‘You Want Alchemy’ is a song written by Kate Bush. It was written and recorded after the completion of The Red Shoes and The Line, The Cross and the Curve.
Kate sings about meeting a beekeeper, who launches into his awe, his reverence, his love for bees, which she first responds to with ‘Is he some kind of nut, or what?’ She doesn’t get it, this fascination with bees. She seems to take a tender step into this man’s private world, to open herself and feel and respect this lonely man’s joys. She approaches with sympathy, and for a brief moment, she can share his vision, and see the alchemy. The music includes quotations of Debussy’s ‘Clair de lune’ from his ‘Suite bergamasque’.
Formats
The song appears as an extra track on the European and Australian CD-singles for Eat The Music.
Cover versions
‘You Want Alchemy’ was covered by Zapruder Point.
Lyrics
What a lovely afternoon
On a cloudbusting kind of day.
We took our own ‘Mystery Tour’
And got completely lost somewhere up in the hills.
And we came up on a bee-keeper,
And he said “Did you know they can change it all?”
You want alchemy.
They turn the roses into gold
They turn the lilac into honey
They’re making love for the peaches.
And we’re thinking,
“Who is this guy?”
“Is he some kind of nut or what?”.
He said, “I don’t meet many people…
I’m very busy with the hives”
ZzzzZzzzz… Sun’s gone down
“When’s my cloud of bees coming home?”
They got alchemy
They turn the roses into gold
They turn the lilac into honey
They’re making love for the peaches
And they’ll do it
Do it for you
They’ll do it
Do it for you
“And if you see them, send ’em right on home to me”
(what they gonna do…?)
They got Aaaaaaaa..
Turn the roses into gold.
And they’ll do it for you
Do it for you (what they gonna do…?)
I’ll tell ya…
Making love for the peaches. (what they gonna do…?)
Daaaaaamaaaaakiiiiindaaaaa honey.
(they do it for you)
They do it for you.
And why not…?
They bring me so much pleasure
