You Want Alchemy
Kate Bush Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

What a lovely afternoon
On a cloudbusting kind of day.
We took our own 'Mystery Tour'
And got completely lost somewhere up in the hills.

And we came up on a bee-keeper,
And he said "Did you know they can change it all?"
You want alchemy.
They turn the roses into gold
They turn the lilac into honey
They're making love for the peaches.

And we're thinking,
"Who is this guy?"
"Is he some kind of nut or what?".

He said, "I don't meet many people..",
"I'm very busy with the hives.".
ZzzzZzzzz.. Sun's gone down..
"When's my cloud of bees coming home?".

They got alchemy.
They turn the roses into gold
They turn the lilac into honey
They're making love for the peaches.

And they'll do it,
Do it for you.
They'll do it,
Do it for you.

"And if you see them, send 'em right on home to me"

(what they gonna do...?)

They got Aaaaaaaa..
Turn the roses into gold.
And they'll do it for you

Do it for you (what they gonna do...?)

I'll tell Yaaaaaa...

Making love for the peaches. (what they gonna do...?)

Daaaaaamaaaaakiiiiindaaaaa honey.

(they do it for you)

They do it for you.





And why not...?
They bring me so much pleasure.

Overall Meaning

The song "You Want Alchemy" by Kate Bush is about a chance encounter with a beekeeper in the hills. The singer is out for a drive with a companion on a "cloudbusting kind of day." They come upon a beekeeper who is preoccupied with his bees. The beekeeper marvels at the alchemy of the bees, and he tells the singer and her companion that the bees can "turn the roses into gold" and "turn the lilac into honey." The beekeeper seems a bit of an odd character, and the singer and her companion are unsure what to make of him. But the beekeeper makes a lasting impression on them as they drive away, and they can't help but think about the alchemy of the bees.


The song is full of symbolism and metaphor. The bees represent the power of nature to transform things. The beekeeper, in turn, represents a kind of wisdom that comes from living close to nature. His preoccupation with the bees suggests that he is more in tune with nature than the average person. He marvels at the alchemy of the bees, and he seems to be suggesting that there is something magical about nature that we don't fully understand. The song invites us to appreciate the beauty and mystery of the natural world and to be open to the possibility of transformation.


Line by Line Meaning

What a lovely afternoon
The singer had a great afternoon


On a cloudbusting kind of day.
The day was beautiful with clouds in the sky


We took our own 'Mystery Tour'
The singer went on a tour without any specific destination


And got completely lost somewhere up in the hills.
The artist and others lost their way while in the hills


And we came up on a bee-keeper,
They met a person who keeps bees


And he said "Did you know they can change it all?"
The beekeeper said that bees can do alchemy


You want alchemy.
The singer is interested in alchemy


They turn the roses into gold
Bees can turn roses into gold with their alchemy


They turn the lilac into honey
Bees can turn lilacs into honey with their alchemy


They're making love for the peaches.
Bees are doing something similar to making love with peaches.


And we're thinking,
The singer and others were wondering;


"Who is this guy?"
They were wondering who the beekeeper was.


"Is he some kind of nut or what?."
They were wondering if the beekeeper was crazy or not.


He said, "I don't meet many people..",
The beekeeper said that he doesn't meet many people


"I'm very busy with the hives.".
The beekeeper said he was busy with the beehives


ZzzzZzzzz.. Sun's gone down..
It became dark and everything was quiet


"When's my cloud of bees coming home?".
The beekeeper was expecting the bees to return


They got alchemy.
Bees have the ability to perform alchemy


They'll do it,
Bees will do it


Do it for you.
Bees can do alchemy for you


"And if you see them, send 'em right on home to me"
If someone sees the bees, they should be sent back to the beekeeper


(what they gonna do...?)
Unknown, the artist is contemplating


They got Aaaaaaaa..
Bees have something


Turn the roses into gold.
Bees can turn roses into gold


And they'll do it for you
Bees can do it for you


Do it for you (what they gonna do...?)
Unknown, the singer is still thinking


I'll tell Yaaaaaa...
The singer will tell you something


Making love for the peaches. (what they gonna do...?)
Unknown, the artist is thinking


Daaaaaamaaaaakiiiiindaaaaa honey.
Bees can turn honey into something


(they do it for you)
Bees can turn something into something else for you


They do it for you.
Bees can do it for you


And why not...?
It's an easy thing to do


They bring me so much pleasure.
Bees bring the beekeeper a lot of pleasure




Contributed by Aaliyah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Victoria Racz

This is brilliant, Mr. Marrs! Would you be interested if an artist ever contacted you to create a video for them?...

pasho12now

thank you deeply mr. Marrs and Kate Bush for the alchemy in your videos... on the screen and within this heart of mine... I love bees sooooo much... much love and gratitude you both

KateBush4Ever

It was a song I didn't especially like before but after 100 listening, now it's one of my favourites. ♥️

Mark

I'd never heard this song until last night. What a pleasure!

Butch Davis

I haven't been moved by kate since the early 80's. Somehow I got away from this vibe. Tonight I lay here in tears listening to this for the first time. 🐝

Ruth Cole

I really hope Kate gets to see these.  Excellent work.

Leora LaGraffe

Love this song, love the fan video. Brilliant all around, kudos.

rme2121

beautiful, thank you!!! A golden feeling of love shines in this video.

ewa maria

I💖 it!
Bravo from Częstochowa Poland.

KateBush4Ever

Bravo from Opole, Poland 😉

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