Nature Boy
moulin rouge. Lyrics
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A very strange, enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy
And sad of eye
But very wise
And then one day
The magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
"The greatest thing
You'll ever learn
Is just to love
And be loved
In return. "
The Moulin Rouge.
A nightclub.
A dancehall and a bardello.
Kingdom of night time pleasures.
Where the rich and powerful
Came to play with the young
And beautiful creatures of the underworld.
The most beautiful of all these was the woman I loved.
Satine.
A courtesan.
She sold her love to men.
They called her the sparkling diamond
And she was the star
Of the Moulin Rouge
The song "Nature Boy" performed by David Bowie in the 2001 movie Moulin Rouge! is a haunting tune that speaks about a mysterious and wise boy who wandered far over lands and seas. The boy is described as shy, sad of eye, and enchanted with strange energy. Despite his introverted nature, he is portrayed as powerful and wise beyond his years. The lyrics speak of a magic day when he passes by and the singer has a conversation with him about philosophy and life. The boy shares wisdom with his companion and leaves him with the most profound lesson of all - that the true key to happiness and fulfillment is to love and be loved.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a boy
There existed a young male individual
A very strange, enchanted boy
He was peculiar, almost supernatural
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
Rumors suggest that he travels across lands and oceans
A little shy
And sad of eye
But very wise
Was he
He may have been introverted and melancholic, but he carried an air of wisdom
And then one day
The magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
Eventually, he crossed paths with the artist and they conversed on various topics, including those of foolishness and royalty. During this exchange, he shared his words of wisdom
"The greatest thing
You'll ever learn
Is just to love
And be loved
In return. "
He imparted that the most valuable lesson in life is to love and to be loved back.
Contributed by Arianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
marksartor
lyrics "There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he
And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return""
Meckle
There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far
Very far over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise, was he
And then one day
One magic day, he passed my way
While we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
The greatest thing
You'll ever learn
Is just to love
And be loved
In return
Daigohji99
The Bowie version is good, but you can hear that the words were only an abstract concept to him. Leguizamo is singing it in character, with a clear image of a specific person in mind, and that's what gives his version such heart-breaking emotion.
William of Ockham
JL was feeling it. Bowie's version is bombastic and gratuitous.
MmmYeah?
Reading this made me burst into tears.
podoyle
The typewriter typing at the end got me.
Je Suis
Exactly. I got so much chills hearing this song in the movie because it felt so real, so genuine, and consequently so heartbreaking.
Despite knowing that the movie's soundtrack is only made of already existing songs, I was even surprised to find out this one wasn't an original song created for the movie because it just felt so perfect for the story and characters, you can so well feel the song and what it is trying to tell.
I love Bowie's version but Leguizamo's is just something else.
(And that little reprise right before Christian's final scene completely broke me)
Anyway, this just confirms to me that John Leguizamo is very underrated. It's a shame he is mainly known as Sid (and now Bruno) when he is such a talented actor and singer.
Zara
@Je Suis He's got a voice for singing for sure
N K
I performed this in a voice class. It was an elective - I'm not a great singer, but I honestly loved trying to learn this. I was told my rendition of it was: "Creepy". I haven't tried to sing it since. But if I'm being honest, I'm kinda proud of that "creepy". I wasn't told I was "good" or "bad" or "you gave it a good shot". It was "creepy".
Bobo411
I've just heard this song on Resident Alien and it is creepy and I love it. Creepy can be good.
Kimberly P
Same reason I'm here! Saw it on the show! Had no idea David Bowie also sang it...
Davey
@Kimberly P Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra too 🙂