deep seeing eyes
The person looks into the eyes of their beloved


Ancient stars
The person's eyes are compared to the timeless beauty of the stars


We wanted only to love
The person and their partner wanted nothing more than to love each other


How will I find you again?
The person is unsure if they will ever see their beloved again


Fate or chance
The unknown forces that will determine if they rejoin with their beloved


A beauty
There is a beauty to the uncertainty of their future


In uncertainty
Their future is unclear and unpredictable


We fought them
The couple faced obstacles or challenges that threatened their love


On great white sand
Their struggles took place in a natural, enchanting setting by the ocean


Our shadows reframed memories
The past and memories are seen in a new light, through their current struggles


We want only to live
The person and their partner want to keep going and survive together


Only to love and breathe again
Their greatest desire is to love each other and continue living


Your white waves in the night
The person sees the waves and is reminded of their beloved


Longing I'm lost
The person is consumed by their desire to be reunited with their beloved


In dreams of mine
The person can only imagine being with their beloved in their dreams


Blue billowing green waves of grass
Describing the beauty of the landscape and environment


The iron sky
The sky is described as cold and unyielding


Turning in the looking glass
The person feels like they are viewing their environment through a distorted mirror


You are wonderful light
The person sees their beloved as a bright and positive force in their life


My only love
Their partner is their one and only true love


Sleep well
Wishing their beloved a peaceful rest


Good night
A farewell to their beloved until the next time they meet




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALISON ELIZABETH GOLDFRAPP, WILLIAM OWEN GREGORY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Manal H

Lyrics :

Words sail
Out into the wind
Their meaning
Taken by time

Your deep seeing eyes
Ancient stars

We wanted only to love
How will I find you again?
Fate or chance

A beauty
In uncertainty
We fought them
On great white sand

Our shadows reframed memories
We want only to live
Only to love and breathe again

Your white waves in the night
Longing I'm lost
In dreams of mine

Blue billowing green waves of grass
The iron sky
Turning in the looking glass

Your deep seeing eyes
Ancient stars

You are wonderful light
My only love
Sleep well
Good night



All comments from YouTube:

Zema

One of the most beautiful songs ever produced by human beings

Manal H

Lyrics :

Words sail
Out into the wind
Their meaning
Taken by time

Your deep seeing eyes
Ancient stars

We wanted only to love
How will I find you again?
Fate or chance

A beauty
In uncertainty
We fought them
On great white sand

Our shadows reframed memories
We want only to live
Only to love and breathe again

Your white waves in the night
Longing I'm lost
In dreams of mine

Blue billowing green waves of grass
The iron sky
Turning in the looking glass

Your deep seeing eyes
Ancient stars

You are wonderful light
My only love
Sleep well
Good night

charlie z

so simple, yet absolutely beautiful!!!

sidney001

Thank you for sharing the lyrics which are beautiful.
I've only recently discovered Goldfrapp and I'm rather smitten.

If you like these lyrics, look up the lyrics for "The cardigans, you're the storm" shite video but great song

stereolab00

Got some lyrics wrong.

Damie

Le meilleur album de Goldfrapp, tout l’album est une merveille sensuelle et pleine de sensibilité

richard dean

This ballad will fly forever

RM 713

One of the best albums of all time.

stereolab00

This song sometimes makes me cry. Power of music, especially this good.

Johnny Fingers

I love this song, the increasing piano volume and chords and then the sudden ending, it's bloody hard work, you have to concentrate. Thank you Alison and band, I'd run back into the sea for this. This and Down In The Sewer by the Stranglers, I reckon I'd drown trying to save both. not that i'll ver gt on Desert Island Discs. Alison will.xx

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