Fernando Lyrics

[Intro]

[Verse 1]
Can you hear the drums, Fernando?
I remember, long ago, another starry night like this
In the firelight, Fernando

You were humming to yourself and softly strumming your guitar
I could hear the distant drums and sounds of bugle calls were coming from afar

[Verse 2]
They were closer now, Fernando
Every hour, every minute seemed to last eternally
I was so afraid, Fernando
We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die
And I'm not ashamed to say the roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry

[Chorus]
There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando
Though we never thought that we could lose
There's no regret
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando
[Verse 3]
Now we're old and grey, Fernando
Since many years I haven't seen a rifle in your hand
Can you hear the drums, Fernando?
Do you still recall the fateful night we crossed the Rio Grande?
I can see it in your eyes, how proud you were to fight for freedom in this land

[Chorus]
There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando

They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando
Though I never thought that we could lose
There's no regret
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando
There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando

They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando
Though I never thought that we could lose
There's no regret
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando
Yes, if I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando

[Outro]
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando

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About

Genius Annotation

Originally released as an Anni-Frid Lyngstad solo song in 1975, ABBA re-released this song in 1976 and eventually turned this into one of the best-selling songs of all time.

It was written by Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson. Ulvaeus recalled writing the song in the book 1000 UK #1 Hits:

That lyric is so banal and I didn’t like it. It was a love lyric, someone who loved Fernando, but I inherited the word ‘Fernando’ and I thought long and hard, what does Fernando tell me? I was in my summerhouse one starry evening and the words came, ‘There was something in the air that night’ and I thought of two old comrades from some guerrilla war in Mexico who would be sitting in the porch and reminiscing about what happened to them back then and this is what it is all about. Total fiction.

It had a modest start in Sweden (in Swedish) before the English mega-hit version showed up. It spent 15 (!!) weeks at the top of the charts in Australia. The song was never a part of a studio album, but appeared in compilations.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

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