Wow
Kate Bush Lyrics
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We're all alone on the stage tonight
We've been told we're not afraid of you
We know all our lines so well, uh-huh
We've said them so many times
Time and time again
Line and line again
Ooh, yeah, you're amazing!
We think you're incredible
You say we're fantastic
But still we don't head the bill
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Unbelievable!
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Unbelievable!
When the actor reaches his death
You know it's not for real, he just holds his breath
But he always dives too soon, too fast to save himself
He'll never make the screen
He'll never make the Sweeney
Be that movie queen
He's too busy hitting the Vaseline
Ooh, yeah, you're amazing!
We think you are really cool
We'd give you a part, my love
But you'd have to play the fool
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Unbelievable!
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Unbelievable!
We're all alone on the stage tonight
We're all alone
On the stage
Tonight
In Kate Bush's song Wow, the lyrics paint a picture of a group of performers who are confident in their abilities and familiar with their craft. They are ready to present their art to the world without fear. They have rehearsed their lines repeatedly and are more than capable of executing a flawless performance. Despite all of this, they are not the main attraction. They are not the headliners. They are in awe of the person who has landed that coveted spot. They sing praises of the person who has captured the attention of the crowd.
The lyrics suggest a sense of envy and frustration towards the one who has gotten top billing. The performers are in awe of this person, acknowledging how incredible and amazing they are, but at the same time feel slighted that they themselves are not headlining. The comparison made between the struggling actor who dives too soon and the headliner who is able to hold their breath effortlessly almost seems like a metaphor for the struggle to make it in show business. The performers are left feeling as though they are not enough, that they will never be the movie queens, and that the headlining stars are the ones getting all the breaks.
Line by Line Meaning
We're all alone on the stage tonight
We are the only ones performing on this stage tonight.
We've been told we're not afraid of you
We have been told that we are not scared of the audience.
We know all our lines so well, uh-huh
We have rehearsed our lines so many times that we know them very well.
We've said them so many times
We have repeated our lines many times during rehearsal.
Time and time again
We have practiced our lines repeatedly.
Line and line again
We have rehearsed each line of the script multiple times.
Ooh, yeah, you're amazing!
We think that the audience is incredible.
We think you're incredible
We are in awe of the audience.
You say we're fantastic
The audience has complimented our performance.
But still we don't head the bill
We are not the main act of the performance.
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Unbelievable!
We are amazed by the audience's response to us.
When the actor reaches his death
At the point in the play where the character dies.
You know it's not for real, he just holds his breath
The actor does not really die, he is just pretending.
But he always dives too soon, too fast to save himself
The actor always jumps into the 'death' scene too quickly and cannot save himself.
He'll never make the screen
The actor will never become famous.
He'll never make the Sweeney
The actor will never star in a top-notch production.
Be that movie queen
The actor will never achieve stardom.
He's too busy hitting the Vaseline
The actor is too busy putting on makeup to improve his appearance.
We think you are really cool
We think the audience is awesome.
We'd give you a part, my love
We would love to involve the audience in the performance.
But you'd have to play the fool
However, the role we have in mind for the audience is that of a foolish character.
We're all alone on the stage tonight
The performers and the audience are the only ones present on stage.
We're all alone
There is no one else here except us.
On the stage
We are all present on the performance stage.
Tonight
This is happening right now, tonight.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kate Bush
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DoloStallion
Where do artists like her draw inspiration? It seems everything today is made with the intent of being popular. I’m just getting into Kate Bush and she’s blowing my mind right now. She doesn’t seem interested in being conventional at all. Extremely talented.
@GarthPrice-ej6bt
She's my favorite bookworm (Emily Brontë; Wuthering Heights; song same name . . . James Joyce; Ulysses; "The Sensual World" . . . Peter Reich; A Book of Dreams; "Cloudbusting"). Kate gets inspiration from everywhere. 🙂
@ajaxt9333
Kate Bush put me in a trance with her elegantly haunting music when I was only a kid in the late 70,s. I'm 52 now and haven't seen any female vocalist come anywhere close to this mesmerising masterpiece. A complete one off. Thankyou Kate ❤
@stephenmcdonagh2795
Yes, music has too many vocal warblers, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston are prime examples of this vocal range showing off. Kate doesn't need to pretend- a bit like Billie Holiday, the songs are what mattered. Sarah Craknell of Saint Ettiene has a beautiful but simplistic way of singing. I'd recommend to anybody to listen to Saint Ettiene's early 90s album, Fox Base Alpha, I've loved it for 30yrs.
@ajaxt9333
@@stephenmcdonagh2795 I've heard st Etienne, I remember the album when britpop was taking off👍
@stephenmcdonagh2795
@@ajaxt9333 Yeh, love that album- FBA, First heard their cover of Neil Young's, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, but it's every other song on the album that I love now- gotta make sure I don't overplay it.
@samuelthiex
kate is a once in a lifetime artist, there won‘t be anybody like her for a hundred
years
@amandabotterill1000
Me too
@ACCH-cm9ou
Charisma is not something ,that everbody has.....look at her no special effects, no video tricks..just a woman and her voice,she can capture you in a minute....this is talent
@gerardjames9971
She's amazing. The greatest female singer-songwriter in history