Vincent Van Gogh

"Vincent" -Don McLean-

Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and gray
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul...
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy linen land.

Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen; they did not know how --
Perhaps they'll listen now.


Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
Colors changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.


Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen; they did not know how --
Perhaps they'll listen now.

For they could not love you
But still, your love was true
And when no hope was left inside
On that starry, starry night
You took your life as lovers often do --
But I could've told you, Vincent:
This world was never meant
For one as beautiful as you.


Starry, Starry night
Portraits hung in empty halls
Frameless heads on nameless walls
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget
Like the strangers that you've met
The ragged men in ragged clothes
The silver thorn, a bloody rose
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.

Now I think I know
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen; they're not listening still --
Perhaps they never will...
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One of my favourite song...a song about Vincent Van Gogh, an impressionist artist.

"The song "Vincent" is a tribute of Don Mclean to the world's most prolific painter, Vincent van Gogh. Most of the lyrics are actually titles (e.g. "the starry night") or description of Vincent's paintings.

Don Mclean is emphatic of Vincent's fate, like the rest of other artists (and even poets). During their time, their pieces of work were not being appreciated and sometimes regarded as worthless. Nonetheless, their hardwork's value or importance is only realized when they're long gone. Of Vincent's more or less a thousand works of art, he only sold one of his paintings.

Employing an "impressionist" style, Vincent paints everything the human eye can see, including still objects. Impressionism gives life and meaning to a subject by stressing a tone and mood different from that of the subject (as in the song's lyrics... "colors changing hue"). During his time, impressionism is not acclaimed as that of the pure or classical style of painting (the likes of raphael & michaelangelo). Most people regarded Vincent's work as junk and Vincent himself as lunatic.

Vincent lived his life as a painter in seclusion, although he has his landlord's family to live with. Perhaps with his exhausting job (finishes at an average of more than one painting a day) and the treatment that he got from the people around him, Vincent suffered from mental disorder. He cut-off one of his earlobe and have a portrait painted. After an altercation and parted with Gaugin (considered as Vincent's best friend), he suffered further depression and took his life with a handgun. He did not died instantly (he even had his last portrait painted).

People during Vincent's time misunderstood him and didn't listen to what he is trying to tell them. Although he has long been gone, the voices from within his works of art are resonating through all generation that succeeded him. And perhaps... people will now listen."
(Source: http://www.lyricinterpretations.com/Don-McLean/Vincent)