Orion
Jethro Tull攀 Lyrics

Orion, won't you give me your star sign
Asking Orion, the constellation in the night sky, to share his astrological sign as if it holds some power or knowledge.

Orion, get up on the sky-line
Inviting Orion to rise above the horizon and become visible in the clear night sky.

I'm high on my hill and I feel fine
Feeling content and happy while standing on a hill with an elevated view of the world.

Orion, let's sip the heaven's heady wine
Metaphorically suggesting the idea of sharing some kind of ethereal, otherworldly experience with Orion.

Orion, light your lights:
Addressing Orion, who is imagined as a divine entity or powerful being, to turn on his celestial lights.

Come guard the open spaces
Asking Orion to protect and watch over the vast, empty expanses of the universe.

From the black horizon to the pillow where I lie.
Envisioning Orion as a cosmic guardian watching over everything from the farthest reaches of space to the individual's own bed.

Your faithful dog shines brighter than its lord and master
Referring to one of Orion's stars, known as Sirius, which is actually brighter than most of the stars in the Orion constellation including the supposed master, Betelgeuse.

Your jewelled sword twinkles as the world rolls by.
Describing the constellation's shape as a sword, and suggesting that it glimmers and shines as the earth rotates.

So come up singing above the cloudy cover
Calling on Orion to emerge from behind the clouds and sing out, as if calling to the stars themselves.

Stare through at people who toss fitful in their sleep.
Suggesting that Orion can somehow see through the darkness and into the dreams of sleeping people below.

I know you're watching as the old gent by the station
Continuing the idea of Orion as an all-seeing observer, even to an unknown old man standing by a train station.

Scuffs his toes on old fag packets lying in the street
Describing a mundane and dirty scene on the street below, as if to contrast it with the celestial majesty of Orion.

And silver shadows flick across the closing bistro.
Painting a picture of a city street in the late hours, with shadows and reflections bouncing off the windows of a closing restaurant.

Sweet waiters link their arms and patter down the street,
Depicting the waiters as cheerful and friendly, perhaps unaware of the darker aspects of the city life described earlier in the verse.

Their words lost blowing on cold winds in darkest Chelsea.
Suggesting that the words spoken by the waiters are ephemeral and fleeting, lost to the winds of time and forgotten in the dark corners of the city.

Prime years fly fading with each young heart's beat
Implying that youth and vitality are fleeting, and that the heartbeats of young people are somehow connected to the ebb and flow of time itself.

Orion, won't you make me a star sign
Repeating the earlier request for Orion to share his astrological sign, as if there is some hidden relevance or power in knowing it.

Orion, get up on the sky-line
A repeat of the earlier invitation for Orion to become visible in the night sky.

I'm high on your love and I feel fine
Using the metaphor of Orion's love as a kind of euphoric intoxication or high.

Orion, let's sip the heaven's heady wine
Repeating the earlier metaphor of sipping celestial wine with Orion, as if uniting with the stars themselves.

And young girls shiver as they wait by lonely bus-stops
Painting a somber and lonely picture of young girls waiting by themselves at a bus stop.

After sad parties: no-one to take them home
Describing a particular kind of loneliness and abandonment after a disappointing or unsatisfying social gathering.

To greasy bed-sitters and make a late-night play
Suggesting a kind of squalor or desperation in the girls' living situation, as they go home to a dirty and cheap apartment in the middle of the night.

For lost virginity a thousand miles away.
Describing the girls' situation as more than just lonely, but also a kind of existential crisis, caused by a sense of distance and disconnection from their own selves.