Day After Day
Alan Parsons Project辣 Lyrics

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Lead vocal: jack harris

Gaze at the sky
And picture a memory
Of days in your life
You knew what it meant to be happy and free
With time on your side

Remember your daddy
When no one was wiser
Your ma used to say
That you would go further than he ever could
With time on your side

Think of a boy with the stars in his eye
Longing to reach them but frightened to try
Sadly, you'd say, someday, someday

But day after day
The show must go on
And time slipped away
Before you could build any castles in spain
The chance had gone by

With nothing to say
And no one to say it to

Nothing has changed
You've still got it all to do
Surely you know
The chance has gone by

Think of a boy with the stars in his eye
Longing to reach them but frightened to try
Sadly, you'd say, someday, someday

But, day after day
The show must go on
And you gaze at the sky
And picture a memory of days in your life
With time on your side

With time on your side
(day after day the show must go on)

With time on your side
(day after day the show must go on)

Overall Meaning

The Alan Parsons Project’s song “Day After Day” is a reflective and nostalgic piece about lost opportunities and the passage of time. In the first verse, the song encourages the listener to look up at the sky and imagine a moment in their past when they felt happy and free. This moment is tied to “time on your side”, which suggests that the singer is talking about a time in the listener’s youth when they had the luxury of time and unbridled potential.

The second verse shifts to a memory of the listener’s father and his mother’s belief that he would achieve great things in his life. This memory is bitter-sweet, since it represents the idealism and hope of a young person, but also the pressure and expectations that often come with such praise. The chorus of the song features the repeated phrase “Day after day, the show must go on” which seems to indicate that despite these hopes and dreams, life continues on and time marches forward regardless.

The final verse of the song is much more melancholic, with the singer lamenting the fact that many opportunities in the listener’s life have passed by unnoticed, and that they are left with “nothing to say and no one to say it to”. The final lines of the song return to the idea of looking up at the sky and imagining memories of happier times, but the repetitive “day after day” refrain in the chorus suggests that these memories are just that – memories. The song is a mournful reminder that life continues on, and that opportunities for happiness and achievement can slip by if one is not careful.

Line by Line Meaning

Gaze at the sky
Take a moment to look up at the sky

And picture a memory
Imagine a moment from the past

Of days in your life
Remember a time when you were younger

You knew what it meant to be happy and free
You understood what it was like to feel happy and unburdened

With time on your side
When you had plenty of time ahead of you

Remember your daddy
Think of your father

When no one was wiser
When he seemed to know everything

Your ma used to say
Your mother would tell you

That you would go further than he ever could
You were capable of achieving more than your father did

Think of a boy with the stars in his eye
Imagine a young boy with a sense of wonder and hope

Longing to reach them but frightened to try
Wanting to pursue his dreams but too afraid to take action