A Whiter Shade of Pale
Joe Cocker Lyrics

We skipped the light fandango
We danced joyfully around the room

Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
We were so happy that we couldn't contain our excitement

I was feeling kinda seasick
I wasn't feeling very well, probably because of all the spinning and dancing

But the crowd called out for more
Despite my sickness, the audience wanted us to keep going

The room was humming harder
The energy in the room was intensifying

As the ceiling flew away
The excitement was so strong that it felt like we were escaping reality

When we called out for another drink
We wanted to continue the party and asked for more alcohol

The waiter brought a tray
The waiter delivered more drinks to us

And so it was that later
It was after the party had ended and we were recounting our memories

As the miller told his tale
As we listened to a storyteller recount his tale

That her face, at first just ghostly,
Her face, which was pale and emotionless, appeared before us

Turned a whiter shade of pale
She now looked even paler, as if she had seen a ghost

She said, 'There is no reason
She denied that there was any rationale for her appearance

And the truth is plain to see.'
The reality is obvious and doesn't need to be explained

But I wandered through my playing cards
I was distracted by my thoughts and was shuffling my deck of cards absentmindedly

And would not let her be
I refused to acknowledge her changed appearance and continued to play with my cards instead

One of sixteen vestal virgins
She was one of many pure and chaste women

Who were leaving for the coast
They were going on a journey, perhaps for a special occasion

And although my eyes were open
I was looking at her, but not really seeing her

They might have just as well've been closed
I was so distracted that it didn't matter if my eyes were open or closed

She said, 'I'm home on shore leave,'
She claimed that she was on a break from work

Though in truth we were at sea
It was actually the opposite - we were on a boat in the middle of the ocean

So I took her by the looking glass
I brought her in front of a mirror

And forced her to agree
I made her accept that we were not on land, but at sea instead

Saying, 'You must be the mermaid
I joked that she was a mythical creature because of her otherworldly appearance

Who took Neptune for a ride.'
I suggested that she had charmed the god of the sea and taken control of him

But she smiled at me so sadly
Her smile showed that she was not amused and that I had hurt her

That my anger straightway died
My frustration and anger dissipated instantly

If music be the food of love
Music is an important part of love and relationships

Then laughter is its queen
Laughter is even more important - it is the queen of love

And likewise if behind is in front
Just like when back becomes front

Then dirt in truth is clean
The opposite can be just as true - dirt is not necessarily dirty

My mouth by then like cardboard
My mouth was so dry that it felt like it was made of paper

Seemed to slip straight through my head
I was so exhausted that my mind was numb

So we crash-dived straightway quickly
We immediately dove headfirst

And attacked the ocean bed
We swam and explored the ocean floor