singalong! bittersweet symphony

To me this song sums up life perfectly. The music rolls on over and over again, like the day-to-day reality of living. The lyrics sum up the deep beauty and deep pain of life. Of course, I've never actually read the lyrics, and now that I look at them, it's a little more on the pain side of things.  In my mind it always sounded like he was going back and forth between saying "I can change" and "I can't change", which to me encapsulates so much of life in one sweet turn of phrase. I also always thought he was saying "have you ever been down?" but it's "[the only road] that I've ever been down" - the one implying togetherness in our feelings of being down, the other implying that there is only one path we can take in life.

Alas! I still love the song and want to sing along with it, just with my own small tweaks on the lyrics.

BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY

Verve

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life

Trying to make ends meet

You're a slave to 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 veins meet yeah

No change, I can't change

I can't change, I can't change

But I'm here in my mind

I am here in my mind

But I'm a million different people

from one day to the next

I can't change my mind

No, no, no, no, no, no, no,no,no,no,no,no(fading away)

Well I never pray

But tonight I'm on my knees yeah

I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah

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

No change, I can't change

I can't change, I can't change

But I'm here in my mind

I am here in my mind

And I'm a million different people

from one day to the next

I can't change my mind

No, no, no, no, no, no, no

I can't change

I can't change it

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life

Trying to make ends meet

Trying to find some 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 veins meet yeah

You know I can't change, I can't change

I can't change, I can't change

But I'm here in my mind

I am here in my mind

And I'm a million different people

from one day to the next

I can't change my mind

No, no, no, no, no

I can't change my mind

no, no, no, no, no,

I can't change

Can't change my body,

no, no, no

I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down

I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down

Been down

Ever been down

Ever been down

Ever been down

Ever been down

That you've ever been down

That you've ever been down