Whiter Shade of Pale
Joe Cocker Lyrics

We skipped the light fandango
We danced gracefully and joyfully

Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
We moved playfully and energetically

I was feeling kinda seasick
I started to feel unwell and dizzy

But the crowd called out for more
The audience demanded further performance

The room was humming harder
The atmosphere was more intense and lively

As the ceiling flew away
Things became increasingly surreal and dreamlike

When we called out for another drink
We requested another drink

The waiter brought a tray
The server delivered the drink on a plate

And so it was that later
Eventually, after a while

As the miller told his tale
As the storyteller narrated his story

That her face, at first just ghostly,
Initially, she appeared colorless and pale

Turned a whiter shade of pale
Became even paler, almost white

She said, 'There is no reason
She claimed there was no explanation

And the truth is plain to see.'
It was evident for all to observe

But I wandered through my playing cards
I was lost in thought, preoccupied

And would not let her be
I did not allow her to have her say

One of sixteen vestal virgins
One of the sixteen chaste female attendants

Who were leaving for the coast
Who were departing for the shoreline

And although my eyes were open
Despite having my eyes wide open

They might have just as well've been closed
I was not fully present, oblivious

She said, 'I'm home on shore leave,'
She declared she was on land temporarily

Though in truth we were at sea
Although, in reality, we were on a boat

So I took her by the looking glass
I led her to the mirror

And forced her to agree
And compelled her to acknowledge my claim

Saying, 'You must be the mermaid
Asserting that she was a mystical creature

Who took Neptune for a ride.'
Who rode the god of the sea

But she smiled at me so sadly
However, she grinned at me with a mournful expression

That my anger straightway died
That my fury dissipated instantly

If music be the food of love
If melody nurtures love

Then laughter is its queen
Then humor presides over it

And likewise if behind is in front
Similarly, if the back is the front

Then dirt in truth is clean
Then filth, in reality, is pure

My mouth by then like cardboard
By that moment, my mouth felt parched and dry

Seemed to slip straight through my head
Appeared to pass directly through my brain

So we crash-dived straightway quickly
So we promptly dove down rapidly

And attacked the ocean bed
And vigorously explored the seafloor