Originally coming to fame in the mid-1960s singing orchestral pop ballads as the frontman of The Walker Brothers, Walker went on to a solo career balancing a light entertainment/MOR ballad approach with increasing artistic innovations in arrangement and writing. Despite a series of acclaimed albums, a disastrous drop in sales forced him back into straight Middle of the road recordings with little of his own artistic input. This in turn eventually led to a Walker Brothers reunion in the mid-1970s (although the latter eventually moved, by mutual consent, into more avant-garde areas).
From the mid-1980s, Walker revived his solo career while drastically reinventing his artistic and compositional methods, via a series of acclaimed and vividly avant-garde albums. These combined his iconic voice with an unsettling avant-garde approach which owed more to modernist and post-modernist classical composition than to his pop singer past. This change in approach has been compared to "Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen".
Walker has been a continuing influence on other artists, in particular The Last Shadow Puppets, Marc Almond, Goldfrapp, Douglas Pearce of the band Death in June, Billy MacKenzie of The Associates, David Sylvian, Julian Cope, Antony Hegarty, Thom Yorke, Steven Wilson, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Trey Spruance, Perry Blake, Radiohead, Noah Lennox, Mikael Åkerfeldt, and the Divine Comedy/Neil Hannon.
Walker continued to release solo material until his death, and was signed to 4AD Records. As a record producer or guest performer he worked with a number of artists including Pulp, Ute Lemper, Bat For Lashes and Sunn O))).
We Could Be Flying
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A touch of hope, a new beginning
Times racing by, I know
But as it crossed my mind
I thought we all would end up winning
Love is rising like a summer sun
Caught in the silence of the roads rolling the world
Across the sky
There's a few that comes in the spring
When all the world's alive and shining
Waiting to touch us all
The youngest and the old
And give each day a velvet lining
A new kind of light surrounds us all
And if we could, we'd all be flying
I've always felt that deep inside
We're trying, we're trying
There's a few that comes in the spring
A touch of hope a new beginning
Time is racing by, I know
But as it crossed my mind
I thought we all would end up winning
A new kind of life surrounds us all
And if we could we'd all be flying
I've always felt that deep inside, we're tying, we're trying.
The lyrics of Scott Walker's "We Could Be Flying" express the beauty and optimism of springtime. The song's opening lines refer to the arrival of spring and the feelings of hope and renewal that come with it. The phrase "A touch of hope, a new beginning" suggests that spring brings with it the potential for change and growth.
As the song continues, the lyrics shift to a more metaphysical perspective, describing the passage of time and the movement of the world. The phrase "caught in the silence of the roads rolling the world" evokes a sense of cosmic motion and the oneness of all things. The image of love rising "like a summer sun" suggests that this sense of unity and interconnectedness is ultimately a product of our capacity for connection and love.
The song's final verses return to the theme of spring and the promise of new beginnings. The line "a new kind of light surrounds us all" suggests that the arrival of spring brings with it a sense of illumination and possibility. The repetition of the phrase "we're trying, we're trying" at the end of the song suggests that despite the challenges and uncertainties of life, we are always striving towards something better.
Overall, "We Could Be Flying" is a lyrical and evocative song that celebrates the beauty and potential of life. Through its imagery of springtime and love, the song expresses a sense of optimism and hopefulness that is both comforting and inspiring.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a few that comes in the spring
Spring brings a few special things
A touch of hope, a new beginning
Spring brings a sense of optimism and renewal
Times racing by, I know
Time passes quickly
But as it crossed my mind
I had a realization
I thought we all would end up winning
I believe that everyone will ultimately succeed
Love is rising like a summer sun
Love is spreading like sunlight in the summer
Caught in the silence of the roads rolling the world
Transported by the quietness of the environment around us
Across the sky
Everywhere we look
When all the world's alive and shining
During a period when everything seems full of life and vitality
Waiting to touch us all
Ready to have an impact on everyone
The youngest and the old
Both the young and the old
And give each day a velvet lining
Making each day more pleasant
A new kind of light surrounds us all
We're experiencing a new energy or aura
And if we could, we'd all be flying
If we could, we'd be soaring to new heights
I've always felt that deep inside
I've always had a hunch
We're trying, we're trying
That we're working hard to achieve our goals
Contributed by Mia O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@trytocalmmenow2473
There's a few that comes in the spring
A touch of hope, a new beginning
Times racing by, I know
But as it crossed my mind
I thought we all would end up winning
Love is rising like a summer sun
Caught in the silence of the roads rolling the world
Across the sky
There's a few that comes in the spring
When all the world's alive and shining
Waiting to touch us all
The youngest and the old
And give each day a velvet
A new kind of light surrounds us all
And if we could, we'd all be flying
I've always felt that deep inside
We're trying, we're trying
There's a few that comes in the spring
A touch of hope a new beginning
Time is racing by, I know
But as it crossed my mind
I thought we all would end up winning
A new kind of life surrounds us all
And if we could we'd all be flying
I've always felt that deep inside, we're tying, we're trying
@ellenfransen1825
Thank you for these lyrics
@bobdavis4848
You left out the word "lining" and made a few other mistakes. The true transcription of this great Paul Williams song (also recorded the same year, 1973, by Morgana King) is as follows...
There's a feel that comes in the spring
A touch of hope, a new beginning
Time’s racing by, I know
But as it crossed my mind
I thought we all would end up winning
Love is rising like a summer sun
Caught in the silence of hello
Rolling the words across the sky
There's a feel that comes in the spring
When all the world's alive and shining
Waiting to touch us all
The youngest and the old
And give each day a velvet lining
A new kind of light surrounds us all
And if we could, we'd all be flying
I've always felt that deep inside
We're trying, we're trying
There's a feel that comes in the spring
A touch of hope a new beginning
Time is racing by, I know
But as it crossed my mind
I thought we all would end up winning
A new kind of life surrounds us all
And if we could we'd all be flying
I've always felt that deep inside, we're trying, we're trying
@willemvandeursen3105
Excellent arrangement and rhythm section. Recorded in the year of his Stretch album. So this would have fitted in well too.
Damned vinyls had a maximum of 2 times 18 minutes... Compact Disc should have been invented as early as the mid sixties!
@fannyblancmange4709
God, this is lovely. RIP maestro.
@likali9810
this song is very special to me. thanks for posting it.