Ab… Read Full Bio ↴Rosemary is the third track on Scott Walkers third album Scott 3.
About the track Walker commented: "About a spinster who has had one fleeting love affair - with a travelling salesman, I know a girl like this who can't break away from a domineering mother. Doomed to spend her life like that, I tried to capture some of this atmosphere."
Rosemary
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Laughed from your wall
Screamed through your dreams
Wake up Rosemary and wipe your teary eyes
Rise and cross the cold bare floor
And watch the moon through frosted glass
Damn that photographI'll have to take it down
She hears the boats as they move down the river
She sees a dog straining hard on his leash to get away
She hears the clock and it strikes like a hammer
Pounding the nails one day further in the coffin of her
youth
Evenings with your mother's friends
Pregnant eyes, sagging chins
Swollen fingertips
Pour antique cups of tea
Who are you and where you been?
Suspended in a weightless wind
Watching trains go by
From platforms in the rain
Look at the photograph
Dream back last summer
Dream back the lips
Of that traveling salesman, Mr. Jim
He smelled of miracles
With stained glass whispers
You loved his laughterYou tremble beneath him once again
That's what I want
A new shot at life
But my coat's too thin
My feet won't fly
And I watch the wind and I see another dream blowin' by
The song "Rosemary" by Scott Walker is haunting and melancholic. The lyrics speak about a woman who is trapped in a past that she cannot leave behind. She wakes up to the voices from a photograph laughing and screaming through her dreams, and is compelled to rise and cross her cold bare floor to watch the moon through the frosted glass. The photograph disturbs her to the extent that she has to take it down. The woman hears the boats as they move down the river and watches a dog straining hard on his leash to get away. She hears the clock and it strikes like a hammer, pounding nails one day further in the coffin of her youth.
The following verses describe the evenings spent with her mother's friends, pregnant eyes, sagging chins, and swollen fingertips, pouring antique cups of tea. The woman seems dissociated from her own life and has lost track of her identity. The next verse is a nostalgic recollection of last summer and the traveling salesman, Mr. Jim. She remembers his laughter and how he smelled of miracles with stained glass whispers. She trembles beneath him once again and longs for a new shot at life. However, she realizes that her coat is too thin, and her feet won’t fly. The song ends with the woman watching the wind, and another dream blowing by.
The song "Rosemary" was a part of Scott Walker’s first solo album after he left the pop group "The Walker Brothers." It was released in 1967 and became a part of the album "Scott." The album featured several songs that were a departure from Walker’s previous music and showcased his unique style. The song "Rosemary" has been described as one of the most striking songs of its time. The song was a critical success in the UK and helped cement Walker's career as a solo artist.
Line by Line Meaning
Voices from a photograph
The sound of people laughing in a picture frame
Laughed from your wall
Echoing through the room
Screamed through your dreams
Haunting her sleep at night
Wake up Rosemary and wipe your teary eyes
Don't let the past consume you
Rise and cross the cold bare floor
Get up out of bed
And watch the moon through frosted glass
The only comfort in loneliness
Damn that photograph
Holding onto the past only causes pain
I'll have to take it down
Letting go is the only way to move forward
She hears the boats as they move down the river
The sound of progress
She sees a dog straining hard on his leash to get away
Yearning for freedom
She hears the clock and it strikes like a hammer
The relentless march of time
Pounding the nails one day further in the coffin of her youth
Each passing moment is a reminder of her aging
Evenings with your mother's friends
Social gatherings with older people
Pregnant eyes, sagging chins
The physical toll of age
Swollen fingertips
A sign of arthritis
Pour antique cups of tea
Traditional customs
Who are you and where you been?
Lost and searching for purpose
Suspended in a weightless wind
Feeling aimless and ungrounded
Watching trains go by
Through life's journey
From platforms in the rain
Cold and exposed
Look at the photograph
The temptation of the past
Dream back last summer
Longing for a former time
Dream back the lips
Thinking of a past lover
Of that traveling salesman, Mr. Jim
A fleeting romance
He smelled of miracles
A sense of possibility
With stained glass whispers
Mystical and ephemeral
You loved his laughter
The sound of joy in her life
You tremble beneath him once again
Memories of passion and desire
That's what I want
Yearning for a better life
A new shot at life
A chance for change and growth
But my coat's too thin
Ill-equipped and unprepared
My feet won't fly
Feeling stuck and immobile
And I watch the wind and I see another dream blowin' by
Watching life pass without taking action
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SCOTT ENGEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@trytocalmmenow2473
Voices from a photograph
Laughed from your wall
Screamed through your dreams
Wake up Rosemary and wipe your teary eyes
Rise and cross the cold bare floor
And watch the moon through frosted glass
Damn that photograph
I'll have to take it down
She hears the boats as they move down the river
She sees a dog straining hard on his leash to get away
She hears the clock and it strikes like a hammer
Pounding the nails one day further in the coffin of her
youth
Evenings with your mother's friends
Pregnant eyes, sagging chins
Swollen fingertips
Pour antique cups of tea
Who are you and where you been?
Suspended in a weightless wind
Watching trains go by
From platforms in the rain
Look at the photograph
Dream back last summer
Dream back the lips
Of that traveling salesman, Mr. Jim
He smelled of miracles
With stained glass whispers
You loved his laughter
You tremble beneath him once again
That's what I want
A new shot at life
But my coat's too thin
My feet won't fly
And I watch the wind and I see another dream blowin' by
@warlauren
Welp I'm back here again
@rachelar
Jan Linton's cover version brought me here
@djgautz
Mikael Ã…kerfeldt from Opeth sent me, what a beautiful voice ! RIP
@alexladner6060
Same, I can hear the inspiration from this song in Opeth's music.
@WReckeR306
I also read Mikael's post, but you couldn't find the music of two artists further apart. A guy on Amazon wrote "I wish fans would admit that this is like Barry Manilow, Englebert Humperdink, Robert Goulet & Camelot... String-heavy, pompous, theatrical music for chair-bound relics dreaming of Gilbert & Sullivan musicals, Peter Pan & men in tights." And I dare say he wasn't trolling. Ã…kerfeldt is like a meat grinder. All types of meat go in, and Blackwater Park or Pale Communion comes out, but it looks nothing like the original cuts.
@djgautz
@@WReckeR306 i dont understand anything in there... that other commenter guy sounds like he's got a stick up his ass.
@zackbrumis7831
Myself included. I feel very ignorant not ever hearing about this guy.
@oldjack-mi8gk
Saw that edition of What's in My Bag. Akerfeldt has outstanding taste -- and the story of what drew him to Scott Walker is quite moving.
@Jameswallace21
I grew up listening to the Walkers and Scott it’s as beautiful as it was when I was 15. I’m 70 now
@lgr9750
What a beautiful, mysterious melody. I love it.