Petals

Album: Rainbow (1999)
Play Video
  • I've often wondered if there's ever been a perfect family
    I've always longed for undividedness and sought stability

    A flower taught me how to pray
    But as I grew, that flower changed
    She started flaying in the wind
    Like golden petals scattering

    And I miss you dandelion
    And even love you
    And I wish there was a way
    For me to trust you
    But it hurts me every time
    I try to touch you

    But I miss you dandelion
    And even love you

    I gravitated towards a patriarch so young predictably
    I was resigned to spend my life within a maze of misery

    A boy and a girl befriended me
    We're bonded through despondency
    I stayed so long but finally
    I fled to save my sanity
    And I miss you little sis
    And Little brother
    And I hope you realize
    I'll always love you
    (Always love you)
    And although you're struggling
    You will recover (we're gonna make it maybe)
    And I miss you little sis and little brother

    So many I considered
    Closest to me
    Turned on a dime and sold me
    Out dutifully
    Although that knife was chipping
    Away at me
    They turned their eyes away and
    Went home to sleep
    (Sleep) (Sleep) (Sleep)

    And I missed a lot of life
    But I'll recover
    Though I know you really like
    To see me suffer
    Still I wish that you and I'd
    Forgive each other
    'Cause I miss you, Valentine
    And really loved you

    I really loved you
    (I guess I loved you)
    I tried so hard
    But you drove me away
    To preserve my sanity

    And I found the strength to break away Writer/s: James Harris III, James Quenton Wright, Mariah Carey, Terry Lewis
    Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • Theresa from Murfreesboro, TnSuch a personal and tragic song. This is the best track on Rainbow and I hated that album.
  • Yes from Bellflower, CaI went to see Mariah in concert at Staples Center when Rainbow came out and her voice cracked when she sang this song. It's a beautiful song and it reminds me of my siblings back home. I LOVE MIMI!!
  • Noregrets from Couve, WaShe said it's a very personal song and she sometimes gets emotional when she performs it. Most likely it's about her sister Alison.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien Songs

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien SongsSong Writing

The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.

Church Lyrics

Church LyricsMusic Quiz

Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.