The Chimera Lyrics
Fairy tales and time in whales
Substitutes for sin
It takes some life to find the light within
Whistle past the lane lover
Whistle past the lane
Cause love’s forever strange
Nestle on the moon, sunshine
Nestle on the moon
Should you hear that faint murmur
Of what love might do
[Pre-Chorus 1]
Seven stars that shine
In my mind, oh my mind
I’ll take you with me where I climb
In my mind, oh my mind
[Chorus]
And if I’m wrong I’m right
I’m never gonna lose you
If I’m wrong I’m right
Take me to your life
[Bridge]
Summertime’s the only child
Summertime’s the only child this night
You want to brace the golden fool
Let’s make this right
Nightengales and nursery crimes
Twins that spark the charts
It takes some trust to find a trust apart
Whistle past the lane lover
Whistle past the lane
Cause love’s forever strange
Nestle on the sun, starlight
Nestle on the sun
Should you hear the faint murmur
Of what love has done
[Pre-Chorus 2]
Seven stars that weep
In my sleep, oh in my sleep
I’ll take you with me where I keep
In my sleep, oh in my sleep
[Chorus]
And if I’m wrong I’m right
I’m never gonna lose you
If I’m wrong I’m right
Take me to your life
[Outro]
All you need is you, lover
All you need is you
All you need is you, lover
So please need me too
What you need is love, stranger
What you need is love
When your love needs its danger
Please let me through when I’ve got you
About
The Chimera is a creature found in the ancient myths of Greece. Given it acts as the title to this song, it’s fairly safe to say we can find the meaning in that context. This mythic beast is first mentioned in Homer’s epic text, The Illiad:
…Bellerophon to kill that savage monster, the Chimaera, who was not a human being, but a goddess, for she had the head of a lion and the tail of a serpent, while her body was that of a goat, and she breathed forth flames of fire; but Bellerophon slew her, for he was guided by signs from heaven."
This songwriter is no stranger to Greek mythology. References are made in numerous songs such as “Soot and Stars” and “Ava Adore”.
Even his style of writing seems to be at least somewhat inspired by Homer. This comparison could easily be made by looking at almost every song in Corgan’s catalog, save for a few tracks here and there where he experiments with other writing techniques.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
We were recording drums for something else, and there was a problem with the snare drum. I had 10 minutes where I was just standing there with a guitar around my neck, so I started playing a riff. Mike [Byrne] just went, ‘Oh, man, I love that riff!’ I was like, ‘Really?’ So to be a show-off, I quickly arranged it into a song. Mike was all for it, and within a week we were recording it.
A few people have asked me what it’s like having a 20-something in the band. Does it have an influence? In this case, I would say absolutely, because it’s a song I might not have done without Mike’s encouragement.
That being said, once you go into that riffy, exploding tower, then it’s all into the bag of tricks to make it work, because without that it sounds pretty basic. You know, we’re laughing while we learn these songs because we’ve got so many fucking overdubs! [laughs] And everything’s harmonized. It’s not enough to just have the one, you’ve gotta have four.
-Billy Corgan via Music Radar
- 1.Quasar
- 2.Panopticon
- 4.Violet Rays
- 7.Pinwheels
- 8.Oceania
- 9.Pale Horse
- 10.The Chimera
- 11.Glissandra
- 12.Inkless
- 13.Wildflower
