h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Everyone knows about Watership Down (the movie), right? And everyone knows about that lovely song on it, Bright Eyes, right? But what are the words to the first verse? You know, whilst Fiver & the Black Rabbit are bounding through the bushes Mr G is mumbling about "but nobody semms to know where..." before erupting into
BRIGHT EYES...Looting!
BRIGHT EYES...Pillaging!
OK so Mr Iron Maiden fan changed the chorus a bit, but you catch my drift.

Any answers?

I can only remember the first half of the first verse, but it may jog some one else's memory.

Is it a kind of dream
Floating out on the tide
Following a river of death downstream?
Oh, is it a dream?

I think the next line is 'There's a fog along the horizon', but I'm not sure.

Great start there, cheers mate.
'There's a fog along the horizen' bit seems to make sense. The rest of it should go...

There's a fog along the horizen,
A-----------------------------
But nobody seems to know where-----
Or what does it mean, or is it a dream?

So there's just the two lines left to figure. Any ideas anybody?

I think that in order to fit the music it goes

'There's a fog all along the horizon,
A strange glow in the air,
But nobody seems to know where it goes,
Or what does it mean, or is it a dream?'

Then it goes to the chorus
'Bright eyes, burning like fire,
Bright eyes, ............'
I can't remember anymore.

I can help you there, mate. The chorus goes:
Bright eyes, burning like fire
Bright eyes, how can you close in pain?
How can the light that burns so brightly suddenly burn so pale?
Bright eyes...

Then there's a tear-jerking orchestra part, then the chorus again.

So there's the whole song then. Cheers everyone, goes to show that Ask h2g2 does provide satisfactory results. Thanks again!

Actually, the chorus goes 'Bright Eyes, how can you close and fail?' not 'how can you close in pain?' Fail rhymes with pale, you see.

But we haven't done the second verse yet. I can remember

Is it a kind of shadow
Reaching into the night
Wandering over the hills unseen?
Or is it a dream?
There's a high wind in the trees...

But that's all I can remember.

I didn't think there was a second verse. But then it's been a few weeks since I last saw Watership down. I think I'll watch it again. I 'll take notes, and compare it to everything here, OK?

To be continued....

So I've just watched WD for the 14th time. I think, from what I heard and the info I've got here, the actual words are....

Oh, is it a dream?
There's a fog along the horizen,
A strange glow in the air.
But nobody seems to know where it is,
or what does it mean, or is it a dream?

Bright eyes, burning like fire.
Bright eyes, how can you close and fail?
How can the light that burned so brightly suddenly burn so pale?
Bright eyes.
(repeat chorus)

The bit with the dream floating on the tide either isn't actually in the film, or it's played unbelievably quiet. Like I can't har it even with the TV turned up loud.
And the shadow reaching into the night bit, I didn't hear that either.

Did anyone watch the TV series ? good cast( Rik Mayall,Jane Horrocks etc) but a bit of a let down animation wise. Also trivia fans does any one remember the hysterical boy in the rabbit suit miming to Bright eyes on Tiswas one of the all time funniest TV moments ever ( Scare me by telling me someome remembers the other all time funniest TV moment a really strange thing on Saturday night live (UK Ben Elton version), mid eighties, where a weird guy pointed and made observations about a seies of photos of owls!!!I'll know if you're lying!!)

ok ok...... SERIES

Sure I thought that the cartoon series would be a great idea. Watership Down doesn't really seem to recieve the appreciation it deserves. However, I was thouroughly disappointed. I had hoped that the series would clean up on some of the bits that the movie messed up on ie they would include Acorn, Hawkbit etc but in the end there are less rabbits that leave Sandleford than in the film! In the book it was something like 11, in the movie it was 7, and the series has less than that! The animation is a bit tacky, and large chunks of the story are getting left out/modified. Great cast though.

And I remember Tiswas we used to have one of the annuals but it got thrown out. 'twas v. v. funny.

Is there anybody who can confirm those lyrics for me please?

I'm not refering to what's played during the film. I'm on about the single released by Art Garfunkel (or whoever it was). This definitely had two verses. It reached Number 1 in the UK charts, and was played on the radio often enough for me to be sure of this.

Oooh, I never knew there was a single! Number 1 eh? That makes it as good as The Number Of The Beast by Iron Maiden.

Well then, I ought to set out two sets of lyrics then. The single 'Bright Eyes', and WD's 'Bright Eyes'. At the moment I'm more concerned over the film's lyrics. I reckon it's all up there now. Anyone want to disagree with me?

Obviosly not.

So here's what we've come up with so far:
Is it a kind of dream,
Floating out onto the tide,
Following a river of death downstream,
Oh is it a dream?
There's a fog along the horizen,
A strange glow in the air,
But nobody seems to know where it is,
Or what does it mean, or is it a dream?

Is it a kind of shadow,
Reaching out into the night,
wandering over the hills unseen?
Or is it a dream?
There's a high wind in the trees...

(Chorus x2 that doesn't need working on)

I was listening to this and thinking how cool it would sound if they took out the orchestra and replaced it with a few guitars!

Is it a kind of dream,
Floating along on the tide,
Following the river of death downstream,
Bright eyes.

Bright eyes, burning like fire,
Broght eyes how can you close and fail,
How can the light that burned so brightly suddenly burn so pale,
Bright eyes.

CAT

You could always look around on the Internet! Oh yeah, I can proabaly ask my bro, he is obsessed with that song and he always goes around singing it.

I'll ask him 4 u.
CAT

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somebody has probably already said this but the first verse to bright eyes goes

Is it a kind of dream,
floating out on the tide,
following the river of death down stream ,
oh is it a dream
there's a fog along the horizon,
cold sound in the air,
nobody ever knows when you go,
and when you start,
oh is it a dream,

bright eyes burning like fire,
bright eyes how can you close and fail,
how can those eyes that burnt so brightly,
suddenly burn so pale
bright eyes.

well that's what it says in my piano book any wayz.
x terri x

I thought the version I got together sounded right. When I think back to the film, yeah, I'd say it was right. But if anyone can get some real confirmation, it'd be great.
D'y'know that, surprisingly, none of the many Watership Down websites I've seen have these lyrics?!

I wouldn't have looked up Watership Down anyway, I would have looked up Art Garfunkel. Duncton Wood was a better book.