White Queen

Words and music by Brian May                                                                                              

Una spiegazione su questo brano è giunta da Brian May,. che ne ha scritto il pezzo. In sostanza, '39 è la vicenda fantastica di un individuo che abbandona i suoi cari per salpare <<verso mari lattei>>, a bordo di un vascello spaziale. lo scarto temporale fa sì che, al ritorno sulla terra, il ricongiungimento con i familiari sia difficile <<poichè sono trascorsi cento anni sebbene io sia più vecchio solo di un anno>>. Sembra che il chitarrista abbia composto questa canzone quale tentativo di esorcizzare il senso di alienazione e di separazione dal prossimo, classico di chi sale e scende ripetutamente da un palco. Una sensazione davvero difficile per una persona, come May, cresciuta in un ambiente molto semplice.

 
'In the year of thirty-nine' assembled here the volunteers
In the days when lands were few
Here the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn
The sweetest sight ever seen  
And the night followed day
And the story tellers say
That the score brave souls inside
For many a lonely day sailed across the milky seas
Never looked back never feared never cried
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
Write your letters in the sand
For the day I'll take your hand
In the land that our grand-children knew
 
'In the year of thirty-nine' came a ship from the blue
The volunteers came home that day
And they bring good news of a world so newly born
Though their hearts so heavily weigh
For the earth is old and grey little darlin' we'll away
But my love this cannot be
Oh so many years have gone though I'm older than a year
Your mothers eyes from your eyes cry to me
  
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
All your letters in the sand cannot heal me like your hand
For my life 
still ahead
pity me

Traduzione:

Death on two legs (dedicated to..) (Mercury)
Lazing on a Sunday afternoon (Mercury)
I’m in love with my car (Taylor)
You’re my best friend (Deacon)
‘39 (May)
Sweet lady (May)
Seaside rendezvous (Mercury)
The prophets song (May)
Love of my life (Mercury)
Good company (May)
Bohemian rapsody (Mercury)
God save the Queen (trad. arr. May)