I love this song, but don't understand the lyrics much

I take its meaning to be about the possibility of spirituality, the afterlife, the ultimate freedom we might all have when our souls are finally free of our bodies and this world.

I absolutely love this song, it is moving and joyous with a slight melancholic undertone. Full of hope but at the same time accepting of the inevitability of the end of one life and possibly the beginning of another. What great imagery about souls singing together and pure harmony and oneness with something higher... lovely stuff

I was going to ask if anyone knows exactly the ad-libbed lyrics towards the very end of the song

I hear sounds(?), I hear whispers ...forever will there be etc.?

[Edited 5/20/11 7:37am]

When I read through the lyrics, there is a strong religious theme throughout the song. The subject matter in my opinion is kind of similar to 'Love... Thy Will Be Done'.

the past, present, and future

I'm guessing it's about a spiritual well being.

i absolutely adore this song, i know some people have panned the "ooh we ooh oooooh, sha la la la la" part, (which is weird considering i've never heard anyone take issue with "ooh we sha sha koo koo, yeah!!!! lol) but i love it, i take it like it's a universal part that anyone in any language can sing, which i think is the point.

Prince like to write about a lot of new age concepts .. lotus flower is about allowing your life to unfold at its natural time and pace without forcing things in and out of your life .. future soul song touches on the concept of spirit, vibrations and physical manifestations of the mind .. all matter is made up of vibrations as is light and sound .. everything we see touch and feel are vibrations .. when atoms vibrate at the same frequency they bond and form solid matter .. in the same manner that we as humans vibrate at the same frequency as the earth .. we bond to the earth .. gravity .. some say there are places in the middle of the earth where the vibrations and freaquencies coalece in a manner which would allow your thoughts to form physically, physicality and spirituality become one .. this is actually a mixture of science and religion .. there are concepts like "the secret" that touch on this because thoughts and will are also vibrations and we can use our minds to form our future both physically and spiritually ..

I believe prince is describing a scientific theory that currently exists about an area of the earth far below the surface where the energies from the sun at the center of our earth and our physical existance on the surface blend frequencies and transmutate our being into a spiritual state .. less density in the atoms of our being due to vibrating at a higher frequency and lowering the density of our physical mass .. creating an existance in an energy field where thought can manifest into physical reality .. in that moment a person is one with the universe and becomes everything .. prince is describing this moment this feeling of being one with everything and the peace of knowing and existing at a higher vibrational (spiritual) frequency.

my main issue with the actual song is that he gets lazy on the chorus and it takes away from a very cool idea with decent music (albeit a do wop motown rip off) and boils it down to a song title .. imagine prince singing "this is the purple rain song" instead of "purple rain" .. it would suck the life out of the concept and poetry of the song.

well thats just my take ..

Thanks guys

It's about a "soul song" but in the "future"...hope that's clear.

KeithyT said:

I take its meaning to be about the possibility of spirituality, the afterlife, the ultimate freedom we might all have when our souls are finally free of our bodies and this world.

I absolutely love this song, it is moving and joyous with a slight melancholic undertone. Full of hope but at the same time accepting of the inevitability of the end of one life and possibly the beginning of another. What great imagery about souls singing together and pure harmony and oneness with something higher... lovely stuff

I was going to ask if anyone knows exactly the ad-libbed lyrics towards the very end of the song

I hear sounds(?), I hear whispers ...forever will there be etc.?

[Edited 5/20/11 7:37am]

I think it's:

"I hear sighs, I hear whispers but I don't care. It's between me and my Lord, you can go right on ahead and stare. Never will there be any shame in my dream."

Japha11 said:

KeithyT said:

I take its meaning to be about the possibility of spirituality, the afterlife, the ultimate freedom we might all have when our souls are finally free of our bodies and this world.

I absolutely love this song, it is moving and joyous with a slight melancholic undertone. Full of hope but at the same time accepting of the inevitability of the end of one life and possibly the beginning of another. What great imagery about souls singing together and pure harmony and oneness with something higher... lovely stuff

I was going to ask if anyone knows exactly the ad-libbed lyrics towards the very end of the song

I hear sounds(?), I hear whispers ...forever will there be etc.?

