GUENEVERE
(words  by Rick Springfield) 

We had a game 
I called her Guenevere 
And she would always call me Galahad 
I was her king 
She was my queen
My Guenevere

The days were warm 
The nights were sweet 
I didn't think 
That something troubling me 
My Guenevere
You left one night
Farewell Guenevere
Where are you 

Guenevere come back to Camelot 
Galahad is waiting 
Guenevere come back to Camelot 
Watch the morning breaking 

The city streets 
No longer are 
The English Countryside 
They used to be

My armor rusts 
My sword is waiting 
For Guenevere
Where are you

Guenevere come back to Camelot 
Galahad is waiting 
Guenevere come back to Camelot 
Watch the morning breaking

All the songs 
I used to sing 
I long to sing for you 
Said in my letter 
Write me soon
I'm waiting here 
My lady 

Guenevere come back to Camelot
Galahad is waiting 
Guenevere come back to Camelot 
Watch the morning breaking

Guenevere come back to Camelot
Galahad is waiting 
Guenevere come back to Camelot 
Watch the morning breaking

Guenevere come back to Camelot
Galahad is waiting 
Guenevere come back to Camelot 
Watch the morning breaking...

(total playing time: 3:08)

Song Facts: This song appears on Beautiful Feelings and Rick Springfield - The Early Sound City Sessions

According to US

In my opinion, this song has got to be one of Rick's most beautifully romantic ballads to date. I'm thrilled to have discovered this gem. Of course I'm a sucker for a fairy tale/sad song, so I can't help but like it. Lyrically it sounds like a fairy tale.....on the surface. But it's the complete opposite. It fooled me at first. I found after a few listens, that it's a pretty common story of a love that's gone bad. They were madly in love, pet names and all, and for some reason she leaves in the night & he doesn't understand why. He's pleading for her to come back ("where are you?" & "I'm waiting here my lady"). He's left waiting, wondering & writing letters to her. You can feel his heartache throughout this one. Leave it to our lyrical master to turn a basic story of heartbreak into a visually romantic treat ("The city streets no longer are, the English countryside they used to be...." & "my armor rusts, my sword is waiting for Guenevere") On the other hand, I can't help but feel total empathy for him, because of the hurt that was obviously there when he wrote this. Guenevere also has that "hook" that Rick loves! I have found the chorus floating in my head or slipping out many times ("Guenevere come back to Camelot, Galahad is waiting"). It's even crept up on me in my sleep! 

The music is so masterful! I love the chimes in the opening music. It gives it a mystical, magical feel at first. I like the quiteness of the instruments during each verse, and then how it picks up & gets louder for the chorus. Sounds smooth! 

Rick's voice in this song is music to my ears. He is nearly whispering, with that quivering sound at times. The ranges he takes, so very high at points & then low & soft at others are breathtaking. I feel with this song (as with so many others) that he proves his vocal talent. He also demonstrates what a great way he has with words! 

This song is now in my Rick's Top 40 countdown! In other words, it gets a lot of playing time :-) - Kelley Pearson

This song is just a lot different than so many of the others on BF. I like the sound of Rick's voice on this one - it's just so different than what I am used too. Plus he carries the pain and longing from the words through his voice very clearly. I like how he explains at the start that this is a 'game' and that these names are basically the pet names a couple had for each other. So versus this song being about "Betty Joe" leaving him it's about an almost mystical "Guenevere" - which is just much more romantic. But then he also works in the other historical references like Camelot. And of course some lines are left up to dual interpretation - "My armor rusts" could be simply because of age or time passing or because he's crying and "My sword is waiting" could be he's waiting to fight for her or perhaps it's an entirely different type of sword

But overall I like this song - it just has a mellow pleasing vibe. It's not my favorite from BF but I'd put it in top group. ~Jen H.

I like this song. I like the music and the lyrics. It's very romantic. Rick's voice is so urgent and sweet. I think this was yet another relationship. I think the reference to Camelot, Galahad and Guinevere maybe is because this relationship was just not really something he thought was going to be the real thing. Maybe I'm reading too much into it,but I can appreciate the honesty in this song. - Elizabeth S.

 
Oh the historical inaccuracies in this one kill me. Because it does and always has *bothered* me to quite an extent, I must address those firstly before I can continue on talking about this song.

I love Camelot, King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table and that whole legend. However, the legend tells of Lancelot's great love and affair with King Arthur's wife Guinevere (I prefer the spelling with the 'i'). Guinevere was also much older than Lancelot. I point this out as Galahad was Lancelot's son. (from another woman, not Guinevere) So in this song, Galahad is in love with someone who is old enough to possibly be his Grandmother.

Eeeww. Whole new take on this one, eh?

Alright, now that THAT's out of the way, and I feel much better having said that -
I like this song. Not only because it's the last song on this album (Yippeee!) and it was the "B" side to Bruce. I actually like the tone, and the whole king/queen and hint of Camelot references just make me want to swoon. The song starts out telling us of Rick and his lover's 'pet names'. So sweet. Rick's voice sounds so whisper-y on this one. So appealing. It's another classic unrequited love song. So familiar. This song just drips with longing. So....sigh...

This song is so repetitive though, it could've used another verse or two. I think it's the precursor to Dance This World Away, another song lacking of a few more things to say. I also feel it should've been included in some movie's soundtrack. It just sounds like movie background music to me. - Michelle P.