The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
April is a cruel time
Even though the sun may shine
And world looks in the shade as it slowly comes away
Still falls the April rain
And the valley's filled with pain
And you can't tell me quite why
As I look up to the gray sky
Where it should be blue
Grey sky where I should see you
Ask why, why it should be so
I'll cry, say that I don't know
Baby once in a while I'll forget and I'll smile
But then the feeling comes again of an April without end
Of an April lonely as a girl
In the dark of my mind I can see all too fine
But there is nothing to be done when I just can't feel the sun
And the springtime's the season of the night
Grey sky where it should be blue
Grey sky where I should see you
Ask why, why it should be so
I'll cry, say that I don't know
I don't know
Even though the sun may shine
And world looks in the shade as it slowly comes away
Still falls the April rain
And the valley's filled with pain
And you can't tell me quite why
As I look up to the gray sky
Where it should be blue
Grey sky where I should see you
Ask why, why it should be so
I'll cry, say that I don't know
Baby once in a while I'll forget and I'll smile
But then the feeling comes again of an April without end
Of an April lonely as a girl
In the dark of my mind I can see all too fine
But there is nothing to be done when I just can't feel the sun
And the springtime's the season of the night
Grey sky where it should be blue
Grey sky where I should see you
Ask why, why it should be so
I'll cry, say that I don't know
I don't know
Lyrics submitted by Philadelphia Eagles, edited by imbadin
April Lyrics as written by Ben Aylward Nicola Schultz
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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April is my favorite Deep Purple song. I Love the lyrics, but the music is even more fantastic. I think it is about some bad memories about something that happened i april, maybe someone was lost or maybe a depression?
Coincidentally, the end of the mark I occurred on April 69...
Yeah, very child in time-alike.
what I wonder about is, does anyone know what albums did this song appear at?
it is on the self-entitled album "Deep Purple".
Very good song.
interestingly, i just noticed some resemblance to T.S.Eliot's The Waste Land. I wonder whether there is any connection...
I am pretty sure there is a connection... ts eliot's line: "April is the cruellest month" is fairly well known so I don't think it would be a stretch to say so
Incredible!
Grey sky is the atmosphere he creates within his mind, and april is , i believe, his term ( a metaphore) for the general situation. It is created by the pain which comes from a common curse of the modern humankind. The inability to see the love, the higher good things, instead of the insatisfactory, sadness. He feels the bitter guilt because of the inability to give the love to the one he believes she deserves to get.
The Legend of Zelda theme song bears a striking resemblance to the first 2-3 mins. of this song.
One of the Deep Purple's music clip suggests that this song can be about holocaust in German concentration camp. Type this in youtube if you would like to see: Deep Purple April P2 German TV 1970. We see almost naked men who are jumping to the trunks of the lorries. Then there are two scenes: one when they went out from the lorries and the next one - the gray smoke from the chimney. In my opinion this clip can be connected with the words: 'gray sky, where it should be blue, gray sky, where I should see you". Besides, it;s one of the best Deep Purple song, especially combination of classic fragment with powerful rock final :)
man this one is like a master piece stands together with child in time in my opinion