Lyrics for Bittersweet Symphony as interpreted by kevin

Bittersweet Symphony Lyrics
Cause it's a bitter sweet symphony this life...
Try to make ends meet , you're a slave to the money then you die.
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down...
You know the one that takes you to the places where all the things meet, yeah.

No change, I can change, I can change, I can change,
but I'm here in my mould , I am here in my mould.
But I'm a million different people from one day to the next...
I can't change my mould , no,no,no,no,no,no,no


Well I've never prayed,
But tonight I'm on my knees, yeah.
I need to hear some sounds that recognise the pain in me, yeah.
I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind , I feel free now.
But the airwaves are clean and there's nobody singing to me now.


No change, I can change, I can change, I can change,
but I'm here in my mould , I am here in my mould.
And I'm a million different people from one day to the next
I can't change my mould, no,no,no,no,no,no,no


Have you ever been down?
I can change, I can change...


Cause it's a bittersweet symphony this life.
Trying to make ends meet, try to find somebody then you die.
You know I can change, I can change, I can change,
but I'm here in my mould, I am here in my mould.
And I'm a million different people from one day to the next.
I can't change my mould, no,no,no,no,no,no,no


We've got ya sex and violence melody and silence
(Have you ever been down)
(I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down)

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the_journalist
02-06-2006

Rated 0 
It reminds me of the weird "pure" feeling I had after I had gotten over my breakup with my ex-bf.

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neongreen44
02-07-2006

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It is a grad song. My brother's friend had this as his graduation song from college or high school. It is good in that it ties major life issues into a song.

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tsarzan
02-10-2006

Rated 0 
Bono called this the best song of all time at the Make Poverty History thing in London. Don't know about that, but it IS very good. A happy song. Britpop, but less frivolous than Oasis and Blur. Reminds me of my first year at Uni.

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michaelaiscool
02-10-2006

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i love this song so much and cruel intentions is an amazing movie and this song fits perfectly in it i love the beat its much similiar to the techno song water rave

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obbew
02-19-2006

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It is obviously about someone who is trying to get back with his ex or someone special. The video backs it up nicely with him walking in a straight path down the road. It shows that he is totally determined on his goal despite the fact that the road is tough and full of obsticals. It shows that nothing else matters to him, just this one goal of his and nothing is going to get in his way.

I think that it is a shame that he made nothing from the song because maybe he did take a few chords from the rolling stones but he put an entirely new set of lyrics to that song, and as much as everyone recognises the symphony, the lyrics have become possibly some of the best ever. It is the best british song of all time I have to say

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bellemusique
02-20-2006

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I originally posted this as a comment to "Bittersweet Symphony" by Coldplay. Who knew that Coldplay even performed this song?

Anyway, I decided that I would post it here as well since it, indeed, is originally done by the Verve.


I love this song because it expresses so much emotion. I think that it's about somebody, conformed by society, wanting to change themself. They were obviously confronted by somebody who was an individual and made them question their own life. The artist claims "I can't change my mold. . . i'm a million different people from one day to the next", referring to how it's difficult to not reject what society considers acceptible, and how he often sees himself as "a million different people" just to satisfy those around him.

"I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down, Have you ever been down?" That again supports my theory about him being a conformist to society and claiming that he knew no other way to live. He asks if he is alone in his belief. "You know the one that takes you to the places
where all the veins meet yeah" I think that that verse is supposed to be taken sarcastically, as in "you know. . . the road that leads to everything" not meaning it in a literal sense.

"I need to hear some sounds, that recognize the pain in me, now. I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now. But the airways are clean and there's nobody singing to me now" The person is free from conformity. . . he is pained, and now he wants everybody to realize that he is changed. . . "Let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now". . . 'it' referring to his individuality.

"Tryin' to make ends meet, You're a slave to money then you die". . . Money, the universal cause of despare and sadness. . . How you slave your life to earn money, but in the end it means nothing, "cause then you die".

This song is very liberating. . . The music, the lyrics, everything about it. . . You can sense the person's emotion, excitement and willingness to change. . . To change not for somebody else, but for himself. . . "It's a bittersweet symphony, this ilfe" meaning, there are good and bad in the world, and depending on how you choose to live your life, you may experience it's bitterness, sweetness, or both.

Music can be interpreted in many different ways. . . depending on who's listening to it, their life experiences, the effect the music has on them. . . Good artist's never truely state what a song means. . . and that's why music is amazing, because it doesn't have to be about one specific thing, but rather, can be about a million different things. . . It all depends on how interpret the song, it's lyrics, the instrumental. . . And my opinion towards the song is only one person's interpretation.


Carpe Diem.

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emo_man-foreva!
02-27-2006

Rated 0 
iv already talked about this song on page 4, but after having had a few more experinces in life since then.. women trouble, friends and things just complicatin as i get older.. this song just puts my whole ife into perspective.. you better and better yourself, tryin to make urself and other happy.. but at the end of the day.. ur gonna die, and no1 on earth could care less.. sounds pretty much like a reason for suicide.. but its the other way around for me... i think i may not be rememberd by any1 but a select few people.. but i want those people to have great memories and for me to enjoy my life... and fuck everyone else and there opinions of you =)... love this song

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becca159
03-04-2006

Rated 0 
I love the movie Cruel Intentions. My favorite part was at the end when everyone is it Sebastian's funeral and Kathryn is talking about her brother, then everyone starts to leave the church and they are all outside reading Sebastian's journal and they all find out that Kathryn is a crack whore. I LOVE THAT. Then this song starts playing and it fits the movie so perfectly, its such an amazing ending for an awesome movie. This is without a doubt one of the greatest songs ever written.

