Purple
Morgen Lyrics


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The night's a crazy shade of purple
The moon's a strange kind of green
The gentle breeze she stars winding
You start to ponder what you're seeing
Leaves of undigo and brown
Are dancing softy all around you
You mind is flyin' won't come down
Won't come down to the sun?
Yellow clowns suspended over you
The dampness creeps, seeps into your mind
And then your eyes begin to mirror
The things you thought you left behind
But there ain't any time anymore
To forgot what you think you forgot before
Emeralds of red, rubies of green
Candied colors flakes of orange tangerine
The sky is bleedin' and the air starts to scream
The spectrum's banding just for you
Phantasm fading into darkness
A simple eclipse of your mind
The greens and purples are running fast




You try to hold them but you find that you can't climb
'cause you've already down your mind

Overall Meaning

The first few lines of this song describe a surreal experience of being in a strange and otherworldly place. The night is not its usual shade of black, but a crazy shade of purple. The moon, which we normally expect to be white, is portrayed as a strange kind of green. The scene is set with a gentle breeze, but it feels like something is winding or twisting inside this breeze, adding to the unsettling feeling.


The imagery of the dancing leaves of indigo and brown around you adds to the surreal hue that the song sets. The use of colors in these poetic lines is unique and helps create a dreamy and imaginative atmosphere. However, the feelings that these colors evoke are complex and contradictory, as these objects and the colors they represent do not seem to belong in the same place. The lines "Yellow clowns suspended over you" further add to the confusion of the scene, and they seem to be there deliberately to intensify the feeling of unease in the listener.


As the song progresses, we see the sky start to bleed, and the air starts to scream. The spectrum of colors starts to play against one another, creating a kaleidoscopic effect that is beautiful, yet terrifying. The last few lines "Phantasm fading into darkness, a simple eclipse of your mind" tell us that this otherworldly experience is just a figment of the singer's imagination. It is his mind that is going through an eclipse, one that is dissolving the barriers between reality and his dreams.


* Interesting Facts:
- Morgen's "Purple" was released in 1969, the same year that "In the Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson was released.
- The song features prominent use of the fuzz guitar effect, which was a defining feature of the psychedelic rock genre.
- Morgen, the band behind the song, was formed in Long Island, New York in the late 1960s.
- The song's lyrics were written by Steve Morgen, the lead guitarist and vocalist of the band.
- The album "Morgen" on which the song appears was produced by Murray Shiffrin, who also produced albums for the likes of The Electric Prunes and Captain Beefheart.
- The band only released one album, which was not commercially successful but later gained a cult following.
- "Purple" has been included in various psychedelic rock compilations and is considered a classic of the genre.
- The song's trippy music video was directed by Hal Weiner and was one of the earliest music videos ever made, predating the launch of MTV by over a decade.
- The song has been covered by several artists, including The Brian Jonestown Massacre, who released their version in 1996.
- Morgen reformed in 2015 to perform at the Austin Psych Fest.


Chords: Unfortunately, we do not have access to the chords of this song.


Line by Line Meaning

The night's a crazy shade of purple
The night has an unusual, intense hue of purple that is overwhelming to witness


The moon's a strange kind of green
The moon has the appearance of an unusual, unrecognizable shade of green


The gentle breeze she starts winding
The light breeze begins to pick up and twist around


You start to ponder what you're seeing
The strange visuals cause you to question reality and what you are experiencing


Leaves of undigo and brown
Foliage in shades of blue-purple and brown are present


Are dancing softy all around you
The leaves move gently in a dance-like manner around you


You mind is flyin' won't come down
Your thoughts become scattered and overwhelmed, unable to focus


Won't come down to the sun?
You are unable to bring your thoughts back to reality and the present moment


Yellow clowns suspended over you
Phantom, surreal images of yellow clowns are appearing above you


The dampness creeps, seeps into your mind
A damp, eerie feeling begins to surround you and affect your thoughts


And then your eyes begin to mirror
Your eyes start to reflect the strange visuals around you


The things you thought you left behind
Thoughts and memories that you thought you had moved past begin to resurface


But there ain't any time anymore
There is no more time to ignore or avoid these thoughts and feelings


To forgot what you think you forgot before
You can no longer forget or repress memories that you tried to forget in the past


Emeralds of red, rubies of green
Colors of emerald and red as well as rubies and green are present


Candied colors flakes of orange tangerine
Candy-colored flakes of orange and tangerine are also present in the surreal world


The sky is bleedin' and the air starts to scream
The sky appears to be bleeding and the air seems to scream


The spectrum's banding just for you
The color spectrum appears to be bending and distorting specifically for your perception


Phantasm fading into darkness
Surreal visions start to fade into darkness


A simple eclipse of your mind
It's a simple eclipse of the mind where everything looks different


The greens and purples are running fast
The colors of green and purple are moving quickly and erratically


You try to hold them but you find that you can't climb
You attempt to grasp the strange visuals, but you are unable to fully understand or control them


'Cause you've already down your mind
You have already let go of rational thought and given into the surreal world around you




Contributed by John J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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