[Edited 5/20/11 7:37am]

I think it's:

"I hear sighs, I hear whispers but I don't care. It's between me and my Lord, you can go right on ahead and stare. Never will there be any shame in my dream."

I thought it was "love" oh well

I just imagine he's singing about cannabis legalization.

lets have a look....

I had a dream last night
That I was flying for the first time
And in the dream I could pilot my flight
With the thoughts in my mind

No one can see into the future, but in our dreams we dare to try

Since there wasn't any up or down
Everybody was all around
When we sang, we all sang together
Oh, what a beautiful sound

In our dreams we can and do see the perfect picture

Ooh, ooh, sha la la la la
This is the future soul song
Ooh, ooh, sha la la la la
This is the future soul song

We see the future we all want

I had a dream last night
That I was singing and the sound of my voice
Seemed to come from every mountain top
Like it had no choice

A future where nothing is contrived or premediated. It's natural and pure no pretense

And when my voice rose, so did the sun
When the trees sang the harmony as one
Every living soul sang the most beautiful
Melody ever sung

The future can be so beautiful

Before the war the only words and language said
Let there be light
Those that can see it are the ones who believe it
And put up no fight

Love is about giving not taking but we are often wrapped up in fear, control, power, & fighting that fear often wins over love which should be surrender to what is good, better, best

And in the absence of fear and control
Is the sound of the surrendering soul
Louder than the dogmatic persecution
I sing it like you got that right

Shalalalala....he wants that love in the future.......he dreams about it

A quick analysis for you madamoiselle

Bohemian67 said:

lets have a look....

I had a dream last night
That I was flying for the first time
And in the dream I could pilot my flight
With the thoughts in my mind

No one can see into the future, but in our dreams we dare to try

Since there wasn't any up or down
Everybody was all around
When we sang, we all sang together
Oh, what a beautiful sound

In our dreams we can and do see the perfect picture

Ooh, ooh, sha la la la la
This is the future soul song
Ooh, ooh, sha la la la la
This is the future soul song

We see the future we all want

I had a dream last night
That I was singing and the sound of my voice
Seemed to come from every mountain top
Like it had no choice

A future where nothing is contrived or premediated. It's natural and pure no pretense

And when my voice rose, so did the sun
When the trees sang the harmony as one
Every living soul sang the most beautiful
Melody ever sung

The future can be so beautiful

Before the war the only words and language said
Let there be light
Those that can see it are the ones who believe it
And put up no fight

Love is about giving not taking but we are often wrapped up in fear, control, power, & fighting that fear often wins over love which should be surrender to what is good, better, best

And in the absence of fear and control
Is the sound of the surrendering soul
Louder than the dogmatic persecution
I sing it like you got that right

Shalalalala....he wants that love in the future.......he dreams about it

A quick analysis for you madamoiselle

Hmm interesting. But I'm not sure you've captured what (I think) the song is more literally saying. But hey, it's your interpretation

TrevorAyer said:

Prince like to write about a lot of new age concepts .. lotus flower is about allowing your life to unfold at its natural time and pace without forcing things in and out of your life .. future soul song touches on the concept of spirit, vibrations and physical manifestations of the mind .. all matter is made up of vibrations as is light and sound .. everything we see touch and feel are vibrations .. when atoms vibrate at the same frequency they bond and form solid matter .. in the same manner that we as humans vibrate at the same frequency as the earth .. we bond to the earth .. gravity .. some say there are places in the middle of the earth where the vibrations and freaquencies coalece in a manner which would allow your thoughts to form physically, physicality and spirituality become one .. this is actually a mixture of science and religion .. there are concepts like "the secret" that touch on this because thoughts and will are also vibrations and we can use our minds to form our future both physically and spiritually ..

I believe prince is describing a scientific theory that currently exists about an area of the earth far below the surface where the energies from the sun at the center of our earth and our physical existance on the surface blend frequencies and transmutate our being into a spiritual state .. less density in the atoms of our being due to vibrating at a higher frequency and lowering the density of our physical mass .. creating an existance in an energy field where thought can manifest into physical reality .. in that moment a person is one with the universe and becomes everything .. prince is describing this moment this feeling of being one with everything and the peace of knowing and existing at a higher vibrational (spiritual) frequency.

my main issue with the actual song is that he gets lazy on the chorus and it takes away from a very cool idea with decent music (albeit a do wop motown rip off) and boils it down to a song title .. imagine prince singing "this is the purple rain song" instead of "purple rain" .. it would suck the life out of the concept and poetry of the song.

well thats just my take ..

i still don't think he's exactly namechecking the song. right before the first two choruses he clues in about "a beautiful sound everyone is singing" and in the next one he talks about the "most beautiful melody ever sung", folowed by "ooh we ooh sha la la la la" <-THIS is the future soul song. just my take

this song really bores me.

