He said, "I'll love you till I die"
She told him, "You'll forget in time"
As the years went slowly by
She still preyed upon his mind

He kept her picture on his wall
Went half crazy now and then
But he still loved her through it all
Hoping she'd come back again

Kept some letters by his bed
Dated 1962
He had underlined in red
Every single, I love you

I went to see him just today
Oh, but I didn't see no tears
All dressed up to go away
First time I'd seen him smile in years

He stopped loving her today
They placed a wreath upon his door
And soon they'll carry him away
He stopped loving her today

(Ooh)
You know, she came to see him one last time (ooh)
Ah, and we all wondered if she would (ooh)
And it kept runnin' through my mind (ooh)
"This time he's over her for good"

He stopped loving her today
They placed a wreath upon his door
And soon they'll carry him away
He stopped loving her today

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to George Jones's "He Stopped Loving Her Today" tells the story of a man who never got over the love of his life. Despite her telling him that he would eventually forget her and move on, the man continued to hold on to her memory for years to come. He kept a picture of her on his wall, letters from her bedside, and even underlined all the times she said "I love you" in red ink. Even though he would go through periods of feeling insane, he still held on to the hope that she would come back to him.

As the story goes, the man eventually passes away still holding onto love for this woman. It is not until the end of the song when it is revealed that the woman had come to see him one last time. The lyrics are incredibly powerful and evoke strong emotions of heartbreak, longing, and a never-ending love. Jones's exquisite voice brings the lyrics to life and conveys the emotion behind the words.

One of the most interesting facts about "He Stopped Loving Her Today" is that it was initially rejected by numerous record labels before finally being recorded by Jones in 1980. The song quickly became a massive hit and went on to be considered one of his greatest works. Additionally, the song's writer, Bobby Braddock, was initially hesitant to allow Jones to record the song due to the country legend's reputation for missing studio sessions and abusing alcohol. However, Braddock ultimately acquiesced, and the resulting song went on to become one of the most successful hits of Jones's career.

Line by Line Meaning

He said, 'I'll love you till I die'
He promised to love her forever

She told him, 'You'll forget in time'
She didn't believe his promise and thought he would move on

As the years went slowly by
Time passed and they went their separate ways

She still preyed upon his mind
He couldn't stop thinking about her

He kept her picture on his wall
He held onto their memories and cherished her image

Went half crazy now and then
He struggled with his emotions and sometimes lost control

But he still loved her through it all
Despite the pain, he never stopped loving her

Hoping she'd come back again
He longed for her return

Kept some letters by his bed
He held onto the written expressions of her love

Dated 1962
He treasured these letters from a time long ago

He had underlined in red
To emphasize the significance of her love