Part Start Time Length
Cord of Life 0:00 3:47
Eclipse 3:47… Read Full Bio ↴Parts
Part Start Time Length
Cord of Life 0:00 3:47
Eclipse 3:47 2:29
The Preacher, the Teacher 6:16 3:10
Apocalypse 9:26 0:42
I. Cord of Life
The song opens with Steve Howe tuning his guitar, and his voice can be heard at the beginning of the track, then playing mostly natural harmonics, played around what will become the central melody, using a 12-string Acoustic guitar which quickly forms into a simple chord progression over distant organ chords. Then, the Moog comes, sounding like a child's instrument, for a simple solo, which presents us the main theme of the next part, but in a completely different arrangement. After that, the vocals begin at about 1:40. The line "All Complete in the sight of seeds of life with you" is spoken, which is repeated throughout the song. At about 2:50, there's an utter change: Anderson sings a sharper melody, accompanied by a second vocal track by Anderson harmonizing with himself, plus Chris Squire and Steve Howe providing a counter-melody and alternate lyrics, with their voices fed through a Leslie Speaker.
II. Eclipse
"Eclipse" is the slowest part of the song based on a measured and deliberate melody reminiscent of Sibelius. It is led by Rick Wakeman's epic Mellotron and Minimoog synthesizer. The lyrics are all from the first stanza of "The Cord of Life", but are sung in a different melody, which is also epic and slightly sad. Finally ending with the 12-string acoustic guitar leading into "The Preacher, The Teacher".
III. The Preacher The Teacher
The melody and lyrical structure is very similar (for the most part) to that of "The Cord of Life", with some variations. The exception is that "The Preacher, The Teacher" has a fast synthesizer solo by Rick Wakeman at one point during the song. The last stanza again consists of lines from "The Cord of Life", now sung in a different order and a completely different mood. The section ends with a cadenza-like orchestral statement, on Mellotron and Moog, reminiscent of neo-Wagnerian compositions from Strauss or Bruckner.
IV. Apocalypse
"Apocalypse" is the shortest piece of the song, only about 40 seconds long, it consists only of four lines:
And you and I climb, crossing the shapes of the morning.
And you and I reach over the sun for the river.
And you and I climb, clearer, towards the movement.
And you and I called over valleys of endless seas.
And You and I
Yes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Closest to heaven I'll ever be
It's like she's straight out of a magazine
And she, she's my dream
She's all I'll ever need
Baby, this all feels so wrong
I can't get enough of you
Oh baby, when I'm with you
There are no words to explain how much you mean to me
But this kind of love is just killing me
You how it feels when you are close to me
But now you fade away when you are next him
She's all I'll ever need
Baby, this all feels so wrong
The way you are turning me on
I can't get enough of you
Oh baby, when I'm with you
And girl you had my eyes since day one
Haven't been able to see anything
I don't want to be your friend i want to hold your hand
I don't want to be your friend i want to be your man
(Oh yes I do)
I don't want to be your friend i want to hold your hand
I don't want to be your friend i want to see you dance
I don't want to be your friend i want to hold your hand
I don't want to be your friend
Don't you understand?
Baby, this all feels so wrong
The way you are turning me on
I can't get enough of you
Oh baby, when I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
It's important to clarify that the lyrics provided above are not from Yes's song "And You and I", but rather from a completely different song. With that being said, the following interpretation will be based on these lyrics.
The song seems to center around a young couple, where the singer appears to be very much in love with his girlfriend. He describes her as "closest to heaven [he'll] ever be", comparing her to a perfect, idealized version of a person that one might see in a magazine. However, there also seems to be an underlying theme of insecurity and doubt throughout the song. He seems to be struggling with the intense feelings he has for her and the fear of not being able to live up to her expectations.
The chorus, with its repetition of "Baby, this all feels so wrong, the way you are turning me on" suggests that there may be feelings of guilt, whether it's because of the societal norms surrounding their age difference or other external pressures. The singer seems to be grappling with the idea that this kind of intense love might not be socially acceptable or sustainable, which is mirrored in the lines "this kind of love is just killing me". At the same time, there's a sense that the singer can't help but be drawn to her, and he describes how he can't get enough of her. The bridge's repeating lines of "I don't want to be your friend, I want to hold your hand" further emphasizes the singer's need for a deeper connection with her beyond just friendship.
Line by Line Meaning
And she was sixteen
She was only sixteen years old
Closest to heaven I'll ever be
Being with her was the happiest moment of my life
It's like she's straight out of a magazine
She was so perfect that she could have been a model
And she, she's my dream
She's the person I always dreamt of being with
She's all I'll ever need
Being with her is enough for me, I don't need anything else
Baby, this all feels so wrong
Even though I love being with her, I know it's not right
The way you are turning me on
She's making me feel so turned on and excited
I can't get enough of you
I want to be with her all the time
Oh baby, when I'm with you
I feel so happy when I'm with her
There are no words to explain how much you mean to me
I can't express in words how much she means to me
But this kind of love is just killing me
Even though I love her so much, this relationship is hurting me
You know how it feels when you are close to me
She knows how much I love being close to her
But now you fade away when you are next him
But now she's moving away from me and towards someone else
And girl you had my eyes since day one
I have liked her ever since I met her
Haven't been able to see anything
Since meeting her, I can't see anyone else
I don't want to be your friend i want to hold your hand
I don't want to be just friends, I want more
I don't want to be your friend i want to be your man
I don't want to be just a friend, I want to be her partner
(Oh yes I do)
I really mean it
I don't want to be your friend i want to hold your hand
I want to be close to her and hold her hand
I don't want to be your friend i want to see you dance
I want to be with her and see her happy and dancing
I don't want to be your friend i want to hold your hand
I want to be close to her and hold her hand
I don't want to be your friend
I don't want to be just friends, I want more
Don't you understand?
Do you understand how much I love you?
When I'm with you
Being with her is the best feeling ever
When I'm with you
Being with her is the best feeling ever
When I'm with you
Being with her is the best feeling ever
When I'm with you
Being with her is the best feeling ever
When I'm with you
Being with her is the best feeling ever
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Caleb Klimak, Shehan Bodinigoda
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind