The Lyrics are from the Poem… Read Full Bio ↴(poem of William Blake [1757-1827])
The Lyrics are from the Poem by the same name of (William Blake [1757-1827]) 1/01/1987 Originally released on cassette the CD version has some changes and added songs to the entire album. This particular song was and is an exception to TD's generally only instrumental High tech early New age style.
Music critic ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide, describes it thus:
Tyger sees Tangerine Dream set the poetry of William Blake to music. While the combination of styles will inevitably be off-putting to some -- particularly stuffy Blake fans -- the results are surprisingly evocative and listenable. Tyger might not be one of the most accessible albums within Tangerine Dream's catalog, but for those wishing to explore the group's more adventurous side, it's a worthwhile listen.
There's actually ten versions of the album but only one in the US Tyger (CD, Album) Relativity 88561-1055-2 US 1992.
The female vocalist is Jocelyn Bernadette Smith ¬- The New York based singer joined Tangerine Dream in February 1987 to transform a series of poems by the English mystic and painter into songs. According to Edgar Froese, he himself "had a problem with Jocelyn during the recording. She'd already got through the texts, but during the session she took the book and smashed it on the floor, saying, 'I'm an R & B singer and I don't want to do this schoolkid bullshit!'" Edgar Froese still thinks, "she did a good job, but she hated the lyrics, which are not easy to understand if you don't know the background."
Source is my own personal knowledge as a music critic in Las Vegas and TD’s Website http://www.tangerinedream-music.com/ (all rights reserved, permission granted to display quotes as long as proper reference is given to ‘Tangerine Dream’ and the source.
Tyger
Tangerine Dream Lyrics
Jump to: Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat
What dread hand and what dread feet?
What the hammer? What the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger, Tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
Tyger, Tyger, burning bright
Addressing the ferocious tiger, which is bright and eye-catching in the darkness.
In the forests of the night
Describing the tiger's habitat as the dark, mysterious forest.
What immortal hand or eye
Questioning the divine power or natural force behind the creation of such a magnificent animal.
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
Asking how something so awe-inspiring and beautiful could also be so terrifying and symmetrical.
In what distant deeps or skies
Pondering the source of the intense fiery gaze the tiger possesses.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
Asking what powerful entity or event could have given the tiger its fiery, intense stare.
On what wings dare he aspire?
Asking what kind of daring, brave spirit could climb to great heights and reach for greatness.
What the hand dare seize the fire?
Questioning the bravery of the one who would dare to take hold of such a dangerous and powerful force.
And what shoulder, and what art
Posing questions on the nature of the skills, talents, and strength required to handle such a ferocious animal.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
Asking what kind of art, empathy, or kindness could move the tiger's violent and powerful heart.
And when thy heart began to beat
Contemplating the beginning of life and the significance of a heart starting to beat.
What dread hand and what dread feet?
Asking what ominous and fearful spirit or force could cause the tiger to start moving through the world.
What the hammer? What the chain?
Asking what kind of tools or mechanisms could create such a fierce creature.
In what furnace was thy brain?
Posing a question on the source of the tiger's intelligence and instinct.
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Raising questions on the source of the tiger's power, control, and fearsomeness.
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
Asking who would dare confront the tiger's deadly grip or terror in the face of its power.
When the stars threw down their spears
Musing on an epic, cosmic event where the stars threw down their spears and the universe was changed.
And water'd heaven with their tears
A poetic way of describing tears falling from the heavens above.
Did he smile his work to see?
Asking if the creator of the tiger took pleasure in its fierce and beautiful design.
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Asking if the same being who created the gentle, innocent lamb also created the mighty, fearsome tiger.
Tyger, Tyger, burning bright
Repeating the first line for emphasis and closure.
In the forests of the night
Repeating the second line for emphasis and closure.
What immortal hand or eye
Repeating the third line for emphasis and closure.
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
Repeating the fourth line for emphasis and closure.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CHRIS FRANKE, EDGAR FROESE, P. HASLINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rubycon555
this is totally unbelievable - what is it about Edgar Froese every single album is superb. I cannot understand why he is not more celebrated and respected his music is unique.
Eric Melanson
One of the nicest videos I've ever seen on YouTube, all styles of music put together. Thank you very much for the posting Mitchy.
adeZone
It's 2020 now and still I keep revisiting this. I knew the William Blake poem well from my high school years and my passion for the way Mister Blake put intense imagery into poetry has not died. I think Tangerine Dream did a great job of turning this poem into a song. The lyrics capture a sense of pure wonderment at the creation of nature and the universe. Whether one is spiritual or not, one would have to be as thick as a brick to not to at least be captivated by thoughts of what forces made the universe, the stars, and the animals to such an amazing design. With the opening words, "Tyger, Tyger burning bright in the forests of the night", I sometimes imagine the Tyger not only as a majestic beast of creation, but as a constellation in the night sky, as there is also a line in the lyric that goes, "And when the stars threw down their spears and water'd Heaven with their tears, did He smile His work to see? Did He who made the Lamb make thee?" This could equally be a metaphor for the origins of the entire cosmos as well as about a species of animal. Great stuff... It sends a beautiful tingle down my spine.
Lance Klass
adeZone - beautiful explication of the poem, Blake's best-known masterwork.
Murray Teals
I'm reading Dan Brown's "Origin" and saw that excerpt "Tyger, Tyger burning bright in the forests of the night" and just realized that song, that I knew since the early 90s, was a poem of the 18th century. What a shock.
Maurizio Colombo
Beautiful music, beautiful images. Bravo!
Shauna Hartford-Begley
One of God’s most majestic creatures. It seems to me this was taken from William Blake’s poem Tyger Tyger in The fifteen hundreds.
Lance Klass
Yes, this was perhaps the most famous of William Blake's poems.
Yuri Ginsburg
William Blake 1757 - 1827, kinda 200 years later.
crimsonninja
Agreed, this has always been my favorite poem, i don't know of any other that can invoke such emotion atleast in myself.