Number One
Portugal. The Man feat. Richie Havens & Son Little Lyrics
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Freedom, freedom
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
A long way from my home
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
Like another's pain
But didn't know to fade
Like the sound it made
Let's go down the drain
With the falling rain
Wash away the stains
In that evening shade
It's that sufferin'
Don't know why it brings
Such sweet memories
Will be the enemy
But you'll come out alright (yeah)
I know it seems there's no end in sight (yeah)
But it doesn't mean you can't put up a fight
But you don't know how
But you don't know how
No, no, no
No, no, no
No, no, no
No, no, no
All the trails we blazed
Have long since been paved
Leading the modern age
On down memory lane
Can't turn the page
Like it's just a phase
Somehow still be amazed
That the leaves had changed
It's that sufferin'
Don't know why it brings
Such sweet memories
Will be the end of me
But you'll come out alright
(Yeah) I know it seems there's no end in sight
(Yeah) But it doesn't mean you can't put up a fight
But ya don't, no, no
But ya don't, no, no
But you'll come out alright
(Yeah) I know it seems there's no end in sight
(Yeah) But it doesn't mean you can't put up a fight
But ya don't, no, no
But ya don't, no, no
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
When I need my brother, yeah
Father, yeah
Sister, yeah
Mother, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
It's gonna be all right telling white lies
Of ate nights 'til sunrise
'Cause when we rise up, we rise up above
All of the chaos to get lost
Don't make me, don't make me, wake up
'Cause I'm gonna be like a drug
That never gets old or gives hope
But, baby, you make me feel loved
The lyrics to Portugal. The Man's song "Feel It Still" express themes of freedom, isolation, and perseverance. The repetition of "freedom" in the beginning of the song is reminiscent of both the need to break free from oppression and the uncertainty of life. The following lines "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child / A long way from my home / Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone" give the listener a sense of being lost and adrift. The imagery in the verse compares the singer's lost state to real-world experiences, such as a morning that refuses to fade, and rain that will not wash the stains away.
The chorus echoes the suffering already expressed, but also offers hope that things can improve. It insists that, despite the feeling of being completely overwhelmed and in over one's head, a person has the strength to fight back. The lyrics suggest that this revelation may come after a long and painful journey of self-discovery, but it also indicates that hope and love can come even when things feel their bleakest.
The final verse alludes to the impermanence of change and the fleeting nature of existence. The repetition of "Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone" becomes more desperate as it is followed by the realization that the people close to the singer are also in danger of slipping away. The song ends with words of encouragement and a promise of love and happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Freedom
The desire to live without restraints, limitations, or restrictions.
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
At times, I feel like I am all alone in this world without anyone to guide me.
A long way from my home
I feel like a stranger out here, far away from the place I belong to.
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
Occasionally, I feel like I have lost my purpose and do not know what to do next.
When the morning came
As soon as the day begins.
Like another's pain
It feels like someone else's hardship that I cannot empathize with.
But didn't know to fade
But it never disappeared.
Like the sound it made
Just like the echoes of a sound that linger in the background,
Let's go down the drain
Let it all slip away.
With the falling rain
Just like how everything washes away with the rain.
Wash away the stains
Wash away the pain and sorrow I bear within me.
In that evening shade
As darkness falls, and the sun sets.
It's that sufferin'
Pain and hardship that we face in life.
Don't know why it brings
Even though suffering causes pain, it gives us memories that we will always cherish.
Such sweet memories
These memories are both happy and sad - but still, we hold them dear.
Will be the enemy
These memories can also make us feel sad and hurt us.
But you'll come out alright
Everything will be fine, you will get through this hardship.
(Yeah) I know it seems there's no end in sight
Even though it feels like there is no escape from this situation right now.
But it doesn't mean you can't put up a fight
You can always try and fight through the adversities.
But you don't know how
It's okay to feel lost and not know where to start - but you must keep trying.
All the trails we blazed
All our past experiences and accomplishments that we have left behind.
Have long since been paved
Those trails have been covered over alike it was just a phase.
Leading the modern age
These trails have led us to the present where we live in the modern age.
On down memory lane
As we reminisce about our past, we get lost in our memories.
