RED
Maclean Tara Lyrics


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Her face is down
And her fingers hang loose
Like horsetail cigarettes
Looks like half a man is all she gets tonight
My little Hercules
Never hurt anyone
And he's the only way of getting home
So when you're between her lips
And the spine of her bed
When everything turns red
Well I see red as well
When you see the color of love
I see the color of hell

I lose myself
And I fall away
Past the sad and long dog days
Through a world in which i don't belong anymore
Past the bar stool boys
Who take and take me anyhow
But they never take you away

So when you fall beneath her sheets
I lose my head
When everything goes red
Well I see red as well
When you see the color of love
I see the color of hell

Lord, lead me on




To a world that I can no longer find
My dear you are all the time

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Maclean Tara's song Red describe a painful situation where the singer sees their love interest with someone else, causing them to feel a deep sense of anger and betrayal. The opening lines convey a sense of sorrow, as the person's face is down and their fingers hang loosely, as if they are lost and defeated. The reference to "horsetail cigarettes" gives a sense of the character's loneliness, as they are smoking alone in the dark. The reference to "half a man" is a metaphor for how the person is feeling, as they are only getting a fraction of the love they desire. Despite this, the character's strength is compared to that of Hercules, as they have never hurt anyone despite feeling a great deal of pain.


The second verse moves into a more introspective space, as the singer reflects on their own feelings of displacement and alienation. The "sad and long dog days" suggest a prolonged period of depression and despair, and the reference to "bar stool boys" implies that the singer has been trying to find comfort in meaningless encounters. Despite this, the love interest remains the only thing that truly matters to them, and they cannot bear to see them with another person. The repeated reference to "red" suggests both the passion of love and the fiery anger that the singer feels towards the situation.


Overall, Red is a moving and powerful song that speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and loss. The lyrics convey a sense of raw emotion and pain, but also of resilience and strength in the face of adversity.


Line by Line Meaning

Her face is down
She looks sad and defeated, with her head down.


And her fingers hang loose
She's not even trying to grip anything, her hands are just hanging limply.


Like horsetail cigarettes
Her fingers are thin and frail, too thin to even hold something as thin as a cigarette.


Looks like half a man is all she gets tonight
She's settling for less, maybe because she has no other choice.


My little Hercules
The songwriter's own strength and ability to keep going.


Never hurt anyone
They've gotten this far without causing harm to anyone else, even with all the hardship.


And he's the only way of getting home
The songwriter has nowhere else to go except home, and they can only rely on themselves to get there.


So when you're between her lips
When the subject is involved in an intimate situation with someone else.


And the spine of her bed
The bed they're having the intimate moment on.


When everything turns red
When emotions are high and things become intense.


Well I see red as well
The songwriter is also feeling intense emotions, and they are not positive ones.


When you see the color of love
The positive emotions that come with love.


I see the color of hell
The songwriter feels like they are experiencing something akin to hell.


I lose myself
The songwriter feels like they're losing themselves in the situation they're in.


And I fall away
The songwriter feels like they're losing themselves completely, falling away from who they are.


Past the sad and long dog days
Through tough and difficult times that have persisted for a long time.


Through a world in which i don't belong anymore
The songwriter doesn't feel like they fit in with the world around them, as if something has changed and they haven't been able to keep up.


Past the bar stool boys
Referring to people who may be drinking or causing trouble in a bar.


Who take and take me anyhow
People who will take advantage of the songwriter without giving anything back.


But they never take you away
Despite this, the songwriter still has the person they care about, and the others can't take that from them.


So when you fall beneath her sheets
When the subject is having their moment with someone else, in bed.


I lose my head
The songwriter feels like they're losing control, the situation is causing them to go crazy.


When everything goes red
When emotions are high and things become intense, once again.


Well I see red as well
Once again, the songwriter is expressing that their emotions are high and intense, and they are not positive.


Lord, lead me on
The songwriter is asking for guidance.


To a world that I can no longer find
They're looking for a place where they fit in or feel comfortable again, but they can't seem to find it.


My dear you are all the time
The songwriter has the person they care about, and that person is always with them.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JON LEVINE, TARA MACLEAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Gray Fury

I first heard this song in 1996 or something... almost 20 years later it still gives me chills... one of my top 5 desert island songs.. I would love to hear or read the conversational background track.

Fevos Man

Revisited this upload after years. It saddens me that this great song is not widely known. I d like to get it more views for it.

Please share it at your social media or with your friends and relatives.

Μαρία Σκιά

amazing!!!

Fevos Man

Παρακαλω κοινοποιησε αυτο το τραγουδι με οσους φιλους μπορεις.

Αυτο το τραγουδι κι αυτη η καλλιτεχνις αξιζει λιγη αναγνωριση.

vasilisevngl

awesome!!!

nicholas ng sing kwong

beautiful

Edwin Riley

one question tho (I assume you're Tara Maclean): why can't I find this song anywhere? It's not on spotify or amazon downloads. I came across it years ago on Pandora and finally someone posted it here....I've searched your entire oeuvre and can't find it anywhere! I wonder if this sad/creepy/sexy song even exists.... lol

Fevos Man

Please share this video in your social media or with your friends and family. This song and this artist deserves more recognition.

pppantazis1

Έύγε Φοίβο, τα καλά να παίζουν...

nicholas ng sing kwong

chak initilie ene pik de souffle dans le ker

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