Um! A beautiful song whose wings, whether through

doubt, inadvertence or empiric experiential lack thereof,

were never widely enough openly spread; as a result, it

just couldn't soar to the great heights for which it were

originally intended. Thus, it became a mere dream!

Those who truly fly will tell you that we aren't dreaming;

we are in the most awakened state of our entire being!

A very, very brilliant and deeply touching interpretation nonetheless!

However, there is another song that I believe The Purple One has

that I feel will take this one to an even greater, magical level. It is

a song that asks the question of all of us: Where Is The Love?

Simple enough four little words, but when we understand the deep

perspective from which the question is posed, it will take on, hopefully,

an integral and dynamic meaning in our hearts and in our lives. A capella,

organs, tribal drums, guitar shredding, wails, soulfulness..it will take you

to heaven, this one, and will wash your heart and soul with tearful

recognition, penitence and uplifting atonement. It is pure, Divine bliss,

a manifestation of a spiritual reality, You will really fly!

Love the song... well written and great delivery on the vocal

The future holds harmony... one voice... no BS of (this earth) but a better existance for us all... and freedom

Think I Have a Dream - Martin Luther King

It’s that simple

And yes of course there are religious (not spiritual) undertones. The dude has been doing this for 40 years... and here he is just as effective as he has ever been.

Alexandernvrmind said:

Love the song... well written and great delivery on the vocal

The future holds harmony... one voice... no BS of (this earth) but a better existance for us all... and freedom

Think I Have a Dream - Martin Luther King

It’s that simple

And yes of course there are religious (not spiritual) undertones. The dude has been doing this for 40 years... and here he is just as effective as he has ever been.

True. I hear it in the song too.

While I love all of the tunes on 20Ten, Future Soul Song is my favorite. It is starkingly beautiful in both sound and meaning. The vocals and guitar are superb and each time I listen to it I visualize a place where one's heart and mind is free of all the world's transgressions.

Peace

x

[Edited 5/28/11 15:00pm]

I had a dream last night
That I was flying for the first time
And in the dream I could pilot my flight
With the thoughts in my mind

Since there wasn't any up or down
Everybody was all around
When we sang, we all sang together
Oh, what a beautiful sound

Ooh, ooh, sha la la la la
This is the future soul song
Ooh, ooh, sha la la la la
This is the future soul song

I had a dream last night
That I was singing and the sound of my voice
Seemed to come from every mountain top
Like it had no choice

And when my voice rose, so did the sun
When the trees sang the harmony as one
Every living soul sang the most beautiful
Melody ever sung



Before the war the only words and language said
Let there be light
Those that can see it are the ones who believe it
And put up no fight

And in the absence of fear and control
Is the sound of the surrendering soul
Louder than the dogmatic persecution
I sing it like you got that right

Shalalalala....he wants that love in the future.......he dreams about it

A quick analysis for you madamoiselle

Its simply a masterpiece!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love33 said:

Um! A beautiful song whose wings, whether through

doubt, inadvertence or empiric experiential lack thereof,

were never widely enough openly spread; as a result, it

just couldn't soar to the great heights for which it were

originally intended. Thus, it became a mere dream!

Those who truly fly will tell you that we aren't dreaming;

we are in the most awakened state of our entire being!

A very, very brilliant and deeply touching interpretation nonetheless!

However, there is another song that I believe The Purple One has

that I feel will take this one to an even greater, magical level. It is

a song that asks the question of all of us: Where Is The Love?

Simple enough four little words, but when we understand the deep

perspective from which the question is posed, it will take on, hopefully,

an integral and dynamic meaning in our hearts and in our lives. A capella,

organs, tribal drums, guitar shredding, wails, soulfulness..it will take you

to heaven, this one, and will wash your heart and soul with tearful

recognition, penitence and uplifting atonement. It is pure, Divine bliss,

a manifestation of a spiritual reality, You will really fly!

