The Show Must Go On
Queens Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Empty spaces, what are we living for?
Abandoned places, I guess we know the score, on and on
Does anybody know what we are looking for?
Another hero, another mindless crime
Behind the curtain, in the pantomime
Hold the line
Does anybody want to take it anymore?
The show must go on
The show must go on, yeah
Inside my heart is breaking
My makeup may be flaking
But my smile, still, stays on

Whatever happens, I'll leave it all to chance
Another heartache, another failed romance, on and on
Does anybody know what we are living for?
I guess I'm learning
I must be warmer now
I'll soon be turning, round the corner now
Outside the dawn is breaking
But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free

The show must go on
The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My makeup may be flaking
But my smile, still, stays on

My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies
Fairy tales of yesterday, grow but never die
I can fly, my friends

The show must go on
The show must go on
I'll face it with a grin
I'm never giving in
On with the show

I'll top the bill
I'll overkill
I have to find the will to carry on
On with the show




Show
Show must go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on

Overall Meaning

The Show Must Go On is a powerful, emotional song that speaks of the contradictions and struggles of life. It starts with the question "Empty spaces, what are we living for?" that reflects the feeling of emptiness and lack of purpose that many people experience. The following lines, "Abandoned places, I guess we know the score, on and on / Does anybody know what we are looking for?", suggest that despite being successful, famous, or wealthy, people can still feel lost and confused.


The chorus "The show must go on / The show must go on, yeah / Inside my heart is breaking / My makeup may be flaking / But my smile, still, stays on" speaks to the pressure that performers feel to put on a brave face and continue their performance even when they are dealing with personal issues. The second verse, "Whatever happens, I'll leave it all to chance / Another heartache, another failed romance, on and on / Does anybody know what we are living for? I guess I'm learning / I must be warmer now / I'll soon be turning, round the corner now", shows that life is unpredictable and full of disappointments, but that one must keep moving forward and finding ways to adapt.


The final verse "My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies / Fairy tales of yesterday, grow but never die / I can fly, my friends" is a more positive note that speaks of resilience and the ability to find beauty and hope in life even during difficult times.


Overall, The Show Must Go On is a powerful anthem that speaks to the struggles that people face in life, and the need to keep going and finding new ways to adapt and survive.


Line by Line Meaning

Empty spaces, what are we living for?
What is the purpose of our existence when there are no meaningful experiences to be had?


Abandoned places, I guess we know the score, on and on
We are all lonely travelers in this world, doomed to continue our journey with no destination in sight.


Does anybody know what we are looking for?
Is there anyone out there who knows what we truly desire?


Another hero, another mindless crime
In our search for purpose, we create idols and succumb to senseless destruction.


Behind the curtain, in the pantomime
Our lives are a play that we perform, but the true meaning is hidden from view.


Hold the line
Remain steadfast and committed to moving forward despite the obstacles.


Does anybody want to take it anymore?
Is there anyone left who has the strength to carry on with the meaningless routine of life?


The show must go on
We must continue with our lives, regardless of how difficult the journey becomes.


Inside my heart is breaking
Although we put up a brave face, we all carry a deep pain within us.


My makeup may be flaking
Even when our facade begins to crumble, we must maintain appearances.


But my smile, still, stays on
We must continue to project happiness, even when we are in despair.


Whatever happens, I'll leave it all to chance
We must learn to accept that life is unpredictable and embrace fate as it comes.


Another heartache, another failed romance, on and on
In the midst of life's challenges, we will experience heartbreak and pain, time and time again.


I guess I'm learning
Through the adversity and heartbreak, we develop and grow as individuals.


I must be warmer now
We must find a way to become more resilient and face life's challenges with greater emotional strength.


I'll soon be turning, round the corner now
Although we cannot predict the future, we understand that a change is coming.


Outside the dawn is breaking
A new day is beginning, full of uncertainty and opportunity.


But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free
Although our journey may be challenging, we long for a sense of liberation from the monotony of routine.


