If You Only Knew
Al Denson Lyrics

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I would always wait for the perfect time
But now the time has come and gone
I hold onto the memories
As though we're still together
Longing for the strength to carry on
Ever since you've been gone

There's not a day that goes by

That I don't think of you and ask why
I won't get the chance now
To tell you goodbye
Or how much I lost losing you
If you only knew
If you only knew

Life has many pages
Some we wrote together
A story I must end alone
As I go on without you
You'll live with me forever
Knowing that one day we'll meet again
Up where the rainbows end

There's not a day that goes by
That I don't think of you and ask God why
I won't get the chance now
To tell you goodbye
And how much I lost losing you
If you only knew

I won't get the chance now
To tell you goodbye
Or how much I lost losing you
(If you only knew)
How much I lost losing you
(If you only knew)
My friend, how much I lost losing you
If you only knew

Oh, how much I love you

If you only knew
How much I love you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Al Denson's song If You Only Knew speak to the regrets and emotions of losing someone close. The opening lyrics convey the difficulty of moving on after a loved one has passed away. The singer longs for the strength to carry on and clings to memories of the past as they struggle to come to terms with the person being gone forever.

As the song progresses, the singer reflects on the life they shared with the person and the story that is now incomplete without them. They hold onto the hope that they will one day be reunited with their loved one in an afterlife represented metaphorically by "up where the rainbows end."

The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's pain and loss in not being able to say goodbye or express their love one last time. The repetition of the phrase "if you only knew" underscores the singer's regret in not fully expressing their feelings before it was too late.

Line by Line Meaning

I would always wait for the perfect time
I used to wait for the right moment to say or do something

But now the time has come and gone
But now it's too late for me to do what I should have done

I hold onto the memories
I cherish the memories of us together

As though we're still together
I pretend that you are still here with me

Longing for the strength to carry on
I wish I had the courage to move on

Ever since you've been gone
Since you left, it's been hard for me to cope

There's not a day that goes by
There is no day without

That I don't think of you and ask why
I think of you and wonder why things went wrong

I won't get the chance now
I'll never have the opportunity

To tell you goodbye
To say farewell for the last time

Or how much I lost losing you
Or how terrible it was for me to lose you