Know something about this song or lyrics?
Add it to our wiki.
I got two strong arms
Blessings of Babylon
With time to carry on
And try
For sins and alarms
So to America the brave
Wise men save
Near a tree by a river
There's a hole in the ground
Where an old man of Aran
Goes around and around
And his mind is a beacon
In the veil of the night
For a strange kind of fashion
There's a wrong and a right
But he'll never, never fight over you
I got plans for us
Nights in the scullery
And days instead of me
I only know what to discuss
Of for anything but light
Wise men fighting over you
It's not me you see
Pieces of valentine
With just a song of mine
To keep from burning history
Seasons of gasoline and gold
Wise men fold
Near a tree by a river
There's a hole in the ground
Where an old man of aran
Goes around and around
And his mind is a beacon
In the veil of the night
For a strange kind of fashion
There's a wrong and a right
But he'll never, never fight over you
I got time to kill
Sly looks in corridors
Without a plan of yours
A blackbird sings on bluebird hill
Thanks to the calling of the wild
Wise men's child
Near a tree by a river
There's a hole in the ground
Where an old man of aran
Goes around and around
And his mind is a beacon
In the veil of the night
For a strange kind of fashion
There's a wrong and a right
But he'll never, never fight over you
Blessings of Babylon
With time to carry on
And try
For sins and alarms
So to America the brave
Wise men save
Near a tree by a river
There's a hole in the ground
Where an old man of Aran
Goes around and around
And his mind is a beacon
In the veil of the night
For a strange kind of fashion
There's a wrong and a right
But he'll never, never fight over you
I got plans for us
Nights in the scullery
And days instead of me
I only know what to discuss
Of for anything but light
Wise men fighting over you
It's not me you see
Pieces of valentine
With just a song of mine
To keep from burning history
Seasons of gasoline and gold
Wise men fold
Near a tree by a river
There's a hole in the ground
Where an old man of aran
Goes around and around
And his mind is a beacon
In the veil of the night
For a strange kind of fashion
There's a wrong and a right
But he'll never, never fight over you
I got time to kill
Sly looks in corridors
Without a plan of yours
A blackbird sings on bluebird hill
Thanks to the calling of the wild
Wise men's child
Near a tree by a river
There's a hole in the ground
Where an old man of aran
Goes around and around
And his mind is a beacon
In the veil of the night
For a strange kind of fashion
There's a wrong and a right
But he'll never, never fight over you
Lyrics submitted by sage_morphine
Track duration: 03:53
"The Riddle" as written by Nik Kershaw
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, EMI Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
Unfortunately the location is on an island in Ireland so it's a bit complicated for me to go there and see if there's anything buried...
The first verse has references to being young, strong, powerful, imperial, but also impulsive and prone to make mistakes, "sins and false alarms".
The chorus mentions age and with it being being stuck in one's ways, but still having a certain degree of accumulated wisdom and a more peaceful attitude.
The second verse seems to be implying the stage of youth where one is focused on getting a career started, but perhaps making the mistake of neglecting the immediate and personal in favour of one's long term ambitions
The third verse is still about foolishness, breaking hearts, chasing money, wasting resources, forgetting the past before returning to the old man in the chorus.
The fourth verse is once again about youth, but this time about the potential of youth, the open ended possibilities when you haven't yet become set in your ways or pre-planned your course. But of course in the end we all become old and set in our ways, if we live long enough.
It all turned rather embarrassing for Nik though. Pressured on live radio for a "meaning" for the Riddle, he was forced into giving a "clue". The clue was Dada - the anti-artists from the early 20th century. I think he was basically trying to say that it was utter rubbish and had no meaning at all, which shows how he felt about Dada!