Till There Was You
Anita Bryant Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

There were bells on a hill
But I never heard them ringing
No I never heard them at all
Till there was you

There were birds in the sky
But I never saw them winging
No I never saw them at all
Till there was you

Then there was music and wonderful roses
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew

There was love all around
But I never heard it singing
No I never heard it at all
Till there was you

Then there was music and wonderful roses
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew

There was love all around
But I never heard it singing




No I never heard it at all
Till there was you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Anita Bryant's song "Till There Was You" express the transformative power of love in one's perception of the world. The first two verses depict a world without sound and sight, where the bells ringing on a distant hill, and the birds flying in the sky remain unnoticed by the singer. Once love enters the picture, the world suddenly awakens, and the singer is eager to hear and see everything that previously went unnoticed. The final verse sums up the transformation, stating that "there was love all around," but it was only when the singer fell in love that she truly heard it.


Furthermore, the lyrics also describe how love leads to the discovery of beauty in the world. The reference to the "wonderful roses" and the "sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew" indicate that the singer is experiencing a newfound appreciation of the natural world. Love has enabled the singer to hear and see the beauty that has always existed around her, but she was previously unable to perceive.


Interestingly, "Till There Was You" was originally composed by Meredith Willson as part of his Broadway musical "The Music Man," which premiered in 1957. The song was sung in the show by the character Marian Paroo, a librarian who falls in love with the con man Harold Hill. The song was later covered by the Beatles for their album "With The Beatles" in 1963, introducing it to a new generation of listeners. Other notable covers of the song include versions by Peggy Lee, Shirley Bassey, and Barbra Streisand.


Line by Line Meaning

There were bells on a hill
There were beautiful things around me that I didn't notice.


But I never heard them ringing
I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I missed the beauty around me.


No I never heard them at all
I was oblivious to the wonders of the world.


Till there was you
Until I met you, I didn't know what I was missing.


There were birds in the sky
Nature was vibrant and alive around me.


But I never saw them winging
I was too distracted to notice the simplest pleasures in life.


Then there was music and wonderful roses
When I met you, my world was filled with new and joyful experiences.


They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew
Life became richer and more vibrant, like the beautiful meadows at the break of dawn.


There was love all around
The world was full of love, but I couldn't see it.


But I never heard it singing
I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to hear the love that surrounded me.


No I never heard it at all
I was deaf to the beauty and love in the world.


Till there was you
Until you came into my life, I didn't know what love truly was.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Meredith Wilson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Alexander

I don´t think the Beatles version is better, it´s just diferent.

Mark Brophy

@Darren Shan The Beatles version has 8.9 million views while this one has 4500. Paul McCartney still sings the song today at concerts.

Darren Shan

yep

Adam Epler

They spelled Willson’s name wrong on the record!

D.A. Elliott Jr.

I almost forgot this was not originally a Beatles song.

Steve

Unfortunately Paul McCartney's version is better!

Shrigma Male Videos

Bryant’s version isn’t as good as the original version either

Domingo J. Cabrera

@Steve The Beatles even admitted that they themselves weren't good at making music. The band was literally session musicians with input from Paul and Ringo while John and George were off doing drugs and their own thing. Anita is way better with the way this song was recorded. Beatles aren't timeless. This right here. Anita Bryant is as timeless as it gets.

m m

Old fashioned music

Steve

@Johnny Jackson: Just in case there were diehard Anita Bryant fans out there, that it's unfortunate for them, that the Beatles version is much better.

More Comments

More Versions