In an interview to Hot Press in November 2001, O'Riordan explained how she wrote the song: “’Never Grow Old’ is a song I wrote with no music whatsoever. I was walking outside here, with my little baby in a pram and my son with me and I started singing. ‘I have a dream / Strange it may seem / This is my perfect day’. So I ran home and tried to get down the chords on the piano but didn’t because I was distracted. The baby was crying! So I lost it. But the next day I woke up and it came back to me so I wrote it at the piano, then played it with the lads”.
In an interview given in 2002, the drummer Fergal Lawler explained that the song “was written for Dolores’ new baby daughter Molly”.
In an interview given to VH1 in 2002, O'Riordan was asked what was some of the little things that she enjoyed the most about life, she answered: “Things like just going out and lying in grass and looking at clouds, and making shapes out of the clouds in my head. I know it sounds terrible, but in [Wake Up and Smell the Coffee's] “Never Grow Old,” the lyric, “Birds In the sky/ They look so high” is from a personal experience. I was walking along a countryside road with my children in a pram. My little girl was asleep and my son was holding on. I was looking at them, and I was thinking, ‘God, this moment’s perfect. I hope it never goes.’ As I was looking at my kids I had a flash, and I became my mother and my daughter became me. I suddenly thought, ‘Jeez, I’m moving a generation here… aah.’ I got scared. It was like, ‘I’m not a child anymore.’ But as I was thinking about my childhood, I remember that when I was in the pram I used to look up. I started looking up at the sky and the birds were flying around. I thought, ‘Those birds look really high.’ They just perch somewhere, have a little bit of a crap, fly off, perch somewhere else and eat a worm, so carefree. I thought, ‘Birds have a great life. There’s no stress.’ Sometimes when I’m feeling stressed, I look at birds. It helps. My children opened the doors and took me back into my childhood for a few minutes, and that’s a great thing. So many adults are always trying to return to that beautiful naivety and that freedom. It’s almost an out-of-this-world kind of experience, where you’ll have a flash from your childhood.”
Never Grow Old
The Cranberries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was my perfect day
Open my eyes, I realise, it is my perfect day
I hope you'll never grow old
Do-do-do do-do-do do-do-do
Birds in the sky, they look so high
This is my perfect day
I feel the breeze, I feel at ease
It is my perfect day
I hope you'll never grow old
Forever young, I hope you'll stay, forever young
Do-do-do do-do-do do-do-do
In "Never Grow Old," The Cranberries lead singer, Dolores O'Riordan, sings about her perfect day, which she describes as being surrounded by nature and feeling carefree. She emphasizes how nice it would be if people never aged and stayed young forever. The song's refrain, "I hope you'll never grow old, forever young, I hope you'll stay, forever young," further emphasizes this theme.
The lyrics cleverly set up an ideal world where we can escape the reality of old age, which the singer sees as a loss of freedom and a reminder of mortality. The dream she describes, with the birds soaring high and the cool breeze blowing, is an idyllic escape from the constraints of everyday life. It is a wistful reminder that everyone would like to remain young and carefree, but aging is inevitable.
Overall, "Never Grow Old" sends a powerful message about embracing the present and not taking youth or life for granted. The song encourages the listener to cherish the here and now, to make the most of every moment and to enjoy the freedom of youth while it lasts.
Line by Line Meaning
I have a dream, strange it may seem
I have an unusual dream in my mind
It was my perfect day
My dream was about my perfect day
Open my eyes, I realise, it is my perfect day
As I open my eyes, I realize that my dream has come true and it is my perfect day
I hope you'll never grow old
I wish that you will always remain young and vibrant
Do-do-do do-do-do do-do-do
Musical Interlude
Birds in the sky, they look so high
The birds in the sky seem to be flying at a great height
This is my perfect day
The scene around me is perfect, making it my perfect day
I feel the breeze, I feel at ease
The gentle breeze makes me feel calm and relaxed
Forever young, I hope you'll stay, forever young
I wish that you will always remain youthful and full of life
Do-do-do do-do-do do-do-do
Musical Interlude
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dolores Mary O'Riordan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DJRobinSkouteris
We love Dolores. I grew up with her voice. This is one of my favorite songs of the band.
@abandoned1913
Flaorelha não tem estádio não meu camarada
@jonathanflynnkelleher1771
Me too. Now at 42. I couldn't Love Dolores more. She is Our Saviour. Gotten Us through so much. She is with Us more today on Her Birthday as She always was. Is. Happy Birthday in Heaven Dolores ❤❤❤
@nijatxaliyev
I released my new song " YOU CAN'T BE MINE " on my channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYpuBvr7LWc
Hope you like it,
@largol33t1
Her death hit me harder than I expected because she was the music of my college years. A guy who dropped out of the army to go to college played their album "Everyone else is doing it..." and Dreams was the first song I heard. I also love Promises and Zombie. I still listen to them to this day. Through my time in college all I listened to was Cranberries and Roxette. Sadly, even Marie is gone. Why are all the greats dying suddenly?
@MarvinGuatemalanBoy
I grew up with their music too. Very beautiful memories with them. I love The Cranberries and I love Dolores R.I.P.
@Underlobster
I believe Doroles was one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time. Her voice was amazing. How many gorgeous songs she gave, how many emotions ... Her legacy is grand. I want to watch concerts endlessly, she was a real professional. I will never forget her.
@gogi682
My absolutely favourite singer; saw her perform in 2007, best concert ever:)
@user-hy6hh7wm2x
Нам сейчас не хватает тебя, Долорес..
@fergunn
a grown man here, never cried for someone i haven’t met, but now i cant hold my tears. Thank you for my childhood , teenage years and all the beautiful memories. Hope you are singing with angels now.