Ride My See-Saw
The Moody Blues Lyrics
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Take this place
On this trip
Just for me.
Ride, take a free ride,
Take my place
Have my seat
I worked like a slave for years,
Sweat so hard just to end my fears.
Not to end my life a poor man,
But by now, I know I should have run.
Run, run my last race,
Take my place
Have this number
Of mine.
Run, run like a fire,
Don't you run in
In the lanes
Run for time.
Left school with a first class pass,
Started work but as second class.
School taught one and one is two.
But right now, that answer just ain't true.
Ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah
My world is spinning around,
Everything is lost that I found.
People run, come ride with me,
Let's find another place that's free.
Ride, ride my see-saw,
Take this place
On this trip
Just for me.
Ride, take a free ride,
Take my place
Have my seat
It's for free.
Ride, my see-saw.
Ride, ride, ride, my see-saw.
Ride, my see-saw...
The Moody Blues's song Ride My See-Saw appears to be a metaphorical journey of self-discovery and a longing for a simpler and more carefree life. The repeated phrase "ride my see-saw" can be interpreted as an invitation to come along on a journey of the singer's creation. The first stanza suggests the singer wants to escape someplace and invites the listeners to join him; hence, he is urging them to "take this place on this trip." The following lines read "Just for me," indicating that the journey is meant to be a personal one. In the second stanza, the invitation changes to "take a free ride," suggesting that the singer is trying to persuade someone to take his place and escape temporarily from his own problems or responsibilities.
The third stanza suggests that the singer has been working hard all his life, and although he has made some progress, he realizes that he should have pursued something he genuinely enjoyed rather than earning a living. The fourth stanza describes the conflict between the education system and actual life experience. This applies to schooling that teaches maths or sciences that are beneficial, but it fails to teach real-life experiences. When looking beyond his life's perspective, the singer discovers that the world around him is spinning, and everything is lost, and he longs for a place where he can be free of life's constant pressures.
Line by Line Meaning
Ride, ride my see-saw,
Come ride my emotional rollercoaster.
Take this place
Take my position in life.
On this trip
On this journey of ups and downs.
Just for me.
Just for my own life experience.
Ride, take a free ride,
Come along and join me, it won't cost you anything.
Take my place
Take my position in society.
Have my seat
Take my spot in this ride.
It's for free.
It's free of charge, no strings attached.
I worked like a slave for years,
I toiled away like a slave for many years.
Sweat so hard just to end my fears.
I worked so hard to overcome my fears.
Not to end my life a poor man,
So that I wouldn't die poor.
But by now, I know I should have run.
But now I realize that I should have made a change earlier.
Run, run my last race,
Take over from me and finish my last lap for me.
Take my place
Take my position in the race of life.
Have this number
Take my place with my assigned number.
Of mine.
That's been assigned to me.
Run, run like a fire,
Run as fast and passionately as a fire.
Don't you run in,
Don't constrain yourself... run free.
In the lanes
In the restrictive confines of the race lanes.
Run for time.
Run for the experience of the journey, not just the end goal.
Left school with a first class pass,
I graduated top of my class of life learners.
Started work but as second class.
But now I feel like I'm just a second-class citizen at work.
School taught one and one is two.
School taught me that life is logical and predictable.
But right now, that answer just ain't true.
But life is more complex and unpredictable than that simplistic view.
Ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah
Non-lyrical part of the song.
My world is spinning around,
My life is rapidly changing and unpredictable.
Everything is lost that I found.
Everything I've achieved seems to slip away no matter how hard I try to hold onto it.
People run, come ride with me,
Others compete and chase success, but I invite you to join me on this emotional journey instead.
Let's find another place that's free.
Let's aim to seek out a fulfilling and meaningful life experience that doesn't come at a cost.
Ride, my see-saw.
Ride the ups and downs of life with me.
Ride, ride, ride, my see-saw.
Keep riding the rollercoaster of life with me.
Ride, my see-saw...