My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies
Our soul is free from the physical constraints of the world, like the wings of a butterfly.


Fairy tales of yesterday, grow but never die
The stories of our past will continue to live on and impact the present, no matter how long ago they occurred.


I can fly, my friends
Like a butterfly, we all possess the power and the ability to transcend our physical constraints and limitations.


I'll face it with a grin
Even in the face of adversity, we must put on a brave face and smile through the difficulties.


I'm never giving in
We must persist and never lose hope, regardless of how difficult the journey may become.


On with the show
We must persevere and continue with our journey, regardless of how difficult it may be.


I'll top the bill
I will take the lead and be the driving force behind my own journey.


I'll overkill
I will go above and beyond in my efforts to succeed and overcome any obstacle.


I have to find the will to carry on
I must discover the determination and motivation to continue with my journey, no matter what challenges lay ahead.


Show must go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on
The journey must continue despite any obstacles, and we must continue to persist and persevere through life's challenges.




Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Roger Taylor, John Deacon, Brian May, Freddie Mercury

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@juliettedecoret5091

Empty spaces, what are we living for?
Abandoned places, I guess we know the score, on and on
Does anybody know what we are looking for?
Another hero, another mindless crime
Behind the curtain, in the pantomime
Hold the line
Does anybody want to take it anymore?
The show must go on
The show must go on, yeah
Inside my heart is breaking
My makeup may be flaking
But my smile, still, stays on
Whatever happens, I'll leave it all to chance
Another heartache, another failed romance, on and on
Does anybody know what we are living for?
I guess I'm learning
I must be warmer now
I'll soon be turning, round the corner now
Outside the dawn is breaking
But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free
The show must go on
The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My makeup may be flaking
But my smile, still, stays on
My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies
Fairy tales of yesterday, grow but never die
I can fly, my friends
The show must go on
The show must go on
I'll face it with a grin
I'm never giving in
On with the show
I'll top the bill
I'll overkill
I have to find the will to carry on
On with the show
Show
Show must go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on



@bluebell3720

@@thenorthernvoice3713
I dont understand why Brian explained it this way.

It was for the Innuendo album it would have been a huge waste of their time if it wasn't used.

If Freddie couldnt do it all they had to do was lower it its not as if anyone else could do it.

Brian did the demo and explained he wasn't able to sing it in chest voice only falsetto

To sing words in high range is a challenge for a good singer nevermind one who's very ill.

On different articles it says roger and john were jamming on others it includes Freddie which seems more likely
Their rhythm chord is what he used in the song as well as pachelbels canon which seems more like Freddie than Brian and richards suggssted a key change

Itv 2014 Brian said it was about a sad clown whos smile is painted on and they he and Freddie hammered out the words

Brian does tend to contradict himself a lot though
About this song he has said both that they did and didnt discuss the lyrics as in the meaning

But he has said a lot they wrote it together
Express that they spent the afternoon together and solidified the first verse and had enough to finish the last two verses and later added wings of a butterfly

The theme of the clown probably came from Freddie as the intro to hard life is from Vesti la giubba about a heart broken clown painted smile as the show must go on!
And its very much Freddie attitude in life especially when he was very ill keep smiling and on with the show!
Edit
Sing (words)High range
'In chest voice'



All comments from YouTube:

@nestorzelaya188

This is not the voice of a man about to die, it is the voice of a man about to become immortal.

@metalmugen

Mother Love is the voice of a man about to die but still strong as ever.

@dajkanusans2650

Thank you for this comment full of beauty and respect ♥️

@fernandacervantes9226

"I'm not going to be a rockstar, im going to be a legend" - freddie

Mission successful

@pistanagy4669

QUEEN, 100%FREEDI MERCURY!!!!!

@mjvybz

Okay..

@babyyoda3756

100% ur right u will

@TheSorcerer1

+ Respect

@Thomas_Rose

True the show must go on

101 More Replies...

@omarsantiago1498

Who is in 2024✋

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