Swan Song

Album: Honeymoon (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A swan song is a metaphorical phrase for the final performance of a poet, actor or composer's career. It is derived from the ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful song in the moment just before death.

    This Honeymoon track finds Del Rey crooning of this being her "swan song" before she stops singing and moves onto the next chapter of her life with her lover.
  • Speaking in a 2022 interview, Lana Rel Rey said this song makes her cry.

    Put your white tennis shoes on and follow me
    Why work so hard when you could just be free?
    You got your moment now, you got your legacy
    Let's leave the world for the ones who change everything


    "It's the antithesis of hopefulness," Del Rey told Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele for W magazine. "It's about trying to find beauty in giving up. If I had my way, I would continue to persist in all areas of my life, but it can be quite challenging because I can be too trusting too soon. The burn that can come from that really can incinerate your whole thinking life and your daily processes. At the end of every album, I say goodbye and thank you - very Old Hollywood style - and yet I cannot help but just continue to write."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.