Queen - The Show Must Go On - Meaning of the song
While lead singer Freddie Mercury was dying of AIDS, guitarist Brian May wrote this song. It was Mercury's final official album with Queen, yet few people knew he was sick when it was published.
The song's lyrics are about pressing on and making the most of life while you still have it. It's almost certainly a reference to Mercury's deteriorating health and attitude toward life, as May mentioned in the Days of our Lives documentary. "He never complained, he never said, 'My life is s—t, this is terrible, I hate it,'" May explained. "He had an amazing strength and tranquility."
The song's placement as the album's penultimate track is significant, as it's possible that the band anticipated this would be the last record Mercury would be able to perform on before his death. During the sessions, he captured enough recordings for the band to release the posthumous album Made In Heaven in 1995.
The Show Must Go On - Lyrics
Empty spaces.
What are we living for?
Abandoned places.
I guess we know the score.
On and on.
Does anybody know what we are looking for?
Another hero,
Another mindless crime
Behind the curtain
In the pantomime.
Hold the line.
Does anybody want to take it anymore?
Show must go on.
Show must go on.
Inside my heart is breaking.
My make-up may be flaking.
But my smile still stays on.
Whatever happens,
I'll leave it all to chance.
Another heartache,
Another failed romance.
On and on.
Does anybody know what we are living for?
I guess I'm learning.
I must be warmer now.
I'll soon be turning
'Round the corner now.
Outside the dawn is breaking,
But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free.
Show must go on.
Show must go on.
Inside my heart is breaking.
My make-up may be flaking,
But my smile still stays on.
My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies.
Fairytales of yesterday will grow but never die.
I can fly, my friends.
Show must go on.
Show must go on.
I'll face it with a grin.
I'm never giving in—
Oh—with the show.
I'll top the bill,
I'll overkill.
I have to find the will to carry on with the show.
On with the show.
Show must go on.
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