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steel07
03-05-2006

Rated 0 
Bellemusique, word!

well said...whatever you said...I agree with...you basically covered everything...lol

I just finished watching Cruel Intentions...dude that movie has me crying EVRY time...especially when this song comes up in the end...and you Anette in the car and you see flashbacks...that scene gets me every single time
the whole movie is bascally like this song

he was conformed by society...wanting to change...and the truth was he was only himself with Anette...and when he finally realized it...it was too late

the ending of the movie just like this song is so Bittersweet...
its a great movie about being yourself..just like the song

I mean like the song "your a slave to money then you die"...its a shame thats how people live...I don't think you can really call it living because your not really happy...your going on with a life that is something you don't want and don't like...thats what happened to Sebastien except for the fact...he fell in love...for the first time he was happy...she made him smile...she brought something new to his life...its sad...no actually bittersweet that it had to end in that way...

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Jay_Fiedler
03-29-2006

Rated 0 
this song is about cocaine

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femmefatale1990
04-10-2006

Rated 0 
I LOVE IT!!! I LITERALLY HAVE TO LISTEN TO IT ON MY CD PLAYER WHILE ON THE REPEAT BUTTON FOR ATLEAST 2 HRS!!!!!!! (NO JOKE) AND ITS STRAGE BECAUSE ITS THE FIRST CLASSICAL-LIKE SONG THAT I LOVE. AND THE PART "WELL I NEVER PRAY BUT TONIGHT IM ON MY KNEES" STRIKES ME THE MOST CAUSE IM AGNOSTIC.

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is2blink182
04-15-2006

Rated 0 
this song has soo much meaning for me!! .. to me it means - in relating to the film clip , that your travelling along life... and you bump into things and you gottaa just keep going!!! - nothing will stop you, unless you stop yourself! -- the guys HOT too, he looks like my ex- AHH!! ... anyway ... good on the instrumental side.. perfekt sounds for a perfekt song!!

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productofthe80s
05-24-2006

Rated 0 
Chris Martin said this was the best song of all time, not Bono.
This song is brilliant.

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hannibunny
05-31-2006

Rated 0 
to me, it was always a sond of total deliverance.
it is the anthem of our generation and will always reverberate cause itīs so powerful!
but when i read that drug thing here, i was graveled how it fits in....damn
donīt let your youthful improvidence fade away!

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supermariaaaaa
06-20-2006

Rated 0 
this song gives me goosebumps. it's beautiful.

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AntiPop245
06-27-2006

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Richard Ashcroft is a lyrical genius. Excellent excellent song.

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mwahahaa
07-02-2006

Rated 0 
The melody of this song is based on a version of "The Last Time" by the Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra (ALO was the Stone's manager). In fact, the Verve had to hand over 100% of their songwriting royalties! Good song - too bad Richard Ashcroft is a pompous, egotistical, pretentious twit.

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vin_1986
07-06-2006

Rated 0 
Going by the huge amounts of comments already made there really isn't much more to say about the lyrical meaning of this great tune. Ashcroft wrote this song for the people, the real people. He's saying how life is like a ever lasting revolving door for us, we go to work, come back home, off to bed and back to work again earning shite money and staus and feeding the rich folk with the huge taxes we pay.

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Necronic
07-27-2006

Rated 0 
i hate commenting on these songs because i like metal and ... anyway, so sue me. i like this song. it makes me feel better when i'm upset. but what metalhead gets upset and needs a pop song to make him happy? well, this song does it for me. so there. rock on.

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Spinning.Sun
08-16-2006

Rated 0 
Life in a nutshell can only describe The Verve's soaring opener to Urban Hymns. Bittersweet Symphony explores the primal theme of the zeitgeist, initially painting a bleak picture expressing the emptiness of materialism when so many lost souls in the modern age only chase after money until they die. However, Richard Ashcroft sings with all his emotional force, as he looks to the brighter side and all the beauty of life. Music and love are what carry him and he sings this song as an ode to them, showing the pains of life can always be succeeded by what ourselves define as the beauty we want to experience and live our lives for.

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Neechez
08-30-2006

Rated 0 
I've never seen Cruel intentions. But I just remember seeing the video where he walks down the street bumping into people, so I always imagine him walkin down the street when i hear it.

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kempe
09-01-2006

Rated 0 
what can you say about this song, but feel all those words richard says. money is evil and brings the evil streak in any one. the love stays with the hopelessly poor, best song ever written

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bsuebq
10-09-2006

Rated 0 
Brilliant song!!! One of the greatest songs.. Ever!!!

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Ode
10-29-2006

Rated 0 
I misheard "mould" as "mo", i.e M.O., Method of Operation. It also fits.

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sailingallalone
12-29-2006

Rated 0 
You wanna know somehting funny?...when Ifirst heard this song, i thought it was the Stones...huh...and many of you say the stones didn't have anything to do with this? The Stones have everything to do with this and everything to do with half the music today...grunge, punk, pop/rock...the Stones are maybe the most influential band ever!...Good song though, and I enjoy The Verve, immensely!

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