Water
Michael Jones Lyrics
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On the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile
We didn't have much time
Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Were at the best place around
But some stupid with a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground
They burned down the gambling house
It died with an awful sound
Funky Claude was running in and out
Pulling kids out the ground
When it all was over
We had to find another place
But Swiss time was running out
It seemed that we would lose the race
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
We ended up at the Grand Hotel
It was empty cold and bare
But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside
Making our music there
With a few red lights and a few old beds
We make a place to sweat
No matter what we get out of this
I know we'll never forget
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
Michael Jones's song 'Water' is a homage to Deep Purple's classic rock song 'Smoke on the Water'. The lyrics describe the events that inspired the Deep Purple song, which also took place in a town called Montreux, situated on the shoreline of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The band went there to record their album with a mobile recording studio, but their plans were derailed by a devastating incident. During a Frank Zappa concert, someone in the audience fired a flare gun towards the ceiling, which started a fire and burned down the entire casino complex where Deep Purple had planned to record. The lyrics refer to this incident as "some stupid with a flare gun," and describe the ensuing chaos, with fire and smoke filling the sky.
The second verse of the song details the aftermath of the fire, with "Funky Claude" (a reference to Claude Nobs, the founder of Montreux Jazz Festival) helping to rescue people from the wreckage. The band had to scramble to find another recording location, with "Swiss time running out," and eventually settled on the Grand Hotel. Despite the challenges, the band persevered, rigging up a makeshift recording studio and producing one of their most iconic songs. The final line of the song is a reference to this experience - "No matter what we get out of this, I know we'll never forget."
Line by Line Meaning
We all came out to Montreux
We all went to Montreux
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
And we were by the edge of Lake Geneva
To make records with a mobile
Using a recording studio on wheels
We didn't have much time
We were short on time
Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Frank Zappa and his band
Were at the best place around
They were performing at the best venue at the time
But some stupid with a flare gun
However, someone foolishly used a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground
And set the venue on fire
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
The smoke and fire could be seen from outside
They burned down the gambling house
The fire also destroyed the nearby casino
It died with an awful sound
Which ended with a terrible sound
Funky Claude was running in and out
A man called Funky Claude was running in and out of the venue
Pulling kids out the ground
Rescuing young people from the debris
When it all was over
After the fire was put out
We had to find another place
We had to find a new venue
But Swiss time was running out
But we were running out of time
It seemed that we would lose the race
It seemed we might not find a new venue on time
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
Still seeing the aftermath of the fire
We ended up at the Grand Hotel
We eventually settled at the Grand Hotel
It was empty cold and bare
The new venue was empty, cold, and not very welcoming
But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside
However, we had the Rolling Stones truck parked outside
Making our music there
So we got to work on making our music
With a few red lights and a few old beds
We had limited resources, just a few lights and old beds
We make a place to sweat
But we made a place to work hard
No matter what we get out of this
Regardless of the outcome
I know we'll never forget
We won't forget this experience
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
The tragic fire left a lasting impression
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RITCHIE BLACKMORE, IAN GILLAN, ROGER D GLOVER, JON LORD, IAN PAICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DesertDriver100
Oh! I have been searching for Michael Jones' music from his "After the Rain" Album for a long time. His music is so beautiful and peaceful. Thank you for sharing.
dragana balac
wonderful music... so sweet...