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I Dreamed a Dream
Ruthie Henshall Lyrics


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There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

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
When 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
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
As they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he'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

In Ruthie Henshall's rendition of the song "I Dreamed a Dream," the lyrics reflect the life of a woman who had a happy life in the past, but is now living a miserable existence. At the beginning of the song, the lyrics describe a time when men were kind and love was pure. The world was filled with hope and wonder, and the future was looking bright. However, everything changed and it all went wrong. The woman dreamed of a time when love and hope still existed, and God was forgiving. It was a time when she was young and unafraid and everything seemed possible. But that was all just a dream.


The lyrics of the song reflect the woman's desperate situation, and her attempt to deal with it. She remembers the happy times she once had, and the man who shared them with her. However, he was gone and she is now living in a terrible situation. She dreams that the man will someday come back to her and they will be able to live out their years together. However, there are dreams that cannot come true, and there are storms that are too much to bear. The woman realizes that her life is not the one she had hoped for, and that the dream she once had is now gone.


Overall, the song portrays a sense of sadness, loss, and despair. The lyrics speak to anyone who has ever gone through a difficult time in their life and come out on the other side feeling defeated. It is a powerful reminder that sometimes we have to let go of the dreams that we had for ourselves and accept the reality of the situation.


Line by Line Meaning

There was a time when men were kind
There was a time when men were gentle and compassionate


When their voices were soft
When their tone conveyed warmth and tenderness


And their words inviting
And their words were welcoming and encouraging


There was a time when love was blind
There was a time when one could love without judgment or reservation


And the world was a song
And the world was filled with joy and possibility


And the song was exciting
And the possibilities were endless


There was a time
This time is now long gone


Then it all went wrong
Then something changed, and everything fell apart


I dreamed a dream in time gone by
I had a beautiful dream of the past


When hope was high
When there was much to be optimistic about


And life worth living
And life held great promise and purpose


I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that love would be eternal


I dreamed that God would be forgiving
I hoped that God would be merciful and kind


Then I was young and unafraid
Then I was full of courage and confidence


When dreams were made and used and wasted
When dreams were abundant and could be both fulfilled and ignored


There was no ransom to be paid
There was no cost too high to achieve one's aspirations


No song unsung, no wine untasted
Nothing was left undone or untried


But the tigers come at night
But sometimes unexpected danger or hardship can arrive


With their voices soft as thunder
With a menacing presence that contradicts their quietness


As they tear your hope apart
As they destroy your aspirations


As they turn your dream to shame
As they make your dream feel foolish or embarrassing


He slept a summer by my side
He spent a blissful summer with me as my companion


He filled my days with endless wonder
He made every day exciting and new


He took my childhood in his stride
He helped me transition from childish innocence to a more mature perspective


But he was gone when autumn came
But he disappeared before the next season could arrive


And still I dream he'll come to me
And yet I still hope he will return


That we will live the years together
That we will reunite and spend the rest of our lives together


But there are dreams that cannot be
But sometimes dreams can never be realized, no matter how much we want them


And there are storms we cannot weather
And sometimes we cannot overcome the challenges that life presents us with


I had a dream my life would be
I once had a vision of what my life could be like


So different from this hell I'm living
A life that is drastically different from the miserable existence I am experiencing now


So different now from what it seemed
So different from what I imagined it would be


Now life has killed the dream I dreamed
Now reality has crushed the dream I once had




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alain Albert Boublil, Claude Michel Schonberg, Herbert Kretzmer, Jean Marc Natel

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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