The song fades out here.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES LODGE JOHN, JOHN LODGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-ip9yu7lp1q
[Chorus 1]Ride, ride my see-saw
Take this place
On this trip, just for me
Ride, take a free ride
Take my place
Have my seat, it's for free
[Verse 1]I worked like a slave for years
Sweat so hard just to end my fears
Not to end my life a poor man
But by now, I know I should have run
[Chorus 2]Run, run my last race
Take my place
Have this number of mine
Run, run like a fire
Don't you run in
In the lanes, run for time
[Verse 2]Left school with a first class pass
Started work, but as second class
School taught one and one is two
But by now, that answer just ain't true
[Bridge]
[Verse 3]My world is spinning around
Everything is lost that I found
People run, come ride with me
Let's find another place that's free
@rayohanlon8157
This song has an extraordinary pace to it. it is literally driven along by drums and bass, Edge and Lodge. Timeless and brilliant
@stillsearchingforsanity4332
In that regard, it's not unlike I'm Just a Singer. Incredible pace with everyone singing, and of course the frenetic opening on the drums by Edge.
@rickhermann7639
I would get a ticket for speeding if I heard it while I was driving
@dbeaus
i was in a bad spot when I got home form VN. Angry, disassociated, depressed. I picked up on the Moody's. Listened, absorbed and thought. Listened to every album many times and after a while I got it. There is more to this life than we are taught. Examine your mind, be honest. The answers are there. I returned much wiser and lived a pretty good life on mostly my terms. In the early 90's, I lived a long dream. I saw them in concert in Chicago with Chicago. One of my best nights. I wonder how many people they helped to heal and grow like myself. Stay safe.
@michaelbechtel4944
Thank you for your service, I was too youg for Vietnam Nam, but did Iraq, I know exactly what your talking about.thank for posting this.
@michaelgambino7782
Welcome home
@dbeaus
@Michael Bechtel I grew up in Chicago with a Ron Bechtel. Friend for many years, lost track of him 2 years ago. The fact that I was in Vietnam in no way outscores your effort in Iraq. We are all a special group no matter when we were in or what we did. Always be proud of what you did. Others talk, you did. No one hates war more than those that have to fight it. I hope you are coping well, it isn't easy and unfortunately, usually doesn't go away. If you feel bad, get help. The VA has many programs and they are free, all you have to do is call. Or if you know another vet who isn't doing well, intervene. You might save a life. We can't be proud of war, but we can be proud of how we responded to it. Hell, you can always talk to me, I have lot of free time.
@michaelbechtel4944
@Daniel Batitsas thanks Daniel, for the support, ive been to the V.A. one thing that has helped me so much is getting sober ive been out of the military 15 yrs, and been sober over 14 yrs, it was a life saver, and I have got to say I have the upmost respect for Vietnam vets, I known several vets over the yrs, and heard their stories, ive spent the majority of my time in the infantry but somehow thought I never measured up, but weather it's jungle gurrella warfare or desert warfare or street fighting in some shit hole , it all end up the same, drop me a line when you can would like to hear from you again.
@dbeaus
@Michael Bechtel I know what you mean. No matter what I did, I never felt like I was as good as the others. I always did what I was supposed to do but always felt I should have done more. The respect is 2 way. I can speak for most VN vets in the fact we were with you and understood what you were going through. It makes no difference where you are if someone is shooting at you. We had our challenges and you had yours. The fact that we accepted those challenges and did what had to be done is a credit to all of us. I was infantry for the first 5 months and then in the rear for some hush hush stuff that wasn't my choice. I never got over leaving my buddies and never felt their equal after that. We couldn't get Kool Aid believe it or not. We were always running out of water and drinking rice paddy water and water from rotten wells. As you can imagine, it tasted like shit. Sweetened Kool aid helped. I must have asked 10 People at home to send me some. No one ever did. I think they thought I was kidding. There is actually a video from VN where the grunt actually says, "send Kool Aid, this water tastes like shit". I laughed for 10 minutes when I saw that and showed it to my kids. I said "see, I told you so". I love talking to vets as you can tell and I would be glad to continue conversing with you. Bravo on you sobriety. That isn't easy. I quit smoking 50 years ago this month and drinking 22 years ago. Keep seeking that place for you, we all have one, I am 72 and I look at each day as the start, not one day closer to the end. Did they still use sit reps in your day? When a VN vet says "sit rep negative" that means every thing is ok. Looking forward to hearing from you. Sit Rep Negative.
@steventolken1646
Their music never gets old, even though we do.