In The Presence Of Mirrors
P.M.Dawn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
Which is me, which is me, which is me
Impossible to tell whether he was there,
He went for a trip inside and he liked it there
I wonder if he'll ever be back
(Will he ever come back? )
Impossible sets the world for a man to commute
But from his point of view, it's untrue (so untrue)
A likely story I heard before so I'll paint it black
I read it but it's about as black as white (black as white)
(Face to face)
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
Which is me, which is me, which is me
My first trip inside I met someone I never met before
I enjoyed his company so everyday I'd stop to say hello
One day I took him with me and inside we had a ball
So I asked him if he'd like to come here everyday
(Just to come with me, baby)
The next day I just couldn't find him and I didn't wonder why
Till almost recently I didn't understand
Yesterday waves goodbye but she also likes to stare
Till I passed a mirror I couldn't figure out why
(Oh why oh why oh why? No)
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
Which is me, which is me, which is me
So outside one of us built a window to the other side
Now the flowers get upset when I take the short way
Holiness he holds on to with the holdest tightest love
So I wonder how he gets to ride my butterfly
(Butterfly)
But even if he wanted to, as sad as the wind,
So I wonder why his smile is upside down all the time
See horses make me laugh at times as does the wind
But none of them get to see me anymore
(No oh no no no)
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
Which is me, which is me, which is me
The song "In The Presence Of Mirrors" by P.M. Dawn is a poetic journey of self-discovery, life's mysteries, and reflection on the people one meets along the way. It starts with the artist coming face to face with himself in the presence of mirrors. The repetition of the chorus is a sort of mantra that emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and introspection. The artist is searching for himself and trying to distinguish himself from others. The line "Which is me, which is me, which is me" is a poignant reminder that we often lose ourselves in the world and forget who we really are.
The artist then delves into the idea that it is impossible to tell if someone is really present, and he starts counting his days in confusion. This invites the listener into the mystery of the song, making you question whether the artist is talking about himself, someone else or both. The lyrics suggest that he found himself liking someone he met inside (of himself), and that he asked him to come with him every day. The reflection of this person he found inside of himself provides a stark contrast to the artist himself and his interactions with the world. The reflection of the person inside of him is his true self, whereas the interactions he has outside of himself are with the world and all of its perfections and flaws.
The line "So outside one of us built a window to the other side" culminates the journey of the artist's self-discovery by alluding to the creation of a passage connecting inner and outer selves. In conclusion, "In The Presence Of Mirrors" is a beautiful and meaningful song that encourages us to look inward to find ourselves and connect with our true selves.
Line by Line Meaning
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
When I look into the mirror, I see you and me come face to face because I am looking at myself, and you are a part of me.
Which is me, which is me, which is me
I wonder which part of myself is really me.
Impossible to tell whether he was there,
I cannot determine whether he exists or not.
I can count his days in confusion
I am uncertain about how long he has been gone.
He went for a trip inside and he liked it there
He journeyed within himself and found something he enjoyed.
I wonder if he'll ever be back (Will he ever come back? )
I am curious if he will return from his journey within himself.
Impossible sets the world for a man to commute
It is difficult for someone to travel through the world when there are many obstacles in their path.
But from his point of view, it's untrue (so untrue)
But someone else may not see those obstacles from this person's perspective.
A likely story I heard before so I'll paint it black
I have heard a similar story before, and it did not end well, so I am not optimistic about this story's outcome.
I read it but it's about as black as white (black as white)
I have read the story, but it has not brought clarity to me, leaving everything as uncertain as it was before.
My first trip inside I met someone I never met before
When I first looked within myself, I encountered a new part of me that I had never seen before.
I enjoyed his company so everyday I'd stop to say hello
I appreciated this new part of me and made a point to acknowledge it every day.
One day I took him with me and inside we had a ball
One day, I let this new part of myself accompany me in the outside world and we had a great time.
So I asked him if he'd like to come here everyday (Just to come with me, baby)
I asked this new part of myself if it would like to join me every day in the outside world.
