Rhiannon
 

Written by S. Nicks

Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night And wouldn't you love to love her? She rules her life like a bird in flight And who will be her lover? All your life you've never seen Woman taken by the sky Would you stay if she promised to you Heaven? Would you even try? Would you even try? She is like a cat in the dark And then she is the darkness She rules her life like a fine skylark And when the sky is starless All your life you've never seen Woman taken by the sky Where would you stay if she promised to you Heaven? Would you even try? Would you even try? Rhiannon...Rhiannon... Rhiannon...Rhiannon... She is like a cat in the dark And then she is the darkness She rules her life like a bird in flight And who will be her lover? Once in a million years a lady like her rises "Oh, Rhiannon" you cry but she's gone And your life knows no answer Your life knows no answer Dream on, silly dreamer Try hard, you can't leave her Dream on, silly dreamer Try hard, try harder Dream on  She rings like a bell through the night And wouldn't you love to love her? She rules her life like a bird in flight And who will be her lover? All your life you've never seen Woman taken by the sky Where would you stay if she promised to you Heaven? Would you even try? Would you even try? Your dreams unwind, love's a state of mind Your dreams unwind, your love's a state of mind Dream on, silly dreamer Try hard, you can't leave her Dream on, silly dreamer Try hard, try harder You try harder Rhiannon And you still cry out for her... And you still cry out for her... "Rhiannon"

Originally Released on Fleetwood Mac (1975)

Live Versions Appear on Live (1980), The Dance (1997), and Crystal Visions (2007)


WEBMISTRESS speculates:

See Rhiannon for most of my thoughts on this song. In the liner notes to Enchanted, Stevie writes that this version is how Rhiannon "is today" and that "her wisdom is much evolved." While musically this definitely is much different from the original, the main lyrical differences - besides different ordering and repetition - is the line "Try hard, you can't leave her...try hard, try harder". It makes me think that even after all these years Rhiannon, and Stevie, are unforgettable.

 

Enchanted | SN Albums