Memory
A.Lloyd-Webber Lyrics
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And a rose that is fading
Roses whither away like the sunflower
I yearn to turn my face to the dawn
I am waiting for the day
Midnight, not a sound from the pavement
Has the moon lost her memory?
The withered leaves collect at my feet
And the wind begins to moan
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days, I was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Every street lamp
Seems to beat a fatalistic warning
Someone mutters and the street lamp gutters
And soon it will be morning
Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in when the dawn comes
Tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale cold smell of morning
The street lamp dies, another night is over
Another day is dawning
Touch me, it's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun if you touch me
You'll understand what happiness is
Look
A new day has begun
The lyrics to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s song “Memory” tell the story of a woman who is looking back on her life and longing for the happiness she once knew. The woman is waiting for the sun to rise, symbolizing a new beginning and the opportunity for happiness once again. The use of the sunflower and rose imagery emphasizes the temporality of life and how beauty fades over time. The contrast between daylight and midnight is used to represent the woman's emotional state, with her feeling hopeful in daylight and melancholic at night. The motif of the street lamp plays a significant role throughout the song, symbolizing the woman's loneliness and the passage of time.
The title of the song, “Memory,” was originally “Come Back to Me” during the early stages of composing “Cats.” However, T.S. Eliot's widow, who had granted rights of the poems to the composer, requested that the song be changed to about “Memory,” as she felt it matched the mood of the poem better.
Line by Line Meaning
Daylight, see the dew on the sunflower
Observing the dew on the sunflower as the sun rises
And a rose that is fading
Noting a dying rose alongside the sunflower
Roses whither away like the sunflower
Recognizing the transience of both roses and sunflowers
I yearn to turn my face to the dawn
Longing to face forward towards the future
I am waiting for the day
Anticipating the arrival of a new day
Midnight, not a sound from the pavement
Observing the stillness of the night
Has the moon lost her memory?
Questioning why the moon appears without emotion or recognition
She is smiling alone in the lamplight
Noticing the moon smiling in the light of a streetlamp
The withered leaves collect at my feet
Noting fallen leaves piling up at their feet
And the wind begins to moan
Hearing the sound of the wind picking up
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
Recalling a memory under the moonlight
I can smile at the old days, I was beautiful then
Finding joy in past beauty and happiness
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Reflecting on a time of true happiness
Let the memory live again
Wishing to rekindle a joyous memory
Every street lamp seems to beat a fatalistic warning
Feeling a sense of doom in the warning of every streetlamp
Someone mutters and the street lamp gutters
Hearing a disconcerting mutter and seeing the flickering of a streetlamp
And soon it will be morning
Realizing that the night will soon be over
Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
Waiting for the arrival of the sun and the day ahead
I must think of a new life
Contemplating new opportunities and a fresh start
And I mustn't give in when the dawn comes
Not surrendering to despair as a new day approaches
Tonight will be a memory too
Recognizing that the present will soon become a memory
And a new day will begin
Anticipating the start of a new day
Burnt out ends of smoky days
Noting the end of a period of intense activity
The stale cold smell of morning
Breathing in the scent of a new day
The street lamp dies, another night is over
Watching the streetlamp go out, signifying the end of the night
Another day is dawning
Looking forward to the start of a new day
Touch me, it's so easy to leave me
Acknowledging their vulnerability and the ease of being abandoned
All alone with the memory
Feeling isolated with only their memories
Of my days in the sun if you touch me
Hinting at the comfort of past happiness
You'll understand what happiness is
Implying that true happiness is difficult to find
Look
Drawing attention to something imminent
A new day has begun
Celebrating the start of a new day
Lyrics © CONSALAD CO., Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trevor Nunn, T.S. Eliot, Zdenek Hruby
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Tune: BELLA :}
Whenever she hits that note at "touch me!" I get goosebumps I feel like I could just faint and die her voice is that powerful😭
Carlos Cordero
That's when I cry. Waterworks.
hillock10
Here we have probably THE greatest song ever written for the theatre and beyond and sung beautifully. The chord progression is stunning, as the foundation for a captivating melody.
Kacie Loryn
Andrew is a legend, he is such a genius!
ali ali
He stole it from my country. And it wasn't written for the theatre. It's a song we been singing in my country since 60s. Sick if people getting praise for stolen material
hillock10
@ali ali Can you provide more info here? What country are you talking about? And what is the name of the song in your country? And can you refer to the actual musical score of the song? This would help.
ali ali
There's a link. It's from Latvia. Listen to all of it to hear it
SylvEdu
The older you get, the more this song hurts...
K Usuario
Lmao so true
The Tune: BELLA :}
😭