Magic Carpet Ride
Steppen Wolf Lyrics
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Right between the sound machine
On a cloud of sound I drift in the night
Any place it goes is right
Goes far, flies near
To the stars away from here
Well, you don't know what
Why don't you come with me little girl
On a magic carpet ride
Well, you don't know what
We can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free
Close your eyes now
Look inside now
Let the sound
Take you away
Last night I hold Aladdin's lamp
So I wished that I could stay
Before the thing could answer me
Well, someone came and took the lamp away
I looked
Around
A lousy candle's all I found
Well, you don't know what
We can find
Why don't you come with me little girl
On a magic carpet ride
Well, you don't know what
We can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free
Close your eyes now
Look inside now
Let the sound
Take you away
"Magic Carpet Ride" is a popular rock song by Steppenwolf, released in 1968. The song reflects the countercultural sentiment of the era of find freedom through escaping reality. The first stanza, "I like to dream, yes, yes / Right between the sound machine / On a cloud of sound I drift in the night / Any place it goes is right / Goes far, flies near / To the stars away from here", speaks about a dream-like state and metaphorically compares the safe place between the singers in the sound system to a floating path on the sky.
In the second stanza, the singer invites a young girl to join him on a "magic carpet ride", an illusion to Arabian folktales, to discover the unknown. The lines "Why don't you come with me little girl / On a magic carpet ride" emphasis the songwriter's escapism and freedom which he tries to share with others. The third stanza, "Close your eyes now / Look inside now / Let the sound / Take you away" direct to meditation techniques to escape real life.
The fourth stanza depicts the songwriter discovering Aladdin's lamp, his wish to stay and the disappointing outcome, "Before the thing could answer me / Well, someone came and took the lamp away / I looked / Around / A lousy candle's all I found." Here, the singer is outlining the limitations of the world and the unfulfilled hope for magic, which can represent drugs or spiritual awakening.
Line by Line Meaning
I like to dream, yes, yes
I am fond of imagining and visualizing things, it's something that pleases me.
Right between the sound machine
In the midst of the instrument that produces sound, or in a place where every sound is audible and clear.
On a cloud of sound I drift in the night
In the darkness of the night, I'm joyfully carried away on a sound wave as though I'm floating on a cloud.
Any place it goes is right
No matter where the sound takes me, I'm certain it's the right place to be at that moment.
Goes far, flies near
The sound can take me to faraway places, yet it feels as though it's in close proximity to me.
To the stars away from here
It takes me to the stars in space, far away from my current location.
Well, you don't know what We can find
There's no telling what we may discover or come across until we embark on this journey.
Why don't you come with me little girl On a magic carpet ride
How about you join me on this venture on a magical carpet? It would be enjoyable, especially for you.
Why don't you tell your dreams to me Fantasy will set you free
You can confide in me about your aspirations and desires, and with fantasy, you can break free from any limitations or boundaries.
Close your eyes now Look inside now Let the sound Take you away
Close your eyes and shut out the outside world as you draw closer to your inner self. Let the music envelop you and sweep you away.
Last night I hold Aladdin's lamp So I wished that I could stay
Yesterday, I was able to touch and hold Aladdin's magical lamp. I longed to remain there permanently.
Before the thing could answer me Well, someone came and took the lamp away
Before the lamp could grant me my wish, it was taken from me.
I looked Around A lousy candle's all I found
I searched for the lamp everywhere, but all I found was an ordinary and not-so-great candle.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN KAY, RUSHTON JOHN MOREVE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mattscagnelli8200
I like to dream, yes, yes
Right between the sound machine
On a cloud of sound I drift in the night
Any place it goes is right
Goes far, flies near
To the stars away from here
Well, you don't know what
We can find
Why don't you come with me little girl
On a magic carpet ride
Well, you don't know what
We can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free
Close your eyes girl
Look inside girl
Let the sound take you away
Last night I hold Aladdin's lamp
So I wished that I could stay
Before the thing could answer me
Well, someone came and took the lamp away
I looked
Around
A lousy candle's all I found
Well, you don't know what
We can find
Why don't you come with me little girl
On a magic carpet ride
Well, you don't know what
We can see
Why don't you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free
Close your eyes girl
Look inside girl
Let the sound take you away
@robertjoyner3653
Thank you Stephen wolf, me playing at 14 years old listening to you trying to duplacte you helped me, I was on the streets of chicago . M usic like yours helped me, i noticed me, graduated hs, at 16, as a kid thrown out, the music helped me, still can't play worth A dam
Most are gifted, I worked for being Able to play,you inspired a lost kid, me.j
Vradu he at 16.
@blondwiththewind2598
Just got here from the "BORN TO BE WILD" SONG PAGE.....figured l would share my post/MI i-story here too>>>>
HEADS UP FOLKS!!! >>> First use ever: this lyric invented the phrase "HEAVY METAL".
Add one word to make it "HEAVY METAL THUNDER" ....and everyone knew you were talking about motorcycles.
This song and their other song
"MAGIC CARPET RIDE" were my top two favorite psychedelia songs.....back when l was very young....and could only hear rock music in my sleepy Maine town via transistor radio hidden under my pillow at night. My local radio station only played "easy listening" type stuff during the day back then...and they signed off the air each night at 10PM by playing the STAR SPANGLED BANNER.
NO MATTER!!!!
BY THAT TIME EACH NIGHT THAT LITTLE TRANSISTOR RADIO COULD COULD PICK UP RADIO STATIONS HALF WAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY!!!
WNEW (New York) & WKBW (Buffalo New York) WERE MY FAVORITES!!!!
((( I WAS ROCKING!!! )))
l don't think my childhood secret nightly music habit was ever discovered by the adults in the household. I still swear l knew about the Beatles looong before anyone else in my home town did. I wasn't allowed to watch the Ed Sullivan Show... but l had already had heard John, Paul, George, & Ringo on that tiny little transistor radio.
I wasn't even 10 years old yet...and was a very quiet kid... BUT I WAS ALREADY PRETTY DARNED SURE I WAS THE COOLEST KID IN TOWN!!!! 😀
.
@KatriceMetaluna
If humans ever really do deliberately break the light speed barrier, whoever is piloting the ship had better play this song.
@jasonvelisaratos868
Exactly well said!
@xanxusprimo7022
lower decks brought me here ^,^
@reinerzufall3311
@@xanxusprimo7022 ever watched "Star Trek-First Contact"? If not, there is a masterpeace for you :)
@blinkenschnaag777
Zefram Cochrane is a great legend 🤣
@MpaYn
Well we discovered warp bubbles
@integron2518
52 years later and this song still vibes better than most modern music.
Let the windows down, put on your sunglasses and drop it into 3rd
@tangentfrequency
Can I drop it into 5th instead? My little Japanese car doesn't like going 70 on the highway in 3rd and all the 3 and 4 speed vehicles have just about rusted away :(
@annerasa9252
80 years old and this is still one of my very favorites. We used to dance to them and Iron Butterfly all night. Those were the days!!
@willyabraham6576
i agree