After having finished her run with the national tour of Wicked in September of 2006, Julia Murney has returned to Wicked as the new Broadway Elphaba. Her first show was January 10th/2007. She will finish her run as Elphaba on October 7th.
Rainbow Sleeves
Julia Murney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To places that you'd never been
On wings made of wishes
That you whispered to yourself
Back when every night the moon and you
Would sweep away to places
That you knew
Where you would never get the blues
Well now, whiskey gives you wings
To carry
Each one of your dreams
And the moon does not belong to you
But I believe
That your heart keeps young dreams
Well, I've been told
To keep from ever growing old
And a heart that has been broken
Will be stronger when it mends
Don't let the blues stop you singing
Darling, you've only got a broken wing
Hey, you just hang on to my rainbow
Hang on to my rainbow
Hang on to my rainbow sleeves
The first verse of Julia Murney's "Rainbow Sleeves" seems to be describing the experience of escapism through the process of dreaming. The singer of the song, addressed as "you," used to dream herself away every night, to places she had never been, on wings made of wishes that she whispered to herself. In her dreams, she would sweep away to places she knew where she would never get the blues. However, the second verse is a bit of a contrast from the first one. The singer, having grown older, is now using whiskey to give her the wings to carry each of her dreams. She has lost the blissful escape of her dreams, but the singer lets her know that her heart still keeps young dreams, helping her stay young and keep from ever growing old. The singer then says that although her heart has been broken, it will be stronger when it mends.
Interpreting the lyrics of "Rainbow Sleeves" might mean that the song is about the passing of time and the loss of innocence. The singer seems to be telling the singer that although she has lost the ability to escape into her dreams, she shouldn't let that stop her from singing. The image of a broken wing might be interpreted as a metaphor for a broken dream or a broken heart. The singer is encouraging the singer to hang on to their rainbow sleeves, to hold on to whatever is left of the colourful, dreamy innocence that once characterised their life.
Line by Line Meaning
You used to dream yourself away each night
When you were young, you used to dream and fly away in your imagination every night.
To places that you'd never been
You dreamt of magical places that you had never visited and had never existed.
On wings made of wishes
Your dreams helped you soar on imaginary wings made up of your deepest desires.
That you whispered to yourself
You kept your dreams to yourself and whispered them softly at night.
Back when every night the moon and you
There was a time when you and the moon shared your dreams every night.
Would sweep away to places
You both would drift away to places that only existed in your dreams.
That you knew
You were familiar with these places as they were the ones you visited each night in your dreams.
Where you would never get the blues
These locations would bring you happiness, and you would not feel sad or blue in those dreams.
Well now, whiskey gives you wings
Nowadays, you fly high with the help of alcohol when you feel sad.
To carry
The alcohol helps carry your dreams and desires.
Each one of your dreams
All your dreams, big and small, come alive with the help of whiskey.
And the moon does not belong to you
You don't share your night-time dreams with the moon anymore.
But I believe
But I trust that deep inside you still nurture your hopes and dreams.
That your heart keeps young dreams
Your heart is still young and holds on to your dreams that you once had.
Well, I've been told
It is said that to prevent oneself from feeling old, we need to hold on to our aspirations and creativity.
To keep from ever growing old
Keeping our dreams alive will prevent us from growing old in spirit.
And a heart that has been broken
When our hearts are broken, it may feel like the end, but it's a sign of growth that makes us stronger.
Will be stronger when it mends
Healing takes time, but with time, our broken hearts can make us stronger than before.
Don't let the blues stop you singing
When you are feeling blue and sad, don't let this stop you from singing and enjoying life.
Darling, you've only got a broken wing
You may feel broken due to your problems, but you only have one broken wing, which means you can still fly high.
Hey, you just hang on to my rainbow
Hold on to my colorful hope and never give up on your dreams.
Hang on to my rainbow
Clutch onto my optimism and don't lose sight of the brighter future.
Hang on to my rainbow sleeves
Hold on to your desire for change, and I will help you get there with my determination and positivity.
Contributed by Asher C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@eugeneczyzewski7237
Beautiful cover!
@cpiii6265
I love you Julia Murney!!!
@chapuchapu22
儚く美しい。此処にいて居た堪れないほどの余韻
@Alteredtaint
I'm sorry, but her voice is pretentious. She absolutely does no justice to this Tom Waits jam. Listen to Rickie Lee Jones' version. It's awesome. As for her CD "I'm not waiting", well, I'm not waiting.