Phantom Mountain
Veirs Laura Lyrics
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Phantom Mountain
I saw the turquoise
Brilliant burning sea
The sweat on my shoulders
The silvery haze
Swords of lightning
Hawks and Gulf Stream
I could not tell the truth
I could not tell the truth
From the mirage, from the mirage
Yellow butterfly
On the rocky path below
Fluttering lifeless
In the shimmering glow
Of the Phantom Mountain
Took her heartache
Took her beautiful face
To a distant place
I could not tell the truth
I could not tell the truth
From the mirage, from the mirage
I could not tell the truth
I could not tell the truth
From the mirage, from the mirage
The song "Phantom Mountain" by Veirs Laura is a poetic representation of the struggle of the human psyche to separate fact from fiction or truth from lies. The singer, likely experiencing an altered state of mind or some kind of psychedelic experience, describes standing on top of Phantom Mountain and gazing upon the beautiful yet unsettling turquoise sea. The sweat on her shoulders and the silvery haze increase her confusion and render her perception unreliable, leaving her unsure whether what she sees is real or merely an illusion. The experience becomes overwhelming and begins to affect her mental state as the lightning appears like swords, and the hawks seem to be surfing the Gulf Stream made her "crazy, crazy." She admits that she is unable to differentiate between the truth and the mirage, as her perception is clouded by the stunning beauty and the overwhelming images in her mind.
The second part of the song focuses on a yellow butterfly fluttering lifeless on the rocky path below. The shimmering glow of Phantom Mountain takes away the butterfly's heartaches and transports her beautiful face to a distant place. The imagery of the butterfly represents the fragility of life and how beauty can be extinguished in a moment. The repetition of the line "I could not tell the truth from the mirage" highlights the confusion and disorientation in the singer's mind.
Line by Line Meaning
At the top of Phantom Mountain
From the summit of the imaginary peak called Phantom Mountain
I saw the turquoise Brilliant burning sea
I could see the vivid blue ocean shimmering under the bright sun
The sweat on my shoulders, The silvery haze
I felt the sticky sweat on my skin, while the air was filled with a shiny mist
Swords of lightning Hawks and Gulf Stream
I witnessed bolts of lightning flashing and birds of prey soaring across the horizon
Made me crazy, crazy
All these intense experiences drove me to the brink of madness
I could not tell the truth From the mirage, from the mirage
I was overwhelmed by the surreal scenery and couldn't distinguish it from an illusion
Yellow butterfly On the rocky path below Fluttering lifeless In the shimmering glow Of the Phantom Mountain
A butterfly collapsed on a rocky trail in the mountain's glimmering aura
Took her heartache Took her beautiful face To a distant place
Her pain and beauty disappeared to a remote location
I could not tell the truth From the mirage, from the mirage
Even witnessing the death of the butterfly seemed like an illusion to me, making it hard to differentiate reality from fantasy
I could not tell the truth From the mirage, from the mirage
The surreal nature of the mountain made it difficult for me to convey the truth
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LAURA VEIRS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind