What the heck is 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' about?

I thought this was reasonably obvious ... The Song is about a Girl leaving her Boyfriend

She tells him she is leaving him so they both go out drinking and dancing. After they return to his apartment she tells him why she is leaving him ... and the details follow ...


We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor ...
Dancing


I was feeling kinda seasick ...
He has drunk so much the room appears to be swaying, and he feels sick


But the crowd called out for more ...
The Band is finishing at the end of the evening


The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away ...
Indicates excessive Drink / Drugs


When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought a tray ...
The waiter is clearing up drinks, not bringing new ones because the Bar is closing


And so it was that later ...
Presumeably they have returned to his apartment


As the miller told his tale ...
Drunk and telling dirty stories (Reference: Chaucer)


That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale ...
She had to get drunk so she could be brave enough to tell him why she is leaving him


She said: "There is no reason ...
There is no reason for her to leave him, because she still loves him


And the truth is plain to see." ...
SHE can see the truth about what happened in their relationship


But I wandered through my playing cards
And would not let her be
One of sixteen vestal virgins
Who were leaving for the coast ...

To me this indicated that she could see another future for herself, that didn't involve staying with him. My assumption was that this involved going away to college which was some sort of "perfect future" for her, hence the reference to the vestal virgins who would have been her comparatively "pure" Girlfriends from High School who could see a future for themselves that didn't rely on living with a Drunk


And although my eyes were open
They might have just as well've been closed ... He had been completely Blind to this

I beleve it is meant to be a dream and what is remembered when you awake. it was based on 'A Sleeper awakes', by Bach


Artist: Procol Harum Lyrics
Song: A Whiter Shade Of Pale Lyrics
We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
But the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought a tray

And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale
She said: "There is no reason
And the truth is plain to see."
But I wandered through my playing cards
And would not let her be
One of sixteen vestal virgins
Who were leaving for the coast
And although my eyes were open
They might have just as well've been closed

Procol Harum's Dave Ball sent in this admirable gloss on the famous song, prompted by strong feelings raised by an erotic interpretation:

We skipped the light fandango /We danced a fandango

turned cartwheels 'cross the floor/ Rather energetically

I was feeling kinda seasick /I shouldn’t have had that last drink

but the crowd called out for more/ But the crowd were egging us on

The room was humming harder /The smell was getting bad from all the fandango-ing bodies

as the ceiling flew away /As my head hit the floor

When we called out for another drink Ah go on – gimme just one more shooter

the waiter brought a tray /But the waiter hit me with his tray

And so it was that later /When I woke up next morning

as the miller told his tale /And my mate told me what I had done

that her face, at first just ghostly, turned a whiter shade of pale /and my girlfriend was worse than me

She said, 'There is no reason, and the truth is plain to see.' /I’m not an alcoholic she insisted

But I wandered through my playing cards/ But I was busy playing solitaire

and would not let her be one of sixteen vestal virgins who were leaving for the coast/ Reminded us of a school trip many moons ago

and although my eyes were open/ And although my eyes were open

they might have just as well've been closed/ There wasn’t anyone at home ……

We'll never really know as the song's vocalist and lyric writer, Gary Brooker and Keith Reid respectively, have sworn to never explain the lyrics. There seem to be references to Geoffrey Chaucer's The Miller's Tale, but the meaning of the song and significance of the Chaucer references will in all likelihood remain a mystery.

I'm not sure it means anything. My feeling is that someone is tripping and having some very interesting hallucinations.

Whiter Shade of Pale, there is no meaning to this song the words seem to rhyme together in a nonsensical way, just like that other classic song Hey Jude, there is no meaning, still your own mind can make sense of this song, that is the beauty of it, you can have your own interpretations, so enjoy the song as a musical fantasy that's why Whiter Shade Of Pale will always be a classic song.

I have always thought that this is a song about depression, putting on a brave face and going through all the motions "skipping the light fandango" but feeling very empty inside. The "face at first just ghostly" is the singer, slipping deeper into despair as the song goes on. "Wandered through my playing cards" seems to be a reference to tarot, or trying to find a meaning or purpose and not just letting yourself live life. I feel this when I sink into depression, I start to find that all color, purpose and joy are draining from life. The vestal virgins could be a reference to people who have a purpose and know what to do with their lives, so they are "leaving for the coast", pursuing life's journey, and although, I can see what they are doing, I cannot follow, because I cannot feel any point in pursuing goals in life at this time.

"A Whiter Shade of Pale" title comes from the fact that only the white keys are used on the keyboard of the instrument to play it. The name has no reference to the lyrics.

For an interresting theory read:

http://www.procolharum.com/99/awsop-benz.htm

LOVE the song though!!!!