The next day I just couldn't find him and I didn't wonder why
The following day, I could not locate this new part of myself, and I did not question why it may have disappeared.
Till almost recently I didn't understand
It was only recently that I realized what had happened.
Yesterday waves goodbye but she also likes to stare
The past is gone, but it still lingers in the present, haunting me with its memories.
Till I passed a mirror I couldn't figure out why (Oh why oh why oh why? No)
It was not until I saw myself in the mirror that I realized this new part of me was always with me; I just had not recognized it as a part of myself.
So outside one of us built a window to the other side
One external person created a way for the external world to interact with this new part of myself.
Now the flowers get upset when I take the short way
Now, taking a shortcut to connect with this new part of myself is no longer possible without hurting those around me.
Holiness he holds on to with the holdest tightest love
This new part of me cherishes its purity with the greatest and strongest love.
So I wonder how he gets to ride my butterfly (Butterfly)
I am curious as to how this new part of me gets to control my emotions so easily.
But even if he wanted to, as sad as the wind,
Even if this new part of me wanted to leave, it would be with as much sadness as when the wind dies down.
So I wonder why his smile is upside down all the time
I question why this new part of me always seems unhappy or unsatisfied.
See horses make me laugh at times as does the wind
Sometimes when I see horses or the wind, they can make me smile and laugh.
But none of them get to see me anymore (No oh no no no)
But because of this new part of me, I am not the same person I used to be, and no one, not even those that once made me happy, can see me the way I am now.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: ATTRELL STEPHEN JR. CORDES, Attrell Cordes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mc
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
Which is me, which is me, which is me
Impossible to tell whether he was there,
I can count his days in confusion
He went for a trip inside and he liked it there
I wonder if he'll ever be back
(Will he ever come back? )
Impossible sets the world for a man to commute
But from his point of view, it's untrue (so untrue)
A likely story I heard before so I'll paint it black
I read it but it's about as black as white (black as white)
(Face to face)
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
Which is me, which is me, which is me
My first trip inside I met someone I never met before
I enjoyed his company so everyday I'd stop to say hello
One day I took him with me and inside we had a ball
So I asked him if he'd like to come here everyday
(Just to come with me, baby)
The next day I just couldn't find him and I didn't wonder why
Till almost recently I didn't understand
Yesterday waves goodbye but she also likes to stare
Till I passed a mirror I couldn't figure out why
(Oh why oh why oh why? No)
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
Which is me, which is me, which is me
So outside one of us built a window to the other side
Now the flowers get upset when I take the short way
Holiness he holds on to with the holdest tightest love
So I wonder how he gets to ride my butterfly
(Butterfly)
But even if he wanted to, as sad as the wind,
So I wonder why his smile is upside down all the time
See horses make me laugh at times as does the wind
But none of them get to see me anymore
(No oh no no no)
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
In the presence of mirrors I come face to face with you
Which is me, which is me, which is me.
wolfatnight
never got into much rap/hiphop.... but these guys transcend genres... I'm a 41 year old hard rock/metal guy, and think that these guys are brilliant... music unites
Míchele Cobré
Rap and hip hop are not the same
Victoria Kalumbi
I totally agree with you
RockoJulian
This is one of the few hip hop albums that is strong enough to bring tears with impression. A masterpiece at its time and it's a shame that this album didn't earn the full recognition it deserved.
Sandra Weilbrenner
These gentlemen had spirituality inside them , nobody can ever be them ever. Most important band ever.
herostatus
"In the presence of mirrors, I come face to face with you. Which is me?" That line alone is profound as hell.
Ronnie Gill
I agree! This song always makes me cry& think of my past wen I was happy!!
Benjamin Hall
PM Dawn is one of the most under-rated artists of the 90s!
alanjohn
What an amazing album,still sends shivers up the spine to this day..RIP
Daniel Kamensky
Love the album but this has to be my favourite song, it's a great melody