The music of The Blue Nile is built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works have featured acoustic guitar more prominently. Despite the "coldness" often associated with the use of such electronic instruments, The Blue Nile has managed to create music that is deeply emotional, and a lot of this has to do with the plaintive vocals of lead singer Paul Buchanan, whom critics have often compared to Peter Gabriel. The lyrics are often stream-of-consciousness descriptions of feelings and environments, which heighten the drama of the compositions, which are as much soundscapes as they are songs.
The band was formed when friends Buchanan and Paul Joseph Moore met Robert Bell shortly after graduating from the University of Glasgow in the late 1970s. Their debut album A Walk Across the Rooftops was the result of a request from the Linn Company to test a newly built recording studio!
The rare, later albums - which include acclaimed titles like Hats (1989) - have been released by the Scottish high end hifi company Linn and feature exceptional sound and production values.
She Saw the World
The Blue Nile Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know now
Everything stops here
You don't love me
I am a street that you live on
People walking towards me
Yeah a girl on a bus stop
Reading postcards from nowhere
She saw the world and she wanted it all
What can I tell you?
She saw the world and she wanted it all
Gangsters in traffic surround you
And up on the rooftops
Yeah she's waving
It doesn't seem to matter anymore
She saw the world and she wanted it all
She saw the world and she wanted it all
Letters and numbers surround you
And out on the corner
A policemen is sending flowers
It feels like a movie
She saw the world and she wanted it all
And what can I tell you
She saw the world and she wanted it all
What can I tell you?
She saw the world like a silver ball
What can I tell you?
She saw the world and she wanted it all
She wanted it all
Yeah
Stop bringing me down stop bringing me
Stop bringing me down stop bringing me
Stop bringing me down stop bringing me
Stop bringing me down stop bringing me
What can I tell you?
What can I tell you?
The lyrics of The Blue Nile's "She Saw the World" tell the story of a girl who is fascinated by the world around her and wants to experience all of it. The song opens with the singer realizing that his lover doesn't love him, but then proceeds to describe the girl as someone who is adventurous, indifferent to danger and consumed by a hunger for exploration.
The lines "She saw the world and she wanted it all" repeat throughout the song, emphasizing the girl's insatiable thirst for experience. The singer describes her journey through the city, surrounded by gangsters, police officers, and numbers, as if it's a movie. It seems that nothing can stop her from seeking and taking what she wants, as she stands on rooftops, reads postcards from nowhere and waves at passerby.
Overall, "She Saw the World" is a poignant and enigmatic track that delves into themes such as obsession, ambition, and the insatiable desire for adventure.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh yeah alright
Acknowledgment of the situation at hand
I know now
Awareness and acceptance of the truth
Everything stops here
Recognition that the relationship has reached its end
You don't love me
Confirmation of unrequited love
I am a street that you live on
Feeling overlooked and underappreciated
People walking towards me
Observing the world around oneself
Yeah a girl on a bus stop
Taking note of specific individuals in the environment
Reading postcards from nowhere
Recognizing the potential for adventure and escape
It feels like a movie
Surreal sensation and detachment from reality
She saw the world and she wanted it all
Envy of others’ freedom and opportunity
What can I tell you?
Expressing uncertainty and helplessness
Gangsters in traffic surround you
Perception of danger and chaos in the environment
And up on the rooftops
Looking up to the potential for escape and release
Yeah she's waving
Identification with a free-spirited individual
It doesn't seem to matter anymore
Detachment from the past and present situation
Letters and numbers surround you
Feeling trapped and inundated with mundane details
And out on the corner
Observing others’ actions and expressions
A policemen is sending flowers
Contradiction of societal expectations and norms
She saw the world like a silver ball
Imagining the world as a glittering prize waiting to be won
She wanted it all
Longing for the freedom and possibility of the wider world
Stop bringing me down stop bringing me
Repetition of a plea to be lifted up and away from the current situation
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAUL GERARD BUCHANAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lester Hardcastle
0:44 the piano. Simple perfection.
Lady Packa
Mi grupo preferido hace tantos años....... LOVE IT !!!
Daniel Wilder
awesome track which i'm fortunate to have on a promo cd
David Eveson
Love the blue Nile.
Tam Coyle
Seen them at the Glasgow concert hall best band I ever seen
Charles Bull
Just the best saw them at the Colston Hall in Bristol just amazing
Gary Macintyre
Another blue nile classic
o o
no other band like this and there never will be.
Ian Gardiner
Love it love the Blue Nile a 30 year luv affair
Gregory Sarovich
pure elegance