Vincent
Various Artists Lyrics

Starry, starry night
The song is set in a beautiful, starry night which is painted as an ideal setting for the mood of the song.

Paint your palette blue and gray
The spectral colors blue and gray, which symbolize melancholy, form the emotional color palette of Vincent's paintings.

Look out on a summer's day
Vincent possesses a sense of awareness, despite his own inner darkness, that allows him to behold the world in its beauty and the simplicity of nature on a summer day.

With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Vincent's eyes have a profound insight into the darker or emotional and mental aspects of his being.

Shadows on the hills Sketch the trees and the daffodils
The shadow cast on the hills from the remaining light of the stars represents the mood and tone of his paintings. It draws people's attention to the trees and daffodils painted in the same style, where shadows of darkness filter through the leaves.

Catch the breeze and the winter chills
The song signifies the brushstrokes of wind and winter, both of which are transient, yet impactful. The listener is invited to experience the wonder and torment in Vincent's paintings.

In colors on the snowy linen land
The white linen of the canvas serves as a backdrop for Vincent creating colors that tell a story of new beginnings, hope and expression.

Now I understand What you tried to say to me And how you suffered for your sanity And how you tried to set them free They would not listen, they did not know how Perhaps they'll listen now
The song acknowledges the misunderstood artist's unsuccessful attempt to display his vision to others in order to free them of their own perceived limitations. Vincent perceives such practice as a quest for his own sanity.

Flaming flowers that brightly blaze Swirling clouds in violet haze Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
The flowers brightly blazing with fire, and the clouds swirling in violet haze both captivate Vincent's deep blue eyes. The description of such a phenomenon attempts to convey the complex emotions and expressions brought upon by creative fulfilment to the consumer's eyes.

Colors changing hue Morning fields of amber grain Weathered faces lined in pain Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand
Vincent's influence as an artist can be seen in how his characteristic hues evolve and overlap. From a scene of morning fields with amber grains to weather-beaten faces full of pain, the song draws attention to how Vincent lovingly captures each subject, humanizing them and giving them a voice.

For they could not love you But still your love was true And when no hope was left in sight On that starry, starry night You took your life, as lovers often do
The song pays tribute to the artist by presenting his love for humanity as genuine, even though he did not receive it back in the same manner. His pain and eventual suicide, similar to that of jilted lovers, highlights how misunderstood Vincent was in the society he lived in during his era.

But I could've told you Vincent This world was never meant for One as beautiful as you
`This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you`, is a refrain of the song which attempts to grasp the deep emotion and understanding that the artist's beauty would have been better suited in a perfect world, separate from the one that had rejected him.

Portraits hung in empty halls Frame-less heads on nameless walls With eyes that watch the world and can't forget Like the strangers that you've met
The portraits hung in empty halls that no one remembers, or the headless frames on un-named walls could represent how parts of Vincent's personality remained forgotten by society, yet, observed and remembered by the people around him.

The ragged men in ragged clothes The silver thorn of bloody rose Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow Now I think I know
This line points towards Vincent's attempts to go beyond what seemed to be his limits, and how the mundane reality, represented by the ragged men in ragged clothes, didn't allow him to flourish as an artist, represented by the silver thorn of bloody rose. He captured this pain in his paintings, represented by crushed and broken, portraying it in the purity of virgin snow.

What you tried to say to me And how you suffered for your sanity And how you tried to set them free They would not listen, they're not listening still Perhaps they never will
Concluding the song, the writer empathizes with Vincent's frustration, as his noble intentions fell upon deaf ears. The song emphasizes the societal pressures that prevented him from being himself despite his efforts, it remains open-ended about the matter whether his thoughts will ever receive an audience one day.