Shadows
The Melachrino Strings and Orchestra Lyrics
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The sun never shone through to the heart of our Eden
We ate the fruits with passion, but never bothered to water the tree
And we claimed to be naked, but we were always covered with leaves
We painted the walls with sophisticated ignorance
‘Cause beautiful words can be a refuge from simple facts
But the flowers were fading
Tear dust from the cracks of a dream
Shadows of what could have been
Only time, time, time can heal
We were talking so loud, we couldn’t even hear ourselves
And the music from the sirens made the present a forgettable place
Nostalgia and Future Dreams polluted the air that we breathed
And we covered all the mirrors, so we couldn’t see who we really were
But from the cracks in the walls the paint was slowly peeling
And our words from the past were changing meaning
Like the flowers by the window
Tear dust from the cracks of a dream
Internal scars that can’t be seen
Shadows of what could have been
Only time, time, time can heal
Were you really a function of my own situation?
Was I really a creation of your own imagination?
The Melachrino Strings and Orchestra's song "Shadows" tells a story of a relationship that has reached a point of decay. The first stanza refers to the couple's neglect for their love, as symbolized by the withering flowers by the window, and their inability to see the truth about their situation, as symbolized by their covering with leaves. They have been living in a world of pretense, painting the walls with "sophisticated ignorance" to hide the reality of their failing union. The second stanza depicts a loud and chaotic world surrounding them, making it difficult for the couple to communicate with each other. They have covered their mirrors, unable to face themselves and the problems that they have created. The cracks in the walls are slowly peeling, just like their relationship, revealing the truth of their situation.
The last two lines of the song suggest that the two parties may have never really known each other at all. The line "Were you really a function of my own situation?" denotes the possibility of projection, whereby one person imagines an image of the other rather than seeing the person for who they are. The line "Was I really a creation of your own imagination?" suggests the same, but in the reverse order. In other words, they may have created a version of each other that does not exist, or projected their own desires on each other, rather than seeing each other for who they truly are. Overall, the song highlights the importance of communication and the danger of living a life of pretense.
Line by Line Meaning
The flowers by the window weren’t meant to wither away
We neglected the beautiful things in our life and let them wither away without nurturing them.
The sun never shone through to the heart of our Eden
Our paradise was always in shadow, and never received the full light it deserved.
We ate the fruits with passion, but never bothered to water the tree
We enjoyed the fruits of our labor, but did not take the necessary actions to ensure that our efforts would maintain their longevity.
And we claimed to be naked, but we were always covered with leaves
We thought we were honest and vulnerable, but we were hiding behind superficial facades that shielded us from true openness.
We painted the walls with sophisticated ignorance
We tried to make everything look perfect and smart, but were foolishly unaware of the problems that actually existed beneath the surface.
‘Cause beautiful words can be a refuge from simple facts
We used fancy language to hide our problems rather than confronting them head-on.
But the flowers were fading
The things we neglected have now begun to die, and it is too late to save them.
Tear dust from the cracks of a dream
We must grieve for the lost hopes and aspirations that slipped through the cracks of our dreams.
Internal scars that can’t be seen
Our emotional wounds run deep and may not be apparent on the surface, but they impact us nonetheless.
Shadows of what could have been
We are haunted by the ghosts of what we could have accomplished had we acted differently.
Only time, time, time can heal
The only remedy for our pain and regret is time, which will help us move on and heal from our mistakes.
We were talking so loud, we couldn’t even hear ourselves
We were so busy arguing and trying to prove ourselves right that we lost sight of our own thoughts and feelings.
And the music from the sirens made the present a forgettable place
We were distracted by worldly noise and stress, causing us to forget the importance of our present experiences and memories.
Nostalgia and Future Dreams polluted the air that we breathed
We were so focused on our past and future that we couldn't appreciate or enjoy our present.
And we covered all the mirrors, so we couldn’t see who we really were
We avoided self-reflection and self-examination, preferring instead to exist in a fantasy world where we were perfect and blameless.
But from the cracks in the walls the paint was slowly peeling
Our carefully constructed illusions were beginning to crumble, revealing the harsh reality of our situation.
And our words from the past were changing meaning
Our memories and interpretations of the past were becoming distorted as we attempted to revise history to fit our current desires.
Like the flowers by the window
Our neglected lives were slowly withering away, much like the flowers we ignored.
Were you really a function of my own situation?
Did our relationship only exist because we were both unhappy with our lives and seeking an escape?
Was I really a creation of your own imagination?
Did you create an idealized version of me in your mind, rather than accepting me for who I truly am?
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Anthony Magee, Matz Andersson, Tom Brodie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind