Once I Loved
Antonio Carlos Jobim; Frank Sinatra Lyrics

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Once, once I loved and I gave so much love
To this love, you were the world to me
Once I cried at the thought
I was foolish and proud and let you say goodbye

Then one day
From my infinite sadness you came
And brought me love again

Now I know that no matter what ever befalls
I'll never let you go

I will hold you close
Make you stay
Because love is the saddest thing

When it goes away
Love is the saddest thing when it goes away

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "Once I Loved" by Frank Sinatra are about love and loss. The singer talks about a past love that was everything to him/her, but he/she made the mistake of letting it go. The singer reflects on this and is saddened by the thought that he/she was foolish and proud enough to let the love of his/her life walk away. However, the singer is redeemed when his/her current love brings him/her out of sadness and reminds him/her how important love is.

There are different interpretations of the song, but it seems to be about learning from past mistakes and cherishing the love that one has in the present. The song expresses that love can be the source of great happiness but also great pain. The singer wants to cling to his/her love and never let it go, knowing that it is the most precious thing in his/her life.

Line by Line Meaning

Once, once I loved and I gave so much love
There was a time when I loved deeply and gave all the love I had.

To this love, you were the world to me
You were the center of my universe, my everything in this relationship.

Once I cried at the thought
I shed tears when I realized the mistake I made in letting you go.

I was foolish and proud and let you say goodbye
I was foolish to let my pride get in the way and allow you to leave me.

Then one day
However, on one fateful day,

From my infinite sadness you came
You arrived and brought love into my life when I was overwhelmed with sadness.

And brought me love again
You rekindled the love that I thought was lost and helped me find happiness once again.

Now I know that no matter what ever befalls
I have learned that no matter what happens in the future,

I'll never let you go
I will never let you leave me again.

I will hold you close
I will keep you close to me always,

Make you stay
And do everything in my power to make sure you never leave my side.

Because love is the saddest thing
The reason I hold on so tightly to you is because love can be the saddest thing,

When it goes away
Especially when it fades away and leaves you feeling empty and alone.

Lyrics © CORCOVADO MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: Antonio Carlos Brasileiro De A Jobim, Marcus Vinicius Da Cruz De M. Moraes, Ray Gilbert

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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