Can't turn the page
It is hard to move on to what lies ahead and let go of the past.
Somehow still be amazed
But sometimes, we find it hard to believe that all of it happened.
That the leaves had changed
Because time has passed, and things are not the same anymore.
When I leave my brother, father, sister, mother
When I die and depart this world, leaving behind my loved ones.
It's gonna be all right
Everything will be good, and there is nothing to worry about.
Telling white lies, late nights
Even when we are going through tough times, we sometimes resort to lies to keep things going.
The sunrise
The beginning of a new day, a new start.
'Cause when we rise up
When we strive to be better and overcome the obstacles in life.
We rise up above
We rise higher than our problems.
All of the chaos
All the difficulties and hardships that we face in life.
To get lost
To get lost in the moment and forget everything else for a while.
Don't make it, don't make it, wake up
These moments are fleeting, and we must not let them pass us by.
'Cause I'm gonna be like a drum
Like a drumbeat, I will continue to move forward.
And never get soul or give soul
Even when I face hardships, I will never lose my spirit.
But baby you make me feel love
But despite the hardships, the people I love remind me that it is all worth it.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Brian Joseph Burton, Eric Andrew Howk, Jason Sechrist, John Baldwin Gourley, Kyle O'Quin, Richard P Havens, Zach Carothers, Zoe English
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@paythewittness
"Number One"
(feat. Richie Havens & Son Little)
[Sample - Richie Haven "Freedom (Motherless Child)":]
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel like a motherless child
A long way from my home
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
[John Gourley:]
When the morning came
Like another's pain
But didn't know to fade
Like the sound it made
Let's go down the drain
With the falling rain
Wash away the stains
In that evening shade
It's that suffering
Don't know why it brings
Such sweet memories
Will be the enemy
But you'll come out alright
(Yeah) I know it seems there's no end in sight
(Yeah) But it doesn't mean you can't put up a fight
But ya don't no no
But ya don't no no
No no no no
No no no no
No no no no
All the trails we blazed
Have long since been paved
Leading the modern age
On down memory lane
Can't turn the page
Like like it's just a phase
Somehow still be amazed
That the leaves had changed
It's that suffering
Don't know why it brings
Such sweet memories
Will be the enemy
But you'll come out alright
(Yeah) I know it seems there's no end in sight
(Yeah) But it doesn't mean you can't put up a fight
But ya don't no no
But ya don't no no
But you'll come out alright
(Yeah) I know it seems there's no end in sight
(Yeah) But it doesn't mean you can't put up a fight
But ya don't no no
But ya don't no no
[Richie Haven "Freedom (Motherless Child)":]
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
When I need my brother
(Yeah) father
(Yeah) sister
(Yeah) mother
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
[John Gourley & Zach Carothers:]
It's gonna be alright telling white lies
Late nights to sunrise
Cause when we rise up we rise up above
All of the chaos to get lost
Don't make me, don't make me wake up
Cause I'm gonna be like a drug
That never gets old or gives hope
But baby you make me feel loved
@denji5604
This gotta be the most underrated song ever,loved it
@Nicole235
My best friend passed last month. Last thing her and I did together was go see Portugal when they were in town. It was an amazing show. We held hands, bought shirts and sang as much as we could. A show I'll never forget. The last text I sent was the link to the "Number One" Official Video. That morning she passed. I know she would have loved this. Portugal The Man has since been my everything playlist from old tracks to new. Thank you for the music.
@joseantonioperezjimenez4182
LittleSmallsTex so sorry to hear this, may her rest in peace 💚
@Alex-ok4qe
i saw them their last summer with glass animals, it was awesome
@leleedler
Saw them in Aspen. Around the same time, coincidence?
@jamesbyrne3902
What the hell Lokey
@willreynolds462
fuck you lokey.. fucking disrespectful and shitty. youre whats wrong with the world.
@teresafernandez8664
This is the most beautiful song I've heard in a long time. I can't stop listening to it. It's a perfect song -- musically and lyrically. It makes me cry every time!!!
@ANTWO91
they always create something that i can sync up with. its amazing, its like they know what my soul wants to hear and they never fail.
@inkasaraswati7625
Telepathony Ha, it's funny because I always say that Portugal The Man is the sound of my soul