Shine On Silver Sun
Strawbs Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Cousins

Once I sat upon a hill to watch the world go by
My friend the young magician had forbidden me to cry
But I was the comedian with the laughs in short supply.

Shine on silver sun, shine on everyone
Shine on silver sun, shine on.

The sunlight filtered softly through the pale and watery sky
To catch the mirrored salmon as it rose to take the fly
The flowers on the riverbank were left alone to die.

Shine on silver sun, shine on everyone
Shine on silver sun, shine on.

The church bells sounded midnight as I rose to say goodbye
And a solitary tear fell from the corner of my eye.

Shine on silver sun, shine on everyone
Shine on silver sun, shine on everyone




Shine on silver sun, shine on everyone
Shine on silver sun, shine on, shine on.

Overall Meaning

The song "Shine On Silver Sun" by Strawbs, written by Dave Cousins, is about a moment of contemplation and reflection in which the singer sits on a hill, observing the world around him. He is joined by a young magician, who has told him not to cry. The singer, however, describes himself as a comedian with a short supply of laughs, implying a deeper level of sadness and perhaps a need to process emotions.


The first verse describes the beauty of the scene, with the sun shining on everyone and everything. The second verse includes a reference to fishing, with the mirrored salmon rising to take the fly. This is juxtaposed with the image of flowers left to die on the riverbank, suggesting a sense of impermanence and transience. The final verse brings the scene to a close, with the church bells sounding midnight and the singer shedding a solitary tear.


Overall, the song can be seen as a meditation on the fleeting nature of life and the importance of taking time to appreciate the beauty around us. It also touches on themes of loneliness and the need to process emotions.


Line by Line Meaning

Once I sat upon a hill to watch the world go by
I used to sit on a hill, watching the world go by


My friend the young magician had forbidden me to cry
My young magician friend had told me not to cry


But I was the comedian with the laughs in short supply
I was known as a comedian but couldn't manage to laugh much


Shine on silver sun, shine on everyone
I hope the sun shines on everyone, everywhere


The sunlight filtered softly through the pale and watery sky
The sun was shining softly through the pale sky


To catch the mirrored salmon as it rose to take the fly
The sun glistened on the water, reflecting the salmon as it came up to catch the fly


The flowers on the riverbank were left alone to die
The flowers on the riverbank were left to die on their own


The church bells sounded midnight as I rose to say goodbye
The church bells sounded as I left at midnight


And a solitary tear fell from the corner of my eye.
As I left, I cried a single tear.


Shine on silver sun, shine on everyone
Again, I hope that the sun shines on everyone, everywhere


Shine on silver sun, shine on everyone
Once again, wishing the sun shines on everyone


Shine on silver sun, shine on everyone
Continuing to hope for the sun to shine on everyone


Shine on silver sun, shine on, shine on.
Finally, shouting, Shine On Silver Sun! Shining brighter than ever!




Contributed by Penelope B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions