Purple Rain
Prince and 3rdEyeGirl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never meant to cause you any pain
I only wanted to one time to see you laughing
I only wanted to see you
Laughing in the purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
I only wanted to see you
Bathing in the purple rain
I never wanted to be your weekend lover
I only wanted to be some kind of friend (hey)
Baby, I could never steal you from another
It's such a shame our friendship had to end
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
I only wanted to see you
Underneath the purple rain
Honey, I know, I know
I know times are changing
It's time we all reach out
For something new, that means you too
You say you want a leader
But you can't seem to make up your mind
I think you better close it
And let me guide you to the purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
If you know what I'm singing about up here
C'mon, raise your hand
Purple rain, purple rain
I only want to see you
Only want to see you
In the purple rain
The opening lines of the song "Purple Rain" by Prince and 3rdEyeGirl set the tone for a melancholic ballad about regret and lost love. The singer starts by apologizing for causing any sorrow or pain to the person he is addressing. He clarifies that he only wanted to see the person laughing and enjoying life, specifically in the purple rain. The phrase "purple rain" connotes a bittersweet emotion as the rain signifies sorrow and tears, whereas the color purple symbolizes royalty and extravagance.
In the subsequent verse, the singer laments about not being able to be with the person as anything more than friends. He acknowledges that he could never steal the person from another, and now their friendship has come to an end, which he finds unfortunate. Then he repeats the chorus, but this time, he desires to see the person underneath the purple rain, which serves as a metaphor for wanting to see the person in their raw, vulnerable state.
The bridge of the song addresses societal changes and the need to adapt to them. The singer encourages listeners to reach out for new things and for something that benefits them. He then takes a leading role and offers to guide the person he is addressing towards the purple rain, which could be interpreted as a physical place or a state of mind where one can let go of their anxieties and be themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
I never meant to cause you any sorrow
I did not intend to cause you sadness
I never meant to cause you any pain
I did not intend to hurt you
I only wanted to one time to see you laughing
All I wanted was to see you smile once
I only wanted to see you
Laughing in the purple rain
I only wished to see a happy you playing in the rain of purple hue
Purple rain, purple rain
The purple rain the song is about is mentioned repeatedly here
I only wanted to see you
Bathing in the purple rain
I only wished to see you taking a shower in the purple rain
I never wanted to be your weekend lover
I did not want a short-term relationship
I only wanted to be some kind of friend (hey)
I just wanted to be a friend to you
Baby, I could never steal you from another
Depriving another of their love was never an intention
It's such a shame our friendship had to end
It's unfortunate that our friendship has to end
I only wanted to see you
Underneath the purple rain
I wished to see you in close proximity under the purple rain
Honey, I know, I know
I know times are changing
I understand the world is constantly changing
It's time we all reach out
For something new, that means you too
It's time for everyone to seek new things, including you
You say you want a leader
But you can't seem to make up your mind
You claim to want a leader but lack the decisiveness to choose one
I think you better close it
And let me guide you to the purple rain
I believe it's best if you stop searching and let me show you the purple rain
If you know what I'm singing about up here
C'mon, raise your hand
If you understand the cosmos I'm singing about here, please show by raising your hand
Purple rain, purple rain
I only want to see you
Only want to see you
In the purple rain
The song repeats its theme, emphasizing again the desire to see only you in the purple rain
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@UbuntuFM
There are many recordings of โPurple Rainโ out there. Many are better in terms of audiovisual quality and/or performance, but not many are like this one. "Yes-I" you will hear Prince say twice in the beginning. 'Yes-I' is a Rastafarian slang word that serves as an acknowledgment. This triggered me when I first watched the source material. If not for these two words I probably would have glossed over the video and never published this rendition on our channel.
But there is more, there are more references that raise questions. The reference to this little movie called Sign O' Times in 1986; the reference to Paisley Park: "next time we will meet .. and if you don't know the way, then ask somebody..."; "You are what you eat... I eat Light"; Prince w/ Third Eye Girl.
And then there was Prince's untimely death in an elevator on a specific date.
From a worldly point of view, we can take all this at face value and move on to the next Prince video. However, from a spiritual perspective, these references have a very deep meaning. From a worldly point of view just mere coincidences. However, in the spiritual realm, there is no such thing as 'coincidence'. Everything has meaning, reason, is connected, has cause and effect.
This channel features another video in which Prince states his world view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I243dgPXUEk
You will hear Prince layout the insanity of this world; in a way that can only come from a very spiritual human being, such as Prince was. If you truly want to appreciate Prince's work you'd better be connected to your Spirit, or else, better move on to the next video.
@ykos6698
I'm never gonna stop listening to Prince or ever stop missing him.
@lotus-linegelpro2574
Also will never stop loving him.. or listening to him... love love love
@Tzipporah36
Agreed
Let whoever say whatever..
Prince is LOVE
@Power_Fantastic
Same ... O(+>๐4ever
@lorraine3723
Prince just touches your soul๐๐๐
@loveothers547
This isn't just brilliant music...this is a divine guide and instructions. Its a trip. Sooo sooo thankful for this man!! ๐๐๐
@chartaerichardson7182
Absolutely!
@janeseamore1370
Im a deadhead. Im a Jerry Garcia fanatic and devotee and Prince to me really was the incarnation of Jesus Christ the PRince of PEace so far. He is so exquisite I don't think homo sapiens sapiens ever does better than Prince. He was so holy. I can t begin at times what I am seeing and hearing. And Jerry Garcia is God to me. and in fact yellow cloud was at least for a photo, stored in a clear box in private holding to the right ride side of Garcia's Tiger guitar. Only photo I have seen of Garcia's guitar stored with another. ever. in history. So Prince is naturally Christ to me. You think I'm kidding maybe but that how divine. That cosmic fire he has up there. its purple. the purple one. but find me two holier men than jerry Garcia and Prince. What they did----and I've heard such nice things about both's generosity. kindness, care for everyone. I love this video. "In our house!""
@azcwilliams1
I've heard maybe a thousand different Versions of Purple Rain live. Some short, long, slow or Epic. But I've NERVER heard a Live version quite like this ONE.
@UbuntuFM
Thanks for your feedback. I couldn't agree more!