Lyrics for Moonshadow as interpreted by Novartza

Moonshadow Lyrics
Yes, I'm being followed
By a moon shadow
Moon shadow moon shadow
Leaping and hopping
On a moon shadow
Moon shadow moon shadow

And if I ever lose my hands
Lose my plow, lose my land
Oh, if I ever lose my hands
Oh, if...
I won't have to work no more

And if I ever lose my eyes
If my colors all run dry
Yes, if I ever lose my eyes
Oh, if...
I won't have to cry no more

Yes, I'm being followed
By a moon shadow
Moon shadow moon shadow
Leaping and hopping
On a moon shadow
Moon shadow moon shadow

And if I ever lose my legs
I won't moan and I won't beg
Oh if I ever lose my legs
Oh if...
I won't have to walk no more

And if I ever lose my mouth
All my teeth, north and south
Yes, if I ever lose my mouth
Oh if...
I won't have to talk...

Did it take long to find me
I asked the faithful light
Did it take long to find me
And are you going to stay
The night?

I'm being followed
By a moon shadow
Moon shadow moon shadow
Leaping and hopping
On a moon shadow
Moon shadow moon shadow

Moon shadow moon shadow
Moon shadow moon shadow

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  • 22 Comments
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halfalive
06-28-2002

Rated 0 
this song means a lot to me cuz my dad sang it to me when i was little, and supposidly it was the first song i ever sang. i was about 2 and outta nowhere i started singing with him. my favorite line is "if i ever lose my eyes/ if my colors all run dry" i think das so cool beans...

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jiminy0410
08-30-2002

Rated 0 
This is my favorite song ever. It's gorgeous and everything I want to know. It's sort of my theme song.

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lilybart
06-18-2003

Rated +1 
It's to me about knowing someone has faith in you. That faith follows you through life and gets you through the tough times when you don't think you'll make it.

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nitsirhc
12-24-2004

Rated -1 
Cat Stevens, nowadays at least, will probably say that this song is about converting into a muslim. But, in retrospect, he believes that's what all of his songs are REALLY about.

Bullshit, man. This song is about moons and shadows, not muslims.

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Tripologist
07-31-2005

Rated 0 
This song to me is saying that there is always some good in everything you just have to find it. The moonshadow is the light of the moon in the darkness of the night.

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renataa
08-04-2005

Rated 0 
i dont think these lyrics are quite correct....but this song is so so wonderful. Cat Stevens amazes me! His voice is so comforting. I believe he referred to this song as his 'positive mantra.' It's a positive outlook on life, to make the best of everything and see the beauty in the world, and about having that faith to guide you along and support you, keeping you optimistic. Cat is GOD

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ajjm6286
08-22-2005

Rated 0 
renataa is correct. The lyrics are quite botched.

As far as song meaning...it's about turning lemons into lemonade and whatnot.

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findsomepeace
09-29-2005

Rated 0 
Yeah, and btw, the 'moon shadow' part means that the moon is giving off enough light to create a shadow, just not as bright as on those sunny days. sort of a metaphore.

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NOfriends
12-19-2005

Rated 0 
i think this song is about black slavery... u stupid americanz

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Silentlistener
01-27-2006

Rated 0 
Ah, i remember when i bought "Tease and the Firecat", I got through it, heard some songs i really loved (rubylove, morning has broken) but when i heard this one, with all the things going on in the world, i think this was the best song on that record. I remember how i thought of it then. I though it was about you know, resilience, and positive thinking. Good song, really good song.

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Wiccan_Childe
06-12-2006

Rated 0 
He calls it the optimists anthem

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jessy
08-04-2006

Rated 0 
I didn't used to like this song because it was like someone imagining all the bad things that could happen to them. But then I looked at it like seeing the best coming out of the very worst. There being enough light to make a shadow. And the part about "Did it take long to find me, I asked the faithful light" is like the person learning to look for good in everything. And that person can see the rare moon shadow, because how often do people see moon shadows? Only once in a while. when the moon gives enough light in the dark, but only if its dark enough.

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sugar.coma
04-27-2007

Rated 0 
This was my moms favorite song, when I was young , we used to sing and dance around to it. Last summer my mom past away and that song was played. Now I have "I've being followed by a moonshadow" tattooed on me because it makes me feel as though my mom is always with me.

