Kyoto Song
The Cure Lyrics


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A nightmare of you
Of death in the pool
Wakes me up at quarter to three
I'm lying on the floor of the night before
With a stranger lying next to me
A nightmare of you
Of death in the pool
I see no further now than this dream
The trembling hand of the trembling man
Hold my mouth to hold in a scream

I try to think to make it slow
If only here is where I go
If this is real, I have to see
I turn on fire and next to me

It looks good
It tastes like nothing on earth
It looks good
It tastes like nothing on earth
Its so smooth, it even feels like skin
It tells me how it feels to be new

It tells me how it feels to be new
A thousand voices whisper it true
It tells me how it feels to be new
And every voice belongs
Every voice belongs to you

A nightmare of you
Of death in the pool
Wakes me up at quarter to three
I'm lying on the floor of the night before
With a stranger lying next to me

It looks good
It tastes like nothing on earth
It looks good
It tastes like nothing on earth
Its so smooth, it even feels like skin
It tells me how it feels to be new

It tells me how it feels to be new
A thousand voices whisper it true
It tells me how it feels to be new




And every voice belongs
Every voice belongs to you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Cure's song Kyoto Song are haunting and enigmatic. The song tells a story of a troubled narrator who is plagued by a nightmare of their past. The imagery in the song is stark, with the singer waking up at quarter to three, lying on the floor with a stranger lying next to them. The nightmare seems to be connected with a drowning in a pool, and the trembling hand of the trembling man suggests that the singer is deeply disturbed by this memory. The singer is trying desperately to control their emotions, holding in a scream, and trying to slow down their thoughts.


The second verse shifts the focus to a different experience altogether. The singer seems to be searching for solace, using drugs or some other substance to escape their reality. The lyrics paint a picture of a hallucinatory experience, where the substance is so smooth that it even feels like skin. The singer is entranced by this experience, and it tells them how it feels to be new. There is a sense of euphoria in this verse that is in stark contrast to the despair of the first verse. The song ends with the repeated line "every voice belongs to you" suggesting that the singer is looking for someone or something to rescue them from their troubled mind.


Line by Line Meaning

A nightmare of you
The thought of you in my dreams is terrifying


Of death in the pool
I dream of you drowning in a swimming pool


Wakes me up at quarter to three
Your nightmare wakes me up in the middle of the night


I'm lying on the floor of the night before
I am stuck in the past, unable to move on


With a stranger lying next to me
I have allowed myself to be with someone else to try and forget you


I see no further now than this dream
I am so stuck on this nightmare that I can't see beyond it


The trembling hand of the trembling man
I am so scared and anxious that I am physically shaking


Hold my mouth
I am trying to contain my fear and not scream


To hold in a scream
I don't want others to hear my fear


I try to think
I attempt to rationalize and make sense of the dream


To make it slow
I want to slow down the events of the dream to better understand them


If only here is where I go
I hope to escape my current situation


If this is real
I question the reality of my present experiences


I have to see
I need to see beyond the dream and confront my reality


I turn on fire
I ignite a flame to try and find clarity


And next to me
I have someone by my side for comfort


It looks good
What I find in my search appears appealing


It tastes like nothing on earth
My new experiences are unlike anything I have known before


Its so smooth it even feels like skin
The unfamiliarity of my situation is both comforting and unsettling


It tells me how it feels to be new
My new experiences are teaching me what it is like to feel renewed


A thousand voices whisper it true
My new experiences are resonating with me and with many others


And every voice belongs
Everyone can relate to my experiences of renewal


Every voice belongs to you
Ultimately, my experiences are a result of my own choices and actions regarding you




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robert James Smith

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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