I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high and life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
(But the tigers come at night)
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
(As they tear your hope apart)
As they turn your dream to shame

And still I dreamed that she'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

Overall Meaning

The song "I Dreamed A Dream" by Glee and Idina Menzel is a powerful ballad that speaks to the experience of having a dream and watching it fade away. The song opens with the singer dreaming of a time when life was worth living, when love was eternal and when God was forgiving. It's a time that feels long gone, and as the song continues it becomes clear that these dreams have been destroyed by harsh realities. Dreams that were once made, used and wasted are now impossible to realize. The singer feels helpless as they face the tigers that come in the night, who tear apart their hope and turn their dream to shame.

Despite the darkness of the verse, there is still a glimmer of hope in the chorus. The singer believes that their love will come to them and that they will live many happy years together. However, the song ends with a bitter realization that some dreams cannot be and that there are storms that cannot be weathered. The singer's dream of a different life has been killed by a harsh and unforgiving reality.

It's a hauntingly beautiful song that speaks to the universal experience of having a dream and watching it fade away. The lyrics have been interpreted in many different ways, but ultimately they are about the struggle of hope in the face of adversity.

Line by Line Meaning

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
I once had a dream of a better life.

When hope was high and life worth living
Back when I was optimistic about the future and believed in the value of life.

I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that true love would last forever.

I dreamed that God would be forgiving
I wished for God's forgiveness and mercy.

Then I was young and unafraid
I had courage and confidence when I was younger.

And dreams were made and used and wasted
I created and pursued many dreams that did not come to fruition or were not fulfilling.

There was no ransom to be paid
There was nothing to hold me back from pursuing my dreams.

No song unsung no wine untasted
I lived my life fully and without regrets.

But the tigers come at night
But, at night, my fears and troubles become overwhelming.

(But the tigers come at night)

With their voices soft as thunder
The fears and worries whisper to me, but their impact is strong.

As they tear your hope apart
They destroy my optimism and hope for the future.

(As they tear your hope apart)

As they turn your dream to shame
They bring me down and make me feel ashamed for having dreams.

And still I dreamed that she'll come to me
Despite it all, I still held on to hope that I would find true love.

That we will live the years together
That we would spend the rest of our lives together.

But there are dreams that cannot be
Fate sometimes prevents our dreams from coming true.

And there are storms we cannot weather
There are obstacles that we cannot overcome.

I had a dream my life would be
I once imagined a different and better life for myself.

So different from this hell I'm living
So different from the miserable and difficult life I have now.

So different now from what it seemed
My life turned out to be drastically different from what I once imagined.

Now life has killed the dream I dreamed
Reality and life have shattered the dream I once held onto.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAIN ALBERT BOUBLIL, CLAUDE MICHEL SCHONBERG, HERBERT KRETZMER, JEAN MARC NATEL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind