‘Wishing Well’ is a song by the English rock band Free. It was written by the entire group about their close friend Bevan T. Woodhouse. It was released in December 1972 as a single and entered the UK Singles Chart on 13 January 1973, reaching number 7. The single was re-released in 1985 and reached number 96 in the UK Singles Chart. The song is featured on the band's sixth and final studio album, Heartbreaker. It was their final hit single before the group disbanded in 1973, with Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke going on to form Bad Company.
Many have interpreted such lyrics as "Throw down your gun you might shoot yourself, or is that what you're trying to do," to be aimed at the band's guitarist Paul Kossoff, who had developed a serious drug habit. However, vocalist and lyricist Paul Rodgers denied this was the case. He told Uncut magazine: "It's just a song that I wrote about an imaginary person." Paul Rodgers later admitted to the same publication: "I wrote 'Wishing Well' as a fun tune to play live, but unconsciously it may have been about people I knew."
Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic said: “Lyrically, the song can be interpreted many ways, but it appears, on the surface, to be an angry message to a friend with heavy substance abuse problems who has one foot in 'the wishing well', which is possibly an analogy for 'one foot in the grave'. Next to ‘All Right Now’, this is indeed the band's most important - and perhaps finest moment.”
Record World called it a "heavy number that could bounce [Free] back to hitsville." Excluding the 1991 remix of "All Right Now," this was the last of Free's three UK Top 10 hits.
Label – Island
Songwriters – Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Tetsu Yamauchi, John Bundrick, Paul Kossoff
Producers – Free, Andy Johns
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]Take off your hat, kick off your shoes
I know you ain't going anywhere
Run 'round the town singing your blues
I know you ain't going anywhere
[Chorus]
You've always been a good friend of mine
But you're always saying farewell
And the only time that you're satisfied
Is with your feet in the wishing well
[Verse 2]
Throw down your gun, you might shoot yourself
Or is that what you're trying to do?
Put up a fight you believe to be right
And someday the sun will shine through
[Chorus]
You've always got something to hide
Something you just can't tell
And the only time that you're satisfied
Is with your feet in the wishing well
[Bridge]
And I know what you're wishing for
Love and a peaceful world
Love and a peaceful world
Love and a peaceful world
Love and a peaceful world
[Chorus]
You've always been a good friend of mine
But you're always saying farewell
And the only time that you're satisfied
Is with your feet in the wishing well
[Outro]
I wish you well
The wishing well
Everybody has a wish
Everybody has a dream
I wish you well
You have to dream your own dream