Smoke Rings
Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What do they do
Those circles of blue and white?
Oh! why do they seem to pictures a dream above
Then why do they fade my phantom parade of love?
Where do they end, the smoke rings I send on high?
Where are they hurled
Oh! I'd give my life to laugh at this strife below
I'd be a king I'd follow each ring I blow
Puff puff puff puff your cares away
Puff puff puff night and day
Blow blow them into air silky little rings
Blow, blow them ev'ry where give your troubles wings
What do they tell and what is the spell they cast
Some of them fall and seem to recall the past
But most of them rise away to the skies of blue
Oh little smoke rings I love
Mary Ford's "Smoke Rings" is a dreamy, nostalgic song that muses on the ephemeral nature of love and life. The lyrics follow the path of smoke rings blown into the air, wondering where they go and what purpose they serve. The song opens with the questions "Where do they go, the smoke rings I blow each night? What do they do, those circles of blue and white?" The smoke rings are a metaphor for the fleeting nature of love, and the way in which it can seem to drift away and disappear like smoke. The lyrics continue, "Oh! Why do they seem to pictures a dream above? Then why do they fade my phantom parade of love?"
The second verse of the song explores the idea of the smoke rings disappearing into the sky. "Where do they end, the smoke rings I send on high? Where are they hurled when they've kissed the world goodbye?" The singer imagines a life free from the struggles and challenges of the world, where she can follow the smoke rings and be carried away by their beauty. "Oh! I'd give my life to laugh at this strife below. I'd be a king I'd follow each ring I blow."
Throughout the song, there is a sense of wistful longing for something that is just out of reach. The smoke rings are a symbol of this intangibility, and the singer seems to derive comfort from their beauty and mystery. The chorus invites the listener to join in this meditation on the nature of life and love, encouraging them to "Puff puff puff puff your cares away. Puff puff puff night and day. Blow blow them into air silky little rings. Blow, blow them ev'ry where give your troubles wings."
Line by Line Meaning
Where do they go, the smoke rings I blow each night
Where does the smoke I blow each night go?
What do they do
What is the purpose of these circles of blue and white smoke?
Those circles of blue and white?
What do these color and shaped smoke rings represent?
Oh! why do they seem to pictures a dream above
Why do these smoke rings create a dream-like illusion in the sky?
Then why do they fade my phantom parade of love?
Why do they fade away and remind me of my lost love?
Where do they end, the smoke rings I send on high?
Where do these smoke rings disappear when I send them up high?
Where are they hurled
Where do they land?
When they've kissed the world goodbye!
When they have disappeared completely and left the world.
Oh! I'd give my life to laugh at this strife below
I wish to escape from this world by blowing smoke rings and find happiness.
I'd be a king I'd follow each ring I blow
I will follow the path of each smoke ring and become its master.
Puff puff puff puff your cares away
Blow smoke to forget your worries.
Puff puff puff night and day
Blow smoke all the time.
Blow blow them into air silky little rings
Blow smoke in the form of small, silky rings.
Blow, blow them ev'ry where give your troubles wings
Blow smoke everywhere and let your worries fly away.
What do they tell and what is the spell they cast
What is the message and charm of these smoke rings?
Some of them fall and seem to recall the past
Some of the smoke rings fall and bring back memories of the past.
But most of them rise away to the skies of blue
Most of the smoke rings rise up to the blue sky.
Oh little smoke rings I love
I have a great affection towards these little smoke rings.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: GENE GIFFORD, NED WASHINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@raineabad9199
Where do they go, the smoke rings I blow each night
What do they do
Those circles of blue and white?
Oh! why do they seem to pictures a dream above
Then why do they fade my phantom parade of love?
Where do they end, the smoke rings I send on high?
Where are they hurled
When they've kissed the world goodbye!
Oh! I'd give my life to laugh at this strife below
I'd be a king I'd follow each ring I blow
Puff puff puff puff your cares away
Puff puff puff night and day
Blow blow them into air silky little rings
Blow, blow them ev'ry where give your troubles wings
What do they tell and what is the spell they cast
Some of them fall and seem to recall the past
But most of them rise away to the skies of blue
Oh little smoke rings I love
@g-maof8491
When this song was recorded by Paul and Ford, my pediatrician kept an ashtray on his desk and smoked with my mom while they discussed my vitamin deficiencies. lol!
I love the sleepy sexiness of this song, as well as his guitar and her very lovely voice.
@erickent3557
Sleepy sexiness is spot on... such a late night sound
@societyofamusementparkhistory
Something about this just sends shivers down my spine, listening alone in the dark. Would listen to this hiking.
@MightyTiki
Hands down the best arrangement of Smoke Rings; Mary Ford's voice reminds me of Patti Page's version of Old Cape Cod with the reverb effect and backup singers voice.
This is a piece of heaven.
@NatureBoy12100
Considering that's it all Mary, with Les Paul's multi-track recording techniques it just about perfect.
@philturner6642
I've heard this a thousand times.it just blows my doors off.her angelic god given voice and his brilliant playing all while trying to figure out this mult track thing.devine is all I can come up with.
@phretbord
Loved it, happy to hear you've posted this great recording by this lovely couple who are now gone forever but never forgotten! I needed to hear it again! ~Cheers!🤣👏😊🎼🎸
@angelx7385
One of my favorite songs at the moment ♥︎ wish music like this still existed :(
@Josquinquin
What an atmosphere they create! Perfection.
@yans.3908
Wow! Such a great song... just discodered it through the movie Asteroid City...