Meditation
Antonio Carlos Jobim & Tom Jobim Lyrics


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In my loneliness
When you're gone and I'm all by myself
And I need your caress
I just think of you
And the thought of you holding me near
Makes my loneliness soon disappear

Though you're far away
I have only to close my eyes
And you are back to stay
I just close my eyes
And the sadness that missing you brings
Soon is gone and this heart of mine sings

Yes I love you so
And that for me is all I need to know

I will wait for you
Til the sun falls from out of the sky
For what else can I do
I will wait for you meditating




How sweet life will be
When you come back to me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Meditation" by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Tom Jobim describe the feeling of loneliness that one feels when separated from a loved one. The singer expresses that when they are left alone, they long for the caress of the person they love. However, the thought of the person holding them near helps to rid their loneliness. It’s said that even when the person is far away, just closing their eyes brings them back and takes away the sadness brought by missing them. The singer’s love for this person is so strong that they are willing to wait for them until the sun falls out of the sky. The singer meditates on how sweet life will be once their loved one returns.


The song has a melancholic yet soothing melody that mirrors the mood conveyed in the lyrics. The repetition of the line "I just close my eyes" serves to reinforce the idea that the singer can conjure their loved one’s presence through pure thought. The last line drives home the singer’s point: love is all they need to know.


Line by Line Meaning

In my loneliness
When I'm feeling lonely


When you're gone and I'm all by myself
When you're not here with me


And I need your caress
And I long for your touch


I just think of you
I just remember you


And the thought of you holding me near
And the memory of you holding me close


Makes my loneliness soon disappear
Makes me feel less lonely


Though you're far away
Even though you're not here with me


I have only to close my eyes
I just need to close my eyes


And you are back to stay
And I can feel like you're here with me


I just close my eyes
I close my eyes


And the sadness that missing you brings
And the sadness that comes from missing you


Soon is gone and this heart of mine sings
Quickly goes away and my heart feels happy again


Yes I love you so
I love you very much


And that for me is all I need to know
And that's all I need to be happy


I will wait for you
I will patiently wait for you


Til the sun falls from out of the sky
Until the end of time


For what else can I do
Because there's nothing else I can do


I will wait for you meditating
I will wait for you while meditating and reflecting on our love


How sweet life will be
How wonderful life will be


When you come back to me
When you return to me




Contributed by Penelope Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@straightawayproject

Quem acreditou
No amor, no sorriso, na flor
Entao sonhou, sonhou...
E perdeu a paz
O amor, o sorriso e a flor
Se transformam depressa demais




Quem, no coraçao
Abrigou a tristeza de ver tudo isto se perder
E, na solidao
Procurou um caminho e seguiu,
Já descrente de um dia feliz




Quem chorou, chorou
E tanto que seu pranto já secou
Quem depois voltou
Ao amor, ao sorriso e à flor
Então tudo encontrou
E a própria dor
Revelou o caminho do amor
E a tristeza acabou








Composição: Newton Mendonça / Tom Jobim



All comments from YouTube:

@bondish53

first heard it in bierut on our terrace overlooking the med in 1966 on bbc radio.  I was 12 years old and blown away.

@RichieALevy

One of my top 5 Bossa Nova songs. I totally agree with you Ric. I've been singing,and playing this for decades . Saha@

@cliftonboyz1959

Ric Lewis what a beautiful setting...the French Riviera of the ME.....now look at it.

@marcogil6665

Thanks for sharing your memory, I traveled in my mind to that setting,never been to beirut.

@colinpadley1897

Lovely story, music is international.

@DynamicVibeCraft

I’ve never thought this song could be that “old”. This song is so amazing and fantastic. You are very lucky that you could overlook the med at the age of 12. My dad was born in 1954 too, when he was 12, he was suffering from starvation.

@JorgeVergaraV.

Que belleza de canción, que gran belleza caray!! ...recuerdo una noche de 1978 al terminar de trabajar, en el centro de Lima, me compré el mejor disco de Antonio Carlos Jobim, tiene obras tan hermosas como Chica de Ipanema, A felicidade, Insensatez y otras así. Me quitó mi ansiedad y problemas que estaba enfrentando ... así es la música! - Gracias señor bad901!

@jhana.2023

My country .. Brazil is full of talent in music. The maestro Tom Jobim is just one of them. Too beautiful ... too much ...

@imaginativelads

I didn't know all these fans existed. Fell in love with Bossa Nova 15 yrs ago and never fallen out of love like so many genres before it. The Bossa Nova finds you, when you're ready.

@atimtambaby

***** I love it, "The Bossa Nova finds you when you are ready." Touche!

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