[Verse 1: Eric Clapton & Marcella Detroit]
Every morning when I wake
A feeling soon begins to overtake me
Ringing in my ears resounds through my brain, it finally surrounds me
There is fire, there is life
There is passion, fever and fury
There is love and there is hate
There is longing, anger and worry
[Chorus: Eric Clapton & Marcella Detroit]
Oh, I am the flame, feel it touch my heart
And down at my core is the hottest part
I can burn without fuel
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 2: Eric Clapton & Marcella Detroit]
If it should become too cold
I know I can endure the frostbite
Ooh, a blanket then I'll wrap around me
I keep myself so close to my side
Well, no one then can cause me harm
Just as the river runs into the sea
Because every day, your fire alarm
Is deafening the silence all around me
[Chorus: Eric Clapton & Marcella Detroit]
Oh, I am the flame, feel it touch my heart
And down at my core is the hottest part
I can burn without fuel
[Post-Chorus: Marcella Detroit]
Oh, it's burning
Yes, it's burning
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 3: Eric Clapton & Marcella Detroit]
Ah, you can trust me, we can laugh
Together, we can share our sorrow
And I will give you secrets too
An attitude that you may borrow
A gypsy woman said to me
One thing you must bear in your mind
You are young and you are free
But damned if you're deceased in your own lifetime
[Chorus: Eric Clapton & Marcella Detroit]
Oh, you have a flame, feel it in your heart
And down at my core is the hottest part
We can run without fuel
You might not remember the title of this song, but you won't forget the guitar riff, which kicks in right away and plays for the next 8 minutes and 45 seconds. The song is called "The Core," named for a line in the chorus:
Oh, you have a flame, feel it in your heart
And down at the core is the hottest part
But that repeating riff is the star of the show. When Clapton came up with it, he used it as the basis of the song.
Clapton wrote this song with Marcy Levy, who shares the lead vocal with him. Levy was one of his longtime backup singers and occasional co-writer - they also wrote "Lay Down Sally" together. Levy was one of Bob Seger's backup singers before joining Clapton in 1974. In 1988, using the name Marcella Detroit, she joined former Bananarama singer Siobhan Fahey to form Shakespear's Sister, which had a huge UK hit with "Stay."