Just Sitting Under This Lemon Tree

German pop-rock band Fool’s Garden released “Lemon Tree” in 1995 on the album Dish of the Day. The band’s singer Peter Freudenthaler wrote the song after waiting for his girlfriend one afternoon. Eventually, the woman didn’t show up and thus leaving heartbreak and disappointment. Thus, lyrics that express depression and sadness with this loss potential of a romantic relationship. But, perhaps the lyrics could also represent the variation of depression that goes in a person’s life, not just with relationships.

Listeners have interpreted the lyrics in a way that Freudenthaler was talking about heartbreak. There are two nature metaphors mentioned: “the blue blue sky” and “the lemon tree”. “The blue blue sky” is a metaphor for happiness and hopefulness as a blue sky signals positivity and pleasantness. In the song, the line “yesterday told him about the blue sky” means the character was assured that everything would go smoothly before the planned date.

However, when she didn’t show up, he just described the woman as just another “lemon tree”. And, Freudenthaler used the metaphor to express the bitter and the sour feelings he had towards this failed attempt. He laments this bitterness and sadness throughout the song with lines like “But there’s a heavy cloud inside my head” and “While nothing ever happens and I wonder”.

There is an urban legend that Freudenthaler wrote “Lemon Tree” because his former girlfriend died in a car crash. The car crashed into a lemon tree. This story appears often on Google searches for this song. But, there is no actual proof that the event ever happen.

Have you heard of Fool’s Graden’s “Lemon Tree” before? Listen to it below. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Tracy Su released in 1997 two covers of the song: one in Cantonese and Mandarin. I prefer her version over the original as the vocals are more connected, supported, and there is more constancy. Here is the Mandarin cover

Korean singer Park Hye Kyung released a cover in 2008:

German DJ Alles Farban revisited this song in 2021 and made a club remix version:

Lyrics for “Lemon Tree”

I’m sitting here in the boring room
It’s just another rainy Sunday afternoon
I’m wasting my time
I got nothing to do
I’m hanging around
I’m waiting for you
But nothing ever happens and I wonder

I’m driving around in my car
I’m driving too fast
I’m driving too far
I’d like to change my point of view
I feel so lonely
I’m waiting for you
But nothing ever happens and I wonder

I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday you told me ’bout the blue blue sky
And all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree

I’m turning my head up and down
I’m turning turning turning turning turning around
And all that I can see is just another lemon-tree

Sing
Da-da-da-da-da-di-da-da
Da-da-da-da-di-da-da
Da-di-di-da

I’m sitting here
I miss the power
I’d like to go out taking a shower
But there’s a heavy cloud inside my head

I feel so tired
Put myself into bed
While nothing ever happens and I wonder

Isolation is not good for me
Isolation I don’t want to sit on the lemon-tree

I’m steppin’ around in the desert of joy
Maybe anyhow I’ll get another toy
And everything will happen and you wonder

I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday you told me ’bout the blue blue sky
And all that I can see is just another lemon-tree
I’m turning my head up and down

I’m turning turning turning turning turning around
And all that I can see is just a yellow lemon-tree
And I wonder, wonder

I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday you told me ’bout the blue blue sky
And all that I can see
And all that I can see
And all that I can see
Is just a yellow lemon tree

The Rules for #SongLyricsSunday

(This challenge is currently hosted by the generous Jim Adams.)

Anyone can participate in #SongLyricsSunday, even if you aren’t a music blogger! If you want to participate, here are the rules:

• Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
• Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Pingback to this post will eventually work, as long as you are being patient, but you can also place your link in the comments if you don’t like to wait.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.