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Boards on the window
Mail by the door
What would anybody leave so quickly for?
Ophelia
Where have you gone?
The old neighborhood just ain't the same
Nobody knows just what became of
Ophelia
Tell me, what went wrong
[Chorus]
Was it something that somebody said?
Mama, I know we broke the rules
Was somebody up against the law?
Honey, you know I'd die for you
Ashes of laughter
The ghost is clear
Why do the best things always disappear
Like Ophelia
Please darken my door
Was it something that somebody said?
Mama, I know we broke the rules
Was somebody up against the law?
Honey, you know I'd die for you
They got your number
Scared and running
But I'm still waiting for the second coming
Of Ophelia
Come back home
Mail by the door
What would anybody leave so quickly for?
Ophelia
Where have you gone?
The old neighborhood just ain't the same
Nobody knows just what became of
Ophelia
Tell me, what went wrong
[Chorus]
Was it something that somebody said?
Mama, I know we broke the rules
Was somebody up against the law?
Honey, you know I'd die for you
Ashes of laughter
The ghost is clear
Why do the best things always disappear
Like Ophelia
Please darken my door
Was it something that somebody said?
Mama, I know we broke the rules
Was somebody up against the law?
Honey, you know I'd die for you
They got your number
Scared and running
But I'm still waiting for the second coming
Of Ophelia
Come back home
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She also told me it was about the drummer's girlfriend acting all crazy (disappearing for days, being out of contact, etc.) They titled it "Ophelia" to hint at the madness of her actions without naming names.
It's interesting to read so many other interpretations though, music can mean so many different things to different people!
I feel the song is about a girl who they had with them on the tour bus or whatever and she became quite quite close with a band member and perhaps she was his 'no 1' groupie if you know what i mean... and then one day she just dissappears, poof. And everyone is looking around one day, notice she gone and write it tongue in cheel 'bolt the doors' as she just dissappeared.
Why i chose not to overanalyse lyrics is ofter artists start with a broad idea (girl who does some kinky stuff and then just dissappears) and then get quite abstract with the idea when they explore it in a song. So the meaning isnt really ried to the lyrics... love to hear any counters?
The meaning of this song is pretty simple, although intentionally not obvious. Ophelia is actually one of the more heavy songs to come out of the Hippy generation, but you have to dig a little to get it, as was intended. Candy coated in a delightfully upbeat rag time New Orleans flavored rock ramp, and a growling honky tonk vocal delivery that induces smiling and dancing, the song Ophelia is about Freedom and the American way and the erosion thereof.
Anyway, the Last Waltz is one of the best live concerts put to film (even says so on the box haha). I had a cursory relationship with The Band before seeing it, but now am a huge fan and have been delving into much more of their material.
Yea, the "narrator" of this song sounds rather upset about the girl he thought would finally settle down and he fell in love with. But, no, Ophelia ain't gonna be tied down to one man forever. hehe. :) peacee
The lyrics on the album do differ from those of The Last Waltz. The only mistake I think is "The ghost is clear" should be "The coast is clear"... for many obvious reasons.
People have been saying that she could be an outlaw because of a) her skin color, or b) the trouble that follows her beauty, but my friend and I are entertaining the idea that she is a prostitute. Perhaps the best around. This would explain why her house is boarded up and vacant-looking. She has become a neighborhood institution, an acceptable vice that the community has grown to love (because they frequent her house/she visits them) and the people want to know where she has gone and when she will be back.