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- Song score
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| Rhythm |  10.0 |
| Melody | 10.0 |
| Instruments |  8.7 |
| Lyrics | 9.3 |
| Vocal | 8.7 |
| This song has been reviewed 3 times. Overall score for this song, 9.3. |
- Song video
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- Top 10 Procol Harum songs
Procol Harum - Whiter Shade Of Pale Lyrics
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| Song lyrics |
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We skipped the light fandango
turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
but the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
as the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
the waiter brought a tray
And so it was that later
as the miller told his tale
that her face, at first just ghostly,
turned a whiter shade of pale
She said, 'There is no reason
and the truth is plain to see.'
But I wandered through my playing cards
and would not let her be
one of sixteen vestal virgins
who were leaving for the coast
and although my eyes were open
they might have just as well've been closed
She said, 'I'm home on shore leave,'
though in truth we were at sea
so I took her by the looking glass
and forced her to agree
saying, 'You must be the mermaid
who took Neptune for a ride.'
But she smiled at me so sadly
that my anger straightway died
If music be the food of love
then laughter is its queen
and likewise if behind is in front
then dirt in truth is clean
My mouth by then like cardboard
seemed to slip straight through my head
So we crash-dived straightway quickly
and attacked the ocean bed
 lyrics submitted by Steven Stewart lyrics corrected by Penny Mathews |
| Showing reactions 1-5 of 5 | Page 1 of 1 |
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14-11-2004 18:07 Rhiannon769 | 
3 posts
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whiter shade of pale by procol harum--there are alot of interpretations of this song--here is mine--i believe it is about the seduction of allison by nicholas--here is why--i was listening to this song one day--as usual--i was trying to figure out what it meant--then i heard the line ' as the miller told his tale'--then i remembered this story i read in high-school called THE MILLER'S TALE by GEOFFERY CHAUCER--author, geffery chaucer--born 1343--died 1400--was the middle class son of a wine merchant and he was the writer of CANTERBURY TALES--a MILLER was a person who made thier living by grinding flour to grain so this would not be a man who would be capable of telling a noble story, and in this particular story, the miller is drunk--***in the first verse, singer-songwriter BROOKER takes on the role of the drunken miller as he begins the song by stating that he is high as a kite while giving a concert performance which sets the stage for his own rendition of THE MILLER'S TALE--the place for the miller's tale is oxford,england--the main characters in the miller's tale are ALLISON--NICHOLAS--ABSALOM--JOHN--***allison is the unhappily married wife of an old , easy to fool carpenter named JOHN--she is a young woman who is described as being FAIR, likely having light hair, light eyes, and fair skin--she is a 'femme fatale'...irrestable to men...so the fact she is married does not keep men from trying to win her affections--she is being pursued by a man named ABSALOM who is described as being a jolly man known for singing and playing the guitar--she is NOT interested in absalom--she is also pursued by NICHOLAS who is a poor student who studied astrology, sly, demure, and well-versed in love--allison is in love with nicholas--***here i think the singer is speaking from the drunken miller's perspective--WE SKIPPED THE LIGHT FANDANGO, TURNED CARTWHEELS CROSS THE FLOOR, I WAS FEELING KIND OF SEA-SICK, BUT THE CROUD CALLED OUT FOR MORE, THE ROOM WAS HUMMING HARDER, AS THE CEILING FLEW AWAY, WHEN WE CALLED OUT FOR ANOTHER DRINK, THE WAITER BROUGHT A TRAY, AND SO IT WAS, THAT LATER,AS THE MILLER TOLD HIS TALE, THAT HER FACE, AT FIRST JUST GHOSTLY, TURNED A WHITER SHADE OF PALE-- i believe the line 'that her face at first just ghostly turned a whiter shade of pale' is a reference to how nicholas was overcome by the way allison looked in the moonlight | | 14-11-2004 18:13 Rhiannon769 |
3 posts
| analysis of A WHITER SHADE OF PALE continued...in the 2nd and third verses, i think the singer is speaking from NICHOLAS' perspective as he listens to allison speak and makes love with allison--SHE SAID 'THERE IS NO REASON AND THE TRUTH IS PLAIN TO SEE' BUT I WANDERED THROUGH MY PLAYING CARDS AND WOULD NOT LET HER BE ONE OF 16 VESTAL VIRGINS, WHO WERE HEADING FOR THE COAST, AND ALTHOUGH MY EYES WERE OPEN, THEY MIGHT HAVE JUST AS WELL BEEN CLOSED--AND SO IT WAS THAT LATER, AS THE MILLER TOLD HIS TALE, THAT HER FACE AT FIRST JUST TURNED A GHOSTLY WHITER SHADE OF PALE--SHE SAID 'I'M HOME ON SHORE LEAVE' THOUGH IN TRUTH WE WERE AT SEA, SO I TOOK HER BY THE LOOKING GLASS, AND FORCED HER TO AGREE, SAYING 'YOU MUST BE THE MERMAID WHO TOOK NEPTUNE FOR A RIDE', BUT SHE SMILED AT ME SO SADLY THAT MY ANGER STRAIGHTWAY DIED--AND SO IT WAS THAT LATER, AS THE MILLER TOLD HIS TALE, THAT HER FACE AT FIRST JUST GHOSTLY TURNED A WHITER SHADE OF PALE--verse 2--'but i wandered through my playing cards'--nicholas was an astrologer which means he would have been no stranger to greek and roman mythology and the meanings behind playing cards which are based on the tarot (tarot cards) | | 14-11-2004 18:20 Rhiannon769 |
3 posts
| analysis of A WHITER SHADE OF PALE continued...verse 3-- SHE SAID 'I'M HOME ON SHORE LEAVE' --here, nicholas is stating that allison makes the comment that she's home on shore leave --here she acknowleges that 'nothing lasts for ever' and that there must be an understanding that this is basically a 'fling'--there may also be some sexual role playing here like 'i'll be the mermaid if you'll be neptune'...'so i took her by the looking glass and forced her to agree' --here nicholas is stating that while he and allison are near a mirror, he 'took her' (got sexual)--in the story, it seems he grabbed her crotch before even speaking to her --then he says 'you must be the mermaid who took neptune for a ride'--neptune is the mythological god of the sea--'but she smiled at me so sadly, that my anger straightway died'--here, i believe that nicholas states that allison had such a way of smiling that melted his heart--'and would not let her be one of 16 vestal virgins who were heading for the coast'--here i think nicholas is stating that allison is not going anywhere until after they make love-- while this song does not seem to address the entire story of the miller's tale, it does seem to focus on the nicholas must have been feeling, according to the singer, as he was seducing allison | | 18-02-2005 16:51 capricious_epw |
1 posts
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I recently found this song on a cd called "It Aint Heavy - Pure Soft Metal" and it cut out at the end of the second chorus... at around 4 mins. My dad used to have a copy on vinyl (Tour of Duty soundtrack) I was wondering how long the original version of the song was... | | 09-03-2007 20:01 ajz2k4 |
19 posts
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i think you are quite right there. im suprised there arent any more comments on this. its one of the greatest popsongs ever |
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