Strange
Soft Boys Lyrics
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And when I get downstairs I pass the place she always used to be
And it's strange how no one else can see
Strange, no one else but me
And when I kiss her mouth I raise the lid and lower it again
And when I kiss her mouth I never cry, I'm just like other men
But it's strange how no one else can see
And so she lies there in the freezer looking elegant and tall
Oh, she could lie there for a century and never change at all
And it's strange, how no one else can see
Strange, no one else but me
No one else but me
The Soft Boys' song "Strange" tells a haunting story of a man who has lost his lover and keeps her preserved in his freezer. The first verse describes his descent down the stairs, where the candle light casts a shadow over him, which sets a lonely and eerie tone. As he reaches the first floor of his home, he passes by the spot where his lover used to be. This ambiguous place could be a piece of furniture or a specific spot in the room, but it raises the question of where she went and why she never returned. The man observes how it's strange that no one else can sense her absence, except for himself. This theme of isolation and feeling alone with his pain continues in the second verse, where he describes kissing his lover's mouth. He raises the lid and lowers it again, as if he's preserving her in his mind. The man doesn't cry during this moment, and he's just like any other man, but he feels like no one else sees what he sees.
The final verse reveals the disturbing truth about the man's lover. She lies preserved in his freezer, and he marvels at how she looks just as elegant and tall as when she was alive. The image of her frozen body serves as a metaphor for the man's inability to move on from her, even if he can retain her physical form. He repeats the lines, "and it's strange how no one else can see, strange no one else but me," as if he's living in an alternate reality where he's the only one who still remembers her.
"Strange" is a song that delves into the psychology of grief and love. It's a portrait of a man who can't let go of his lover, even after she's gone. The Soft Boys use vivid imagery and a haunting melody to capture the heartbreak of this story.
Line by Line Meaning
And I go downstairs the candle throws a shadow over me
As I walk down the stairs, the candlelight casts shadows that engulf me
And when I get downstairs I pass the place she always used to be
As I descend further, I pass by the spot where she always used to stay
And it's strange how no one else can see
It's odd that nobody else notices the peculiar happenings around me
Strange, no one else but me
It's only me who sees things in a weird and unbelievable way
And when I kiss her mouth I raise the lid and lower it again
During my kiss, I open and shut the lid that covers her face
And when I kiss her mouth I never cry, I'm just like other men
When I kiss her, I don't grieve or show any emotion, just like any other man would
But it's strange how no one else can see
It's strange that nobody else perceives her presence like I do
Strange, no one else but me
It's only me who experiences these weird sensations and feelings
And so she lies there in the freezer looking elegant and tall
She's lying in the freezer, still and pristine, beautiful and elegant as always
Oh, she could lie there for a century and never change at all
Even if she stayed in there for a hundred years, she wouldn't transform or decay
And it's strange, how no one else can see
It's odd that others can't perceive the same unnatural things happening around me
Strange, no one else but me
It's only me who's aware of and experiences these strange occurrences
No one else but me
Nobody else experiences these unsettling and inexplicable effects
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROBYN HITCHCOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mrubbish1
Great song, I remember this on an EP with Kingdom of love and Vegetable Man, an old Syd Barrett cover I think. Thanks for uploading. I saw quite recently a box set has been released but I'm not sure of the details.
Bietel
That's correct, both the Barrett song and this one are on the B side.
steve hewitt
Class LP.
Rui Carvalho
likeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
diddywahdaddy
Main inspiration source for The Dream Syndicate's "When You Smile", according to Steve Wynn.
Keith Boron
My favorite song, and it's not on the original album.
Bietel
Oh yeah....