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Words I Couldn't Say
Leighton Meester Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

In a book, in a box, in the closet
In a line, in a song I once heard
In a moment on a front porch late one June
In a breath inside a whisper beneath the moon

There it was at the tips of my fingers
There it was on the tip of my tongue
There you were and I had never been that far
There it was the whole world wrapped inside my arms

And I let it all slip away

What do I do now that you're gone
No back up plan, no second chance
And no one else to blame
All I can hear in the silence that remains
Are the words I couldn't say

There's a rain that will never stop fallin'
There's a wall that I tried to take down
What I should have said just wouldn't pass my lips
So I held back and now we've come to this

And it's too late now

What do I do now that you're gone
No back up plan, no second chance
And no one else to blame
All I can hear in the silence that remains
Are the words I couldn't say

What do I do now that you're gone
No back up plan, no second chance
And no one else to blame
All I can hear in the silence that remains
Are the words I couldn't say

Overall Meaning

Leighton Meester's song "Words I Couldn't Say" reflects on the emotions that arise when a relationship ends and the regret of not expressing oneself when one had the chance. The first stanza sets the stage of the different places where the singer possesses the words that could have changed the course of her relationship. The use of imagery in the "breath inside a whisper" and "beneath the moon" create a romantic and dreamy ambiance. However, it is the refrain that brings everything into perspective.


The chorus acts as a lament for the words the singer could not say. The singer conveys the feeling of being helpless and lost as she has no "back up plan" and "no second chance." She acknowledges that nothing can be done to make things right as there is no one else to blame but herself. The "silence that remains" is an indication of the emptiness and regret that she cannot escape.


The last stanza is a final acceptance of the loss, represented by the "rain that will never stop falling" and the "wall that I tried to take down." The final line, "are the words I couldn't say," conveys the theme of the song elegantly. The lyrics have a distinct inner monologue feel to them, which makes the listener empathize with the sentiments.


Line by Line Meaning

In a book, in a box, in the closet
Memories of our love are hidden away


In a line, in a song I once heard
Our love was like a melody, but now it's just a memory


In a moment on a front porch late one June
That moment we shared was like a dream that ended too soon


In a breath inside a whisper beneath the moon
Our love was like a secret that only the moon and the stars knew


There it was at the tips of my fingers
Our love was within reach, but I let it slip away


There it was on the tip of my tongue
The words I needed to say were just out of reach


There you were and I had never been that far
You were my everything, and I had never loved anyone that much before


There it was, the whole world wrapped inside my arms
When we were together, it felt like we had the whole world in our embrace


And I let it all slip away
I made a mistake, and I lost you forever


What do I do now that you're gone
My world has come crashing down since you left


No back up plan, no second chance
I have nothing left to fall back on, and no chance to make things right


And no one else to blame
I can't blame anyone else for my mistakes


All I can hear in the silence that remains
All I'm left with is the silence and emptiness of my life without you


Are the words I couldn't say
The words that could have changed everything, but now it's too late


There's a rain that will never stop fallin'
My heart is filled with sadness that will never go away


There's a wall that I tried to take down
I tried to break down the barriers that kept us apart, but I failed


What I should have said just wouldn't pass my lips
I knew what I needed to say, but I couldn't bring myself to say it


So I held back and now we've come to this
My fear and hesitation caused me to lose you


And it's too late now
I can't turn back time and make things right




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GREGORY BECKER, STEVE ROBSON, TAMMI KIDD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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