When I first heard this song as a kid and a lover of mountains, I was struck by these lines as quite possibly the most beautifully lilting lines I'd ever heard in any song. Only scarcely aware at best of the song's overall message that would explain why he was telling anyone that she should be ashamed, I heard the song as a celebration of mountain vistas, as evidenced by the opening lines, "High on a mountain, lookindg down on a city". It all seemed just beautiful and enchanting to me back then. But on hearing it again as a grown-up, I realized that the song is actually a lament about a lost love, for all its rousing tune and alpine imagery.