Lyrics for The Greatest as interpreted by caffeino

The Greatest Lyrics
Once I wanted to be the greatest
No wind or waterfall could stall me
And then came the rush of the flood
Stars of night turned deep to dust

Melt me down
Into big black armor
Leave no trace of grace
Just in your honor
Lower me down
To culprit south
Make 'em wash a space in town
For the lead
And the dregs of my bed
I've been sleepin'
Lower me down
Pin me in
Secure the grounds
For the later parade

Once I wanted to be the greatest
Two fists of solid rock
With brains that could explain
Any feeling

Lower me down
Pin me in
Secure the grounds
For the lead
And the dregs of my bed
I've been sleepin'
For the later parade

Once I wanted to be the greatest
No wind or waterfall could stall me
And then came the rush of the flood
Stars of night turned deep to dust

Interaction
Mail to a friend Send Lyrics to a Friend
Share on Facebook

Stumble It
Add to Del.icio.us Add to Del.icio.us




  • 48 Comments
  • Printer Friendly Lyrics
oldest first     Expand All
BabyBritian
01-10-2006

Rated +2 
I absolutely love this song! I can't wait till the album comes out! This is probably her best song- at least musically.

Log in to reply
oceancyc
01-22-2006

Rated +2 
This is one of my favorite song's of all time. Simply beautiful.

Log in to reply
sofresh
03-05-2006

Rated 0 
once I wanted to be the greatest...

Log in to reply
aestheticfrenzy
03-06-2006

Rated 0 
gorgeous.

Log in to reply
Relapser
04-04-2006

Rated 0 
Great song about being grinded down.

Log in to reply
sabertoothedbliss
04-04-2006

Rated 0 
Chan's voice is more involved and emotional into her songs than anyone else. It means a lot to her her sing.

Log in to reply
Ganisha
04-10-2006

Rated +1 
I don't know why... but this song reminds me of King Kong, the great monkey. It seems like a song he would write with his own perspective, and the nature that she describes is like in the jungle he lives in.
This Part
"Lower me down
Pin me in
Secure the grounds
For the lead
And the dregs of my bed
I've been sleepin'
For the later parade"

King Kong was once the king of the jungle but then he was pinned for the later parade in New York.
Or maybe I'm just a dreamer, haha! So yeah..

Like in the movie also that phrase:
It was beauty who killed the beast...

Log in to reply
a town like paris
05-10-2006

Rated 0 
I like that thought, Ganisha. Good thinking outside the box, for sure.

Log in to reply
rubyoverdiamonds
05-16-2006

Rated 0 
Chan Marshall's voice is great.

Log in to reply
apollo IV
07-03-2006

Rated +2 
i think personally that this song is about wanting to be the best and to exceed even the highest of expectations but being brought down and secured as "average" at everything that you do.

so she sings for people to lower her down, secure her at the bottom and pin her in because she can't do anything better than dream of being the greatest.

i think that this song is "the greatest" i love the way that she sings it and the piano in the background. it's a wonderful song most definitely the best i've heard from her.

Log in to reply
nosoulboy13
07-12-2006

Rated 0 
This song is amazing... I really have a nagging urge to listen to it until I can really find some solid personal meaning to it... but... I'm at work... :P

Log in to reply
bestieverhad
07-14-2006

Rated 0 
does this song every remind you of 'moon river'? the melody has a striking resemblance.
Either it's beautiful.

Log in to reply
Wilsong
07-17-2006

Rated 0 
I wish chan was singing this song to me right now...in my living room, on my piano...i wish she was singing it for me..i would probably stick my head inside of the piano and listen for a moment and the after that i would stare at her.

Log in to reply
_ellie
08-04-2006

Rated -1 
it makes me think of God a bit. We are selfish until we are confronted by stars and we're humbled by grace.

Log in to reply
jadedgypsy
09-03-2006

Rated 0 
i agree with apollo and ellie about how it could be about a person who's been humbled by situations/circumstance/other people. it's that moment of clarity when you realise, your dream is just that, a dream. but instead of disappointment, it's acceptance. i take the "lower me down" part to mean that she's not fighting her fate, she's happy where she is now and with how she came to be i.e. the "culprit south" that made her become the person she is today (didn't chan come from the south?). it seems to me that she wants to steel herself and regain herself as much as possible now so that she can live up to her full potential later on i.e. "for the later parade".

Log in to reply
rabashinko
10-09-2006

Rated +1 
she says "turned you to dust"...not "turned deep to dust". i could be wrong, but it doesn't sound like "deep" at all.

Log in to reply
indie-YYY
11-23-2006

Rated 0 
The song speaks to the failed ambition inside all of us. When we accept that our dreams and gaols and ambitions will never be acheived. Chan's submission to fate and circumstance is poignant. Life humbles all of us at some point or another.

Log in to reply
indie-YYY
11-23-2006

Rated 0 
The song speaks to the failed ambition inside all of us. When we accept that our dreams and gaols and ambitions will never be acheived. Chan's submission to fate and circumstance is poignant. Life humbles all of us at some point or another.

Log in to reply
Kazuality
12-13-2006

Rated 0 
Call me a hopeless romantic but i think this one is a love song. Chan wanted to be the greatest in "just [their] honor". While being in a relationship she strove to be the best possible in everyway and now that it's over she's humbled and content to be herself - even if it's not the greatest.

Log in to reply
nuumb
01-14-2007

Rated +1 
i thought it was
"leave no trace
of grace or just in your honor"

that line is important to me. i need to know which line is right.

Log in to reply
md9up
01-24-2007

Rated 0 
When girls are younger, they tend to feel invinceable, but then with the pressure of the media and the teenage years, so many girls lose that sense of self. In a way, I think she's addressing that issue. "Then came the rush of the flood" could refer to menstruation and all the changes (physical and social) that accompany it--and a loss of feeling you're "the greatest"

Log in to reply
Collie_uk
01-29-2007

Rated 0 
"does this song every remind you of 'moon river'? the melody has a striking resemblance.
Either it's beautiful."

My thoughts exactly. That song comes into my mind as soon as it starts up.

Log in to reply
Genre
03-26-2007

Rated 0 
This song is amazing.
I like all your perceptions on it as well. :)

Log in to reply
kristaselene
04-05-2007

Rated 0 
This song is gorgeous. I was sending out Easter comments on MySpace and one of my friends had this as their default song. I immediately had to add it to my page as well. I had never heard of the artist/song... its simply beautiful!

I agree with the comments above. I thought of 'Moon River' and Breakfast at Tiffany's when I first heard the song. They sound very similar to each other. This is like the modern 'Moon River'.

I think this song is about life and ambitions. When we are younger we want to be the 'greatest' at everything but waterfalls eventually turn into floods. Problems become more complex and life is more difficult. Our views on the world become more realistic.

"Stars of night turned deep to dust."
When we are young and naive we wish on stars and find them magical. Then as we get older we take things for what they really are. This shows maturity.

"Secure the grounds for the later parade"
I'm not sure what she means by this but the references to being lowered down and sleeping... I imagine a funeral and a procession (the parade).

I think she is just saying that her ambitions have died.

Log in to reply
moonlight2006
05-30-2007

Rated 0 
I watched a live performance of this song, and focused on the movements of her mouth, and she seems to be saying "Leave no trace of grace suggesting your honor" rather than "just in your honor". "Suggesting your honor" seems a bit more sensible.

Log in to reply




  • Add Your Comments
What does this song mean to you?

You must be logged in to post your comments.

Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.





Popular
Top:   Lyrics, Artists, Albums
Random:   Lyric, Artist, Album

Your Ad Here