Night Of The 4th Of May

Album: Orange (1972)
Play Video
  • And the days they flew by
    And the leaves fell from the trees
    And many times you came around
    And many times you slept with me
    And every time that we made love
    You wrote it down in your diary
    Lady of ladies

    But I would always say to you
    Don't ask about tomorrow
    Give what you have, take what you need
    Your time is only now
    Don't try to tie me down to promises
    I live for today, today is all there is
    And freedom seems to be everything to me

    I took you down to a party
    On the night of the 4th of May
    And a strange and growing restlessness
    Had hung in the air all day
    The need to try and tear down
    And destroy all that we'd made
    Lady of ladies

    You whispered in my ear and asked me
    If I fancied her
    You told me that he'd phoned you
    When I was in America
    Daring each other just to say okay
    Swap for tonight, didn't I always say
    That freedom seems to be everything to me

    And she came and she sat down beside me
    And you found an excuse to go downstairs
    And she smiled and made
    The kind of conversation that you do
    And later on she said
    'My last train has gone
    Oh I wonder if you could run me home'

    And I found you in the hallway and told you
    That was all that I would do
    Just run her home and it's through
    Oh I thought you knew
    But I must confess
    I laid my head on her breast
    And it seemed so hard
    To pull it away

    Her hand touched my hand
    And her eyes were offering the rest
    If it wasn't for you, oh I would have stayed
    But I came back home through the morning
    To find you lying awake
    And I knew all at once what you'd done
    And I heard myself say
    "Why did you have to sleep with him
    Anyone else
    Wouldn't have mattered
    Half
    As much as him"

    I don't want to touch you
    Somehow you feel unclean
    I just wish that you
    Were five hundred miles away from me
    Don't talk at all, don't start to cry
    Just pack up your things
    Lady of ladies

    And though I'd always told myself
    That when our time ended
    I'd walk away with no regrets
    And no attempts to stay
    Somehow it doesn't seem to be that way
    I find I'm needing every word you say
    This freedom seems to be everything to me

    And you went up to Cambridge
    And you stayed in your brother's room
    And you wrote me a letter and sent it the same afternoon
    You said "I just want to hurt myself
    Oh I need you so badly now"

    And you told me
    "Without you there seems to be no horizon at all
    Just no crack in the wall
    No place lower to fall

    "Hey don't leave me, don't leave me
    The shapelessness of the dawn
    Floods above and beneath me,
    I can't go on

    And I had to walk right into the trap
    And I had to say please come back
    Though I felt all the while
    My resistance slipping away

    Why did I have to fall for you
    Anyone else
    Wouldn't have hurt me
    Half
    As much as you Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Crystal Waters

Crystal WatersSongwriter Interviews

Waters tells the "Gypsy Woman" story, shares some of her songwriting insights, and explains how Dennis Rodman ended up on one of her songs.

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

Gavin Rossdale of Bush

Gavin Rossdale of BushSongwriter Interviews

On the "schizoid element" of his lyrics, and a famous line from "Everything Zen."

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.