Lyrics for Place To Be as interpreted by Sweet Blue Way

Place To Be Lyrics
When I was young, younger than before
I never saw the truth hanging from the door
And now I'm older--see it face to face
And now I'm older--gotta get up clean the place

And was greener, greener than the hill
Where flowers grew and sun shone still
Now I'm darker than the deepest sea
Just hand me down give me a place to be

And I was strong, strong in the sun
I thought I'd see when day is done
Now I'm weaker than the palest blue
Oh so weak in this need for you

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  • 35 Comments
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fromthemorning
07-13-2002

Rated 0 
wow... absoloutly beautiful....

My favourite lyrics of any drake song. Simple and touching.
I was innocent and green and my unreturned love for you has made me "weaker than the palest blue"

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5isa4letterword
07-18-2002

Rated 0 
this is some deep shit. it really gives you some insight into the mans life. he knows what he needs to do but he keeps falling into depression. in addition to this women have not treated him well (this is a man who died of an antidepressant overdose, all the more ironic)

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Gforce38
10-10-2004

Rated 0 
Drake has the most amazing deliveryin this one. It's all here, lyrically entwined in that fading voice. pain, loss, longing, love, humility, understanding.

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nienna
11-20-2004

Rated 0 
I've just gotten into Nick Drake recently, after reading a book called Wine of Angels, by Phil Rickman (which I recommend to anybody). I'm listening to this song now for the very first time, and my eyes are watering. It's so beautiful. He had such an amazingly haunting voice, and the music is so touching.

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nienna
11-20-2004

Rated 0 
I've just gotten into Nick Drake recently, after reading a book called Wine of Angels, by Phil Rickman (which I recommend to anybody). I'm listening to this song now for the very first time, and my eyes are watering. It's so beautiful. He had such an amazingly haunting voice, and the music is so touching.

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midnyteblu
02-16-2005

Rated 0 
My interpretation:

When I started whatever with this girl, I enjoyed it. Some things were good, some things sucked. Now I need to be right and I need to be happy with her, but she doesn't give me that. I'm stupid for needing her because of that. I'm very depressed. I even waited for things to get better...

She's weathered me and I've matured because of it. Maybe I should rethink her... AGH, but I need her!

- I think.

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sofresh
03-17-2005

Rated 0 
not sure what the lyrics mean, but this is a good song; and i like it.

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bladet
05-19-2005

Rated 0 
This song is about lost innocence and depression to me, but not necessarily because of love for a woman. It might be that he is weak in his need for depression itself. When you feel really bad it can be quite a relief to shut down emotionally instead of facing your woes, it might even turn into a habit to plunge into depression when things are tough. He realizes that he needs to do something, to clean up the place, but his depression has made him feel weak and without hope. All he wants is for depression to let go of him and give him a place where he can be happy.
Or maybe that's me...

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LDF
06-07-2005

Rated 0 
This is the second Nick Drake song I ever heard. The first being Pink Moon of course from the car commercial. I heard this song while listening to a broadcast of "This American Life" on national public radio. It was the first show after 9/11, a very somber show to say the least.
The song fits perfectly. It's about lost innocence, feeling incredibly vulnerable and weak, and just wanting a hole to crawl into "a place to be". This was how we felt during those months after 9/11. A beautiful song as always; Nick Drake could make no other.

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Egghead15229
06-19-2005

Rated +1 
The first stanza is showing how when we're young we don't realize how fucked up the world really is. We're completely innocent and everything's great. Once we get older we see how messed up things are and we have to take responsibility for ourselves.

When he says he was "green" it means he is inexperienced. Things were much more optimistic when he was still a child I assume he is trying to say. Now that he is older he can't really find a place to belong.

I'm not sure what he's trying to say in that last stanza. I don't know if he means he is weak because he needs the person, or if he is saying he needs the person in his time of weakness. You can apply it however you want though.

Amazing damn song. Nick Drake is a genius with more talent with his guitar and with his voice than I could ever achieve in a lifetime of practice. I try though lol. Sometimes he reminds me of John Mayer, only not as poppy.

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plip
01-14-2006

Rated 0 
you dont know what you got until you lose it

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Colin B.
04-22-2006

Rated 0 
Egghead, you compared Nick Drake to John Mayer.

Wow.....that's sad.


Anyways, good song.

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suclid003
04-27-2006

Rated 0 
To me, this song is about loneliness ("Now I'm weaker than the palest blue
Oh so weak in this need for you") and how hard it can be to shake off the feeling of loneliness. Loneliness makes him a lonely man. This is a reason why he feeks "darker than the deepest sea" and feeling down. He just wants a place where he can be carefree and belong.

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suclid003
04-30-2006

Rated 0 
Loneliness makes him a *depressed man.

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Egghead15229
05-30-2006

Rated 0 
How is that sad? Both of them played acoustic groove/folk. It's really quite easy to see how a comparison could be made if you know both artists' work extensively...

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pumkinhed
03-09-2007

Rated 0 
I've noticed that the Pink Moon album was really the start of a potential new era in his music. The first two albums had songs that stretched to seven minutes long, while none of the songs here go past 4 minutes. It would have been interesting to see just how long this trend would have lasted.

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mammadaddio
03-23-2007

Rated +1 
This song seems to be a poignant observation of growing older and suffering depression.
Really is sad.

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Labertasche
05-26-2007

Rated +1 
"Place to be" was one of the last songs Nick wrote befor he died. This song is very dark and depressive but also so beautiful that It's hard to find a words for it.

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shelby_nub
05-30-2007

Rated +1 
one of my favorite drake songs... you're in a rough spot not knowing what or where to go and it's almost asking someone above for help and to just give me a place to be so that i feel i'm in place with the world. i'm lost and need direction.

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different_13
07-31-2007

Rated 0 
Nick Drake is one of those people who's voices make me feel a sad combination of drunk, stoned and contemplative... which I like to refer to as Maudlin.
And this song is a perfect example, it just makes me feel like I'm sitting in a forest in the middle of nowhere, enjoying the sublime beauty of the world, not having to worry about life.

And that last verse is so sad (in a good way)

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invertedcompass
08-17-2007

Rated 0 
hahah, i like different's term 'Maudlin'. though i don't know if this song really reflects those feelings for me, personally.
this song is so sad and wonderful. i'm so in love with nick drake's music. it's amazing to me that he was so lonely, from what i know of him through his music and stories, he's exactly the kind of person i'd seek out.

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SnowIsGone
08-23-2007

Rated +1 
I agree with Egghead's comments for the most part. Nick Drake has the theme of nature deeply engraved in some of his songs, and instead of 'green' meaning inexperienced, I think it just means 'full of life'. As for the last stanza, I don't think he's talking about someone in particular, just anyone that will save him from fading away.
The lyrics in this song remind me alot of the ones in 'Cello Song, in how they both reflect on a brighter childhood, and a darkness coming into his life later on.

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mojo_pin1980
09-03-2007

Rated 0 
For me the "you" in the last sentence is not a person, but a feeling of recognition. I think Nick felt under-appreciated because people were not buying his records. He felt disillusioned by his lack of success and considered himself a big failure.

Tragic, considering the fact his music has touched so many people in a very profound way.

Anyway, that's just my humble interpretation. I could be all wrong.

Gorgeous song btw.. it gets to me every time.

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kvakva
09-29-2007

Rated 0 
In last line, is he weak in need for "you" or "youth"?

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Srah
11-30-2007

Rated 0 
nick drake cannot be compared to john mayer whatsoever

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