Hold On
Hazel O 'Connor Lyrics


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Hello old friend long time no see
Except the sea between you and me
And that's physical and that's impenetrable

Left you laughing at the dreams that I told you
Now I'm laughing at the dreams that they sold me
It's such a shame, you had to join their nasty game
You didn't hold on
You didn't hold on
You didn't hold on
To a dream,
Ain't it obscene

The silence in your room is getting me down
The thickly atmosphere descends upon the clown
Who laughs no more, he broke the golden law

He didn't hold on
He didn't hold on
He didn't hold on
To the dream,
Ain't it obscene

The way they shake you, try to wake you
Be a man now, be a woman now
Try to shake you up, try to wake you up
Be a grown up, be a sour puss

Never mind my love, I'll leave this for you
Don't bother calling me, maybe I'll call you, so




Stay on the scene
And I'll stay chasing my dreams

Overall Meaning

In Hazel O'Connor's song Hold On, she begins by addressing an old friend saying, "Hello old friend long time no see." She mentions how the distance between them is physical and impenetrable. She then talks about how she left her friend laughing at her dreams, and now she is laughing at how her dreams were sold to her. The song then takes a turn as she addresses her friend, saying that they did not hold on to the dream. The silence in the room is getting her down, and it seems like her friend has broken the golden law by giving up on their dream.


Throughout the song, Hazel talks about the tremendous pressure people face to conform to societal norms. She talks about how people are shaken and woken up to be "grown-ups," but she sees it as losing the dream. She believes that people give up on their dreams and join the "nasty game." The song's lyrics suggest that people should hold on to their dreams and not listen to society's pressures. In the end, Hazel leaves her friend with the message to remain on the scene while she continues chasing her dreams.


Line by Line Meaning

Hello old friend long time no see
It's been a while since we last met


Except the sea between you and me
The only thing separating us is a physical distance


And that's physical and that's impenetrable
The distance between us cannot be overcome


Left you laughing at the dreams that I told you
My dreams used to make you laugh


Now I'm laughing at the dreams that they sold me
I realize that the dreams I was sold were not true


It's such a shame, you had to join their nasty game
It's unfortunate that you got caught up in their deceitful scheme


You didn't hold on
You let go of your dreams


To a dream, Ain't it obscene
It's a shame to give up on one's dreams


The silence in your room is getting me down
I feel sad in the quietness of your room


The thickly atmosphere descends upon the clown
The heavy atmosphere affects even the usually happy and cheerful person


Who laughs no more, he broke the golden law
The person who used to laugh a lot no longer does, as he lost sight of his dreams


He didn't hold on
He gave up on his dreams


To the dream, Ain't it obscene
It's a pity to let go of one's dreams


The way they shake you, try to wake you
They try to pressure you and wake you up to their reality


Be a man now, be a woman now
Live up to societal expectations of what it means to be a man or a woman


Try to shake you up, try to wake you up
They try to change your way of thinking


Be a grown up, be a sour puss
They expect you to be serious and not have fun


Never mind my love, I'll leave this for you
I'm not going to try to change your mind


Don't bother calling me, maybe I'll call you, so
I'm not expecting you to contact me anytime soon, but I may reach out to you eventually


Stay on the scene
Stay where you are and continue with what you're doing


And I'll stay chasing my dreams
I'll continue to pursue my dreams




Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: EPHRAIM LEWIS, JON QUARMBY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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