The Road to Mandalay
Robbie Williams & Gary Barlow Lyrics

Save me from drowning in the sea
Please rescue me from being overwhelmed by life's difficulties and challenges

Beat me up on the beach
Hurt me, but do so in a place where I am free to escape from my problems easily

What a lovely holiday, there's nothing funny left to say
Once the initial positive feelings of a situation have faded, there is nothing left but the cruel reality

This sombre song won't drain the sun
This melancholic song won't extinguish the bright and hopeful parts of our lives

But it won't shine until it's sung
You can't fully appreciate the joyful parts of life until you have experienced the sad

No water running in the stream, the saddest place we've ever seen
When all joy and vitality is drained from a place or situation, it becomes incredibly bleak and depressing

Everything I touched was golden
I had a time in my life when everything I did was successful and brought me happiness

Everything I loved got broken
All good things must come to an end, and the things I loved the most were no exception

On the road to Mandalay
During a journey towards a destination, both success and loss can be experienced

Every mistake I've ever made
I have made many errors and bad decisions in my life

Has been rehashed and replayed
My past mistakes and regrets continue to haunt and plague me

As I got lost along the way
As I wandered through life without a clear direction, I made many missteps

There's nothing left for you to give
When you have given everything you possibly can and still come up short, it can be incredibly disheartening

The truth is all that you're left with
When all else falls away, the only thing that can bring comfort is the certainty of what is real and true

Twenty paces then at dawn, we will die and be reborn
Through trials and difficulty, we can emerge as new and improved versions of ourselves

I like to sleep beneath the trees
I find peace and tranquility in nature

Have the universe at one with me
I feel a sense of connection and unity with the cosmos when surrounded by the natural world

Look down the barrel of a gun and feel the moon replace the sun
Even in the most dire of circumstances, there are moments of unexpected beauty and peace

Everything we've ever stolen
All of the things we have taken from life or others without permission

Has been lost, returned or broken
The things we've taken never brought us true fulfillment and often ended up being lost, returned, or damaging

No more dragons left to slay
All of the great challenges and obstacles in my life have been faced and overcome

Bom bom bom ba da dup bom bom
Repetitive, nonsensical sounds made for added effect in the song

Bom badom
Repetitive, nonsensical sounds made for added effect in the song