I Dreamed a Dream
Patti LuPone Lyrics
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Their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And that song was exciting
There was a time, and it all went wrong
I dreamed a dream in days 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
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 dreamed he'd come to me
That we would 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 diff'rent from this hell I'm living
So diff'rent now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed
Patti LuPone's song "I Dreamed a Dream" is a heartbreaking and poignant story of a woman reflecting on her past dreams and the reality of her present situation. She reminisces on a time when men were kind and love was blind, singing of a world where hope was high and life was worth living. The woman's dreams involved love that would never die, and forgiveness from God, things that now seem unattainable. The lyrics describe a time when she was young and unafraid, and dreams seemed to come easily, but now she is waking up to her current reality, where tigers come at night to tear her hope apart and turn her dream into shame.
The repetition of the phrases "I dreamed a dream" and "there was a time" help to emphasize the woman's sense of loss and the stark contrast between her past and present. This is also seen in the way the song progresses from hopeful and dreamy to dark and mournful, symbolizing the woman's descent from a place of hope and happiness into one of sadness and despair. The woman who once had a partner filled her days with endless wonder, is now living in a hellish reality after being abandoned in the autumn.
This song is a powerful representation of the struggle between dreams and reality, and how sometimes the two are irreconcilable. The lyrics capture the essence of a broken dream and the feeling of the unattainable. It is reflective of our own struggles to hold on to our own dreams, a reminder that life can be fleeting and that we should cherish the moments while we can.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a time when men were kind
In the past, men used to behave in a kinder way
Their voices were soft
They spoke in a gentle tone
And their words inviting
Their words felt welcoming and pleasant
There was a time when love was blind
There was a period when love could not see the truth
And the world was a song
The world felt like a beautiful melody
And that song was exciting
It was an engaging and thrilling experience
There was a time, and it all went wrong
Unfortunately, the time has passed and now everything is going in the wrong direction
I dreamed a dream in days gone by
In the past, I had a dream
When hope was high and life worth living
When I had a positive outlook on life and considered it valuable
I dreamed that love would never die
I hoped that love would last forever
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
I hoped that God would forgive my mistakes
Then I was young and unafraid
During that time, I was young and didn't have any fear
And dreams were made and used and wasted
I had a lot of dreams, some of which became reality while others didn't
There was no ransom to be paid
I didn't have to pay any price or suffer any consequences
No song unsung no wine untasted
I experienced everything that life had to offer
But the tigers come at night
At nighttime, fears and uncertainty can take hold
With their voices soft as thunder
Despite the gentle tone, their words can carry a lot of weight
As they tear your hope apart
They can shatter your hope and leave you feeling hopeless
As they turn your dream to shame
They can make your dream feel like something shameful and unbearable
He slept a summer by my side
During the summer, he was next to me
He filled my days with endless wonder
He made my days feel full of amazing experiences and discoveries
He took my childhood in his stride
He accepted and honored my past and where I came from
But he was gone when autumn came
Unfortunately, when the autumn season arrived, he left
And still I dreamed he'd come to me
Despite everything, I held onto the hope that he would come back to me
That we would live the years together
I had the dream of living with him for the rest of my life
But there are dreams that cannot be
Some dreams are simply unattainable no matter how much we want them
And there are storms we cannot weather
Some situations are too hard to handle, and we cannot overcome them
I had a dream my life would be
I had imagined this idea of what my life should look like
So diff'rent from this hell I'm living
I never expected that my life would be so difficult and unbearable
So diff'rent now from what it seemed
The reality of my life is much different than what it appeared to be before
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed
The harsh reality of life has destroyed my dream
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alain Albert Boublil, Claude Michel Schonberg, Herbert Kretzmer, Jean Marc Natel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
boynamedalexxx
Ruthie Henshall is, for me, the prime interpreter of this song. But let us not forget that Ms. LuPone sang it before any other. She was the first Fantine, and, furthermore, the first American actor to win an Olivier award...respect this living legend!
Liche Christ
Yes, that's all very good but, ... that Chenille rug provided as a wig for her role as Fantine was terribly distracting! Word had it that wig maker left a trail of bald sheep in his/her trail!
joseph norem
Her face is far too harsh and brutal to be Fantine on tv or film.
Mirror
there's sophistication in her performance and I felt the sheer emotion. love this performance, less acrobat, more emotion!
Liche Christ
Oui!
Barry Brunetti
Every time Patti LuPone steps on a stage, I hold my breath waiting for that first note. She is breathtaking and a gem of the theatre.
Prue Warren
Perfectly sang and perfectly acted... am so moved... Patti LuPone is truly one of the best... she is a gem in theatrical arts
Pearl the rebel
How is she so amazing? The Queen of Broadway. Yellow Diamond.
Jay Cuberto
I like to sing, just not around people
RL Rod
Her voice is endless, if that's even possible. She lives this moment and because she does, so do I