"Gypsy....one of the many songs written by Stevie Nicks that can provoke so many different emotions from each listener. This song was originally written for her solo LP Bella Donna, but was later used for the Fleetwood Mac album released in 1982 named Mirage. "I think 'Gypsy' was one of my best collaborations ever with Stevie.....in terms of what I do for Stevie as far as arrangement and things go. I think that was one of the most effective pieces we've ever done" states Lindsey Buckingham (Guitar World 9/97). Whether it is the mysterious words or the sensual melody, this song captures the hearts of many, and can easily be seen as one of her best songs. Stevie has stated many times that her songs are her innermost feelings and represent things that are happening in her life. When one really listens to the words in Gypsy, we are learning a little more about this special woman and her true spirit.
So I'm back, to the velvet underground
Back to the floor, that I love
To a room with some lace and paper flowers
Back to the gypsy that I was
To the Gypsy...that I was
This song is almost like we are in the middle of her daydream. This first line brings us to a place that Stevie once said she used to shop at in her younger days called The Velvet Underground in San Francisco. She is imagining herself here many years ago, back to a time where she was simply known as Stephanie. Back to the floor that I love....Stevie stated in The Record 1982, that "I always put my bed on the floor." She is known to pack up everything she owns, all of her favorite things, like her books, music, painting and her beloved candles and turn any room into ...hers...a place where she finds comfort and has a sense of familiarity. She could be picturing herself back to when she first had that "gypsy" feeling in her younger days, way before her stardom, way back to when things were much simpler as she says "back to the gypsy, that I was.."
And it all comes down to you
Well, you know that is does
Well, lightening strikes, maybe once, maybe twice
Ah, and it lights up the night
And you see your gypsy
You see your gypsy
It is up to all of us to determine our own paths in our lives and that is what Stevie tries to tell us here. We are the master of our own choices in life, whether they are the right choices are not. Lightening strikes, maybe once, maybe twice...is a little more difficult to interpret. Some think the lightening could represent events in one's life; This could be either tragedy or success. Stevie had to deal with a major tragic event in her life with the death of her best friend Robin, who died from Leukemia. She also had to deal with the rapid success of Fleetwood Mac. These events affect one's life and brings about changes whether you wish it or not. Stevie lost a great support system in Robin and she lost a lot of her freedom with her success, and going back to those "gypsy" days, could be a place of comfort for her.
To the gypsy that remains, faces freedom, with a little fear
I have no fear, I have only love
And if I was a child
And the child was enough
Enough for me to love
Enough to love......
The gypsy that remains could signify the person Stevie is now or used to be. Back in her "gypsy" early days, Stevie told us that she was very dependent on Lindsey, and would let him take over. As she started to grow into her own person, her fears of being alone and facing life no longer held her back. She is a stronger woman now and she is telling herself that she is ok, even now when her life has changed so much. And if I was a child.....could represent Stevie as a child or she could be talking about herself now, almost like the child within the woman, the time when she was carefree and full of childlike innocence. If she could take herself back to those childlike times, could she love herself more.
She is dancing away from me now
She was just a wish
She was just a wish
And a memory is all that is left for you now
You see your gypsy
You see your gypsy
Stevie is reflecting on her youth, back to the "gypsy" days throughout this song. She is dancing away from me now....she knows that she cannot turn back the clock and be the girl she once was, though she can wish it. She is getting older now and her pre-stardom freedom she had is just a memory, and in that memory.....you see your gypsy.
In ways, some feel this verse has a dual meaning. In one way , it is about Stevie talking about herself, but then it leads one to speculate if she added a little about her friend Robin. She died with in a year of being diagnosed, and she is dancing away from me now...could be Stevie's way of saying that she is leaving her now and her memory is all that she has left of her.
Lightening strikes, maybe once, maybe twice
And it all comes down to you
I still see your bright eyes, bright eyes And it all comes down to you I still see your bright eyes, bright eyes (She was just a wish) (She was just a wish) And it all comes down to you.
Many of us have heard throughout the years that the verse "I still see your bright eyes, bright eyes", was added to this song in memory of Robin. Stevie could be saying that even though she is gone, she still sees her bright eyes shining on her no matter what she is doing in her life.
On the Fleetwood Mac Chain box set, there is an unedited version of the song "Gypsy". This version is basically the same version we have all heard but the ending is very ethereal. Stevie sings the verse "But I still see your bright eyes"...but adds the eerie phrase softly in the background....."I can't find you.." Very sad but beautiful.....we feel what she is trying to express through her music and that is what makes it more special. It is so very real and honest. In our hearts she will always be known to us as "the gypsy"...and today she is still very much that "gypsy" she always was in her heart. Stevie says, " In basic ways, I haven't changed..the clothes I wear, that doesn't change. I love long dresses. I love velvet. I love high boots. I love the same eye make-up. I never change. I still have everything I had then. That's one part of me..that's where my songs come from." She quotes from Gypsy, ' To a room with some lace and paper flowers/Back to the gypsy that I was.' And that's San Francisco. That's the velvet underground. Those are the things that I can't give up" (The Record, 2/92). We love you for that Stevie."
source: The Penguin
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