1
And I had a dream
About my old school
And she was there all pink and gold and glittering
I threw my arms around her legs
Came to weeping (came to weeping)
Came to weeping (came to weeping)
And I heard your voice as clear as day
And you told me I should concentrate
It was all so strange and so surreal
That a ghost should be so practical
Only if for a night
And the only solution was to stand and fight
And my body was bruised and I was set alight
But you came over me like some holy rite
And although I was burning, you're the only light
Only if for a night
And the grass was so green against my new clothes
And I did cartwheels in your honor
Dancing on tiptoes, my own secret ceremonials
Before the service began
In the graveyard doing handstands
And I heard your voice as clear as day
And you told me I should concentrate
It was all so strange and so surreal
That a ghost should be so practical
Only if for a night
And the only solution was to stand and fight
And my body was bruised and I was set alight
But you came over me like some holy rite
And although I was burning, you're the only light
Only if for a night
My doe, my dear, my darling
Tell me what all this sighing's about
Tell me what all this sighing's about
And I heard your voice as clear as day
And you told me I should concentrate
It was all so strange and so surreal
That a ghost should be so practical
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
About my old school
And she was there all pink and gold and glittering
I threw my arms around her legs
Came to weeping (came to weeping)
Came to weeping (came to weeping)
And I heard your voice as clear as day
And you told me I should concentrate
It was all so strange and so surreal
That a ghost should be so practical
Only if for a night
And the only solution was to stand and fight
And my body was bruised and I was set alight
But you came over me like some holy rite
And although I was burning, you're the only light
Only if for a night
And the grass was so green against my new clothes
And I did cartwheels in your honor
Dancing on tiptoes, my own secret ceremonials
Before the service began
In the graveyard doing handstands
And I heard your voice as clear as day
And you told me I should concentrate
It was all so strange and so surreal
That a ghost should be so practical
Only if for a night
And the only solution was to stand and fight
And my body was bruised and I was set alight
But you came over me like some holy rite
And although I was burning, you're the only light
Only if for a night
My doe, my dear, my darling
Tell me what all this sighing's about
Tell me what all this sighing's about
And I heard your voice as clear as day
And you told me I should concentrate
It was all so strange and so surreal
That a ghost should be so practical
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Only if for a night (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ohh oh)
Lyrics submitted by llscience, edited by Mellow_Harsher, notcanadian
Only If for a Night Lyrics as written by Florence Welch Paul Epworth
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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Florence's long dead Grandma comes back as a ghost in a dream to give Florence practical advice, against the backdrop of her old school (she was a schoolgirl when her gran passed away). For Florence, it is as if her Grandma is alive again, if only for a night, and in the dream, Florence celebrates by doing cartwheels. Sad and beautiful. This song is about loving and remembering the dead,
You pretty much hit the nail on the head.<br /> I already knew about Flo's gran committing suicide before I heard this song but since I didnt know she was in school when it happened I assumed that she was singing about a childhood friend from her school who had died. <br /> <br /> Especially since thats what makes this song so relatable to me personally.<br /> <br /> I heard the line "She was all pink and gold and glittering" and immediately remembered my late childhood best friend in her princess costume. <br /> <br /> The sadness and relatability of this song gives it a kind of weight that makes its beauty even more profound. <br /> <br /> God bless Florence, her song's are a gift to humanity <3
I agree but I don't think the cartwheels take place during the 'dream', I think it was a real event in her childhood....it sounds like she danced on tiptoes,did cartwheels and handstands ceremonially in her honour, in the graveyard of the church where the funeral was held...
I think actually the idea of the cartwheels and dancing in the graveyard, highlights how young she was when this happened.
I would also add that it's about receiving support, hope and love from the dead even after they've passed on, in the ongoing struggle of life back here on Earth: <br /> <br /> "Tell me what all the sighing's about... And I heard your voice, As clear as day, And you told me I should concentrate, It was all so strange... That a ghost should be so practical... And the only solution was to stand and fight...And although I was burning, you're the only light... <br /> Only if for a night"