Where Is The Love ? !

I am excited to hear this - especially if it builds upon Future Soul Song - which is the most adoreable recent masterpiece from Prince - I was fortunate enough to witness this alive.

Could the new song carry a phrase where 'tears fall from my eyes' ?

It's pretty obviously an ode to his God, "surrending" to him, seeing a glimpse of heaven in a dream...

As much as I'm not a believer, I really do like this song. He's sincere in his belief. And he does a wonderful job of creating the atmosphere (one of his strengths as an arranger). I just wish it wasn't so damn similar to "The Beautiful Ones" in tempo, beat etc...

Another great example of a song only really coming to life when played live. anyone bored by the album version (which I can imagine) should realy hunt down the version played in Copenhagen 2010.....

Love33 said:

Um! A beautiful song whose wings, whether through

doubt, inadvertence or empiric experiential lack thereof,

were never widely enough openly spread; as a result, it

just couldn't soar to the great heights for which it were

originally intended. Thus, it became a mere dream!

Those who truly fly will tell you that we aren't dreaming;

we are in the most awakened state of our entire being!

A very, very brilliant and deeply touching interpretation nonetheless!

However, there is another song that I believe The Purple One has

that I feel will take this one to an even greater, magical level. It is

a song that asks the question of all of us: Where Is The Love?

Simple enough four little words, but when we understand the deep

perspective from which the question is posed, it will take on, hopefully,

an integral and dynamic meaning in our hearts and in our lives. A capella,

organs, tribal drums, guitar shredding, wails, soulfulness..it will take you

to heaven, this one, and will wash your heart and soul with tearful

recognition, penitence and uplifting atonement. It is pure, Divine bliss,

a manifestation of a spiritual reality, You will really fly!

I hope The Purple One blesses us and lets us hear this other song. I guess you've heard it and it's taken you to heaven and back to the org. You're special.

LisaasLRE said:

Love33 said:

Um! A beautiful song whose wings, whether through

doubt, inadvertence or empiric experiential lack thereof,

were never widely enough openly spread; as a result, it

just couldn't soar to the great heights for which it were

originally intended. Thus, it became a mere dream!

Those who truly fly will tell you that we aren't dreaming;

we are in the most awakened state of our entire being!

A very, very brilliant and deeply touching interpretation nonetheless!

However, there is another song that I believe The Purple One has

that I feel will take this one to an even greater, magical level. It is

a song that asks the question of all of us: Where Is The Love?

Simple enough four little words, but when we understand the deep

perspective from which the question is posed, it will take on, hopefully,

an integral and dynamic meaning in our hearts and in our lives. A capella,

organs, tribal drums, guitar shredding, wails, soulfulness..it will take you

to heaven, this one, and will wash your heart and soul with tearful

recognition, penitence and uplifting atonement. It is pure, Divine bliss,

a manifestation of a spiritual reality, You will really fly!

I hope The Purple One blesses us and lets us hear this other song. I guess you've heard it and it's taken you to heaven and back to the org. You're special.

No, you are.

One of my favorite songs..Always wanted to hear him perform it live..and he did Sunday..Beautiful song by a beautiful artist. So enheartening..."I was in Heaven." Thank you sooooo much Prince...much much purple love here!!! You said it yourself...no one does it like you do!

pueroda said:

One of my favorite songs..Always wanted to hear him perform it live..and he did Sunday..Beautiful song by a beautiful artist. So enheartening..."I was in Heaven." Thank you sooooo much Prince...much much purple love here!!! You said it yourself...no one does it like you do!

Isn't it wonderful? What a beauty! Heaven found in the sweet flow of nownessness!

Thank you!

As per Dr. Funkenberry from Prince 5/29/11 on Little Red Corvette:"I might be a lil too blue With u wanting to be with others. I got a flash of news for u, I got 17,000 that will testify 4 u that nobody do it like Prince do. U better not walk out that door like u don't want me no more..Sorry baby. I'll be good. Don't leave me."

That's mighty impressive!

What more can we mere mortals offer but that we be good to each other?

So stipulated! 17,000, and more, have so borne witness and shall testify accordingly if

called upon to render such testimony.