Recorded July 7 and 20, 1967 at Mayfair Studios, "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" features complex instrumentation and studio production. The song opens with a delicate melody played on an electric harpsichord and wah-wah guitar that is soon joined by Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell's bass and drums. During the verses, the rhythm section playing is insistent, in contrast to the angelic background vocals and harpsichord that provide a crescendo to each verse. According to engineer Eddie Kramer, the vocals are by Cissy Houston and The Sweet Inspirations, Aretha Franklin's backup group. The mandolin effect is produced by recording two or more guitars playing the same part slowly, then speeding it up so that it plays at double speed on the record, effecting a unique timbre. The building instrumentation is repeated for each verse.
The song deals with loneliness, depression and possibly suicide. The narrator feels lonely, contemplates the passage of time, and has no reason to go on living. But he knows that suicide is wrong and tries to take it one day at a time. If he makes it to midnight, he feels like he succeeded surviving through another day. Hendrix speaks the line "Loneliness … is such a drag" during a turnaround in the middle of the song.
Hendrix's attachment to the song is evidenced by the decision to include it on Electric Ladyland over a year after first releasing it.
Burning of the Midnight Lamp
Jimi Hendrix Lyrics
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And the day is, too
There's nothing left here to meet me
But the velvet moon
All my loneliness I have felt today
It's like a little more than enough
To make a man throw himself away
To burn the midnight lamp
Alone
Now the smiling portrait of you
Is still hangin' on my frowning wall
It really doesn't, really doesn't bother me too much at all
It's just the ever falling dust
That makes it so hard for me to see
That forgotten earring layin' on the floor
Facing coldly towards the door
I continue
To burn the midnight lamp
Lord, alone
Loneliness is such a drag
So here I sit to face
That same old fire place
Gettin' ready for the same old explosion
Goin' through my mind
And soon enough time will tell,
About the circus in the wishing well
And someone who will buy and sell for me
Someone to toll my bell
And I continue
To burn this old lamp
Lord, alone
Darlin' can't ya hear me callin' you?
So lonely
Gonna have to blow my mind
Lonely
The lyrics of "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" by Jimi Hendrix depict a man who finds himself trapped in a world of loneliness, isolation and hopelessness. The morning is dead and so is the day, and there is nothing around to console him except the velvet moon. The song is a tale of heartbreak, separation, and abandonment; the singer is grappling with his loneliness and isolation.
The opening verse highlights how the singer has struggled to overcome deep loneliness, and as much as he tries, he cannot find a companion. His words highlight that the loneliness is more than enough to make a man throw himself away, yet he continues to face his loneliness head-on. The chorus, "And I continue to burn the midnight lamp alone," reinforces the fact that the singer's challenges haven't ended; he is still suffering from loneliness and despair.
In the second verse, the singer describes how the smiling portrait of his love is still hanging on his wall, and how it doesn't bother him that much. He cannot see it, as the dust is ever-falling and blocking him from seeing clearly. He continues to burn the midnight lamp alone, and the loneliness is such a drag. He is sitting by the same old fireplace, and the only explosion he is waiting for is in his mind, with thoughts of the circus in the wishing well, and somebody to toll his bell.
Overall, "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" is a song about loneliness and the difficulty of facing it alone. The singer's struggles are something that many people can relate to, and the lyrics paint a picture of someone going through a tough time.
Line by Line Meaning
The morning is dead
It is too late, the morning has passed and it is now the night
And the day is, too
Not only is the morning gone, but the entire day has departed as well
There's nothing left here to meet me
There is nothing new or exciting left in this environment for the singer to encounter
But the velvet moon
The only redeeming feature in this lifeless setting is the beauty of the moon
All my loneliness I have felt today
The singer has keenly felt the weight of their solitude throughout the day
It's like a little more than enough
Being lonely is just tolerable, but only barely so
To make a man throw himself away
The burden of being alone can take such a toll on a person's emotional state that they may feel like giving up entirely
And I continue
Despite the struggle and pain, the singer carries on
To burn the midnight lamp
The singer stays up late into the night to contemplate and absorb his feelings
Alone
Without anyone else to offer comfort or distraction from his emotions
Now the smiling portrait of you
An image of someone who used to bring joy and happiness to the singer is now present in his life
Is still hangin' on my frowning wall
Despite the fact that the singer is no longer happy, this image of the smiling portrait remains on their wall
It really doesn't, really doesn't bother me too much at all
Seeing the picture does not evoke any strong emotions in the singer
It's just the ever falling dust
The lack of attention paid to the image has caused it to accumulate dust
That makes it so hard for me to see
The dust makes it difficult for the singer to clearly see the portrait
That forgotten earring layin' on the floor
A symbol of the past is present on the floor, forgotten and disregarded
Facing coldly towards the door
The earring is positioned as if turned away from the singer, making it seem less welcoming
Loneliness is such a drag
It is extremely difficult and depressing to feel so isolated
So here I sit to face
The singer sits down to confront his internal problems
That same old fire place
The same comfortable, familiar spot where the singer has thought a lot in the past
Gettin' ready for the same old explosion
The singer is preparing for an emotional outburst similar to those he's had before
Goin' through my mind
The singer is mentally sorting through the issues that plague him
And soon enough time will tell,
The singer knows that eventually the future will reveal whether things will remain the same or take a different course
About the circus in the wishing well
The singer wonders about the spectacle that the future will hold, unsure about what it may be
And someone who will buy and sell for me
The singer longs for someone who will offer something in exchange for his feelings
Someone to toll my bell
The singer wants someone to hear his cry for help and respond accordingly
Darlin' can't ya hear me callin' you?
The singer pleads for someone to help him through his loneliness
So lonely
The feeling of loneliness is pervasive and unyielding
Gonna have to blow my mind
To cope with his struggles, the singer may resort to drastic measures
Lonely
The song ends as it began, emphasizing the crushing, inescapable truth of isolation
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Ellas McDaniel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Devin Kennedy
on Spanish Castle Magic (alternate take)
Is this really the alternete take