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reinvent_the_norm
08-29-2007

Rated 0 
i listened to this a lot during my thrid trimester of pregnancy. then during birth i got a rare blood disorder that almost killed me and while i was recovering in the hospital for 2 and a half months, i listened to this song and it helped me deal w/ the emotional aspects of my situations. everything sucked, but it could have been worse. and hey, i didn't have to work.

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Pugachev
01-01-2008

Rated 0 
This song is a lot more than a "glass half full" anthem; it advocates a complete emotional break with material things (including one's health). If one feels no sense of attachment to one's things, than he or she can escape sorrow. This is Buddhism (or Stoicism) in a nutshell.

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Soft Rose
02-24-2008

Rated 0 
Yeah ok it could be about all of this muslim stuff but its more like the situation i'm in that loads have been in too. Maybe its just saying about something unknown following him, that won't leave his thoughts, its always there while he's trying to concentrate on more desperate real life things. I recently nicknamed a friend who I'd like to be so much more than a friend Monsieur Moonshadow, he is like the moon shadow in this song in many wats. I just hope that he reads this and can appreciate not only that but how great this song is. I dont see how anyone could hate it

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RayMan
06-20-2008

Rated 0 
I actually remember singing this tune in grade school music class not long after it first came out! Back then, I simply thought it was simply a weird way to look at unfortunate circumstances. Now that I'm much older, my mind overanalyzes it to death... NOW I think being "followed by a moon shadow" is a clear reference to Cat Stevens silently contemplating a conversion to Islam. Although I'm a commited Christian myself, I have to say I LOVE Cat Stevens' songs and I have tremendous respect for him as a musician. I once heard that he was turned down as a candidate for Cleveland's Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame simply because he's a Muslim now and no longer in the music biz! What a shame! Elvis isn't in the music biz anymore and they'd never think of getting rid of him... which can ONLY mean that Cat was turned down simply because he's a Muslim! Well, he's in my Hall of Fame, that's for sure!

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razajac
07-21-2008

Rated 0 
It's pretty obviously a song about a state of mind/heart/soul in which the things of this world--including things as close as one's own physical form--are understood not to be really that important. It's an expression of a kind of grace.

Exactly what this has to do with a "moon shadow".... Is it just another case of artistic license applied to the perennial task of "effing" the "ineffable"?

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razajac
07-21-2008

Rated 0 
You know, it just occurred to me to say something about that rallying stanza "Did it take long to find me?" It's interesting because I think it appeals to the conventional view of theistic religion where god is an intelligent being that you can put questions to, in this fashion. Yet the song also neatly steps around the famously intimidating characteristics foisted on The Divine by Christian fundamentalism. I remember thinking about this way back when, when the album first came out, and I was dealing with fundies in my life.

But, in a way, this aspect of the song certainly does foreshadow (or should we say "moonshadow"?) Mr. Stevens's later foray into Islam.

AND, I might add, part of the genius of Stevens is the integrity of all parts of one of his songs, as well as his integration of the parts into the song structure. Note how artfully he handles the main two themes as the mainstay of the song, and then even "throws in" that rousing, commanding 'C' section stanza--itself beautifully crafted--as a very surprising kind of bonus. A tunesmithing embarrassment of riches!

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AquilusDomini
05-30-2009

Rated 0 
i think perhaps it's about accepting the difficulties of life or dealing with a run of bad luck...which might be what the moonshadow is, bad luck. although i do like razajac's idea...

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Lee25
09-30-2009

Rated 0 
My Dad passed away 1 month ago. He was a BIG Cat Stevens fan and I grew up with this music. My Dad was plagued by bad health, although he did everything he could to lead a healthy life. The last couple of years were particularly difficult as he suffered a heart attack, kidney failure, liver disease and bowel cancer. He was the most positive person I have ever known. He tried to look on the bright side of even the darkest situation. During the last few months, the feeling that he would die soon grew on him. The doctors said that he could live for years longer but he knew it was coming. To me, that's the 'moonshadow' in the song. For me, the 'faithful light' is God or the afterlife. When my Dad's brother was dying, my Dad told him to 'go to the light'. Perhaps Cat Stevens had death in mind when writing this song but it's probably unlikely. For me though, that's what this song's about

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gnosis
10-13-2009

Rated +1 
I think this song is about how we are all stalked by the dark possibility of tragedy (followed by a moon shadow) but he has decided that he won't let it it oppress him. In fact he plays with it (leaping and hoping on a moon shadow) by finding something freeing in any tragedy (the rest of the song).

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