He Will Wash You White as Snow
Aretha Franklin Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

If they had ever told me
How sweet a kiss could be
I would have said, impossible,
Impossible for me

And if they said, you'll find love
Beyond the rainbows end
I would have said, Impossible,
Impossible, my friend.

To dream about what might have been
Is strange enough for me
But now it seems I'm livin' in
A dream too beautiful to be

If they had said a moonbeam
Would calm a stormy sea
I would have said, impossible,
But now at last I see




That nothing is impossible
If you are here with me.

Overall Meaning

In Aretha Franklin's song "He Will Wash You White as Snow," the singer immerses themselves in the thoughts of their past, imagining what could have been if they had only known how sweet a kiss could be or believed in the possibility of finding love. They admit to previously doubting that anything beautiful could happen and dismissing the notion of impossible things. However, they have now found someone who has transformed their cynicism and made them see that anything is possible, even moonbeams calming stormy seas. They have found hope in the impossible with the assurance that everything can be washed clean and pure as snow.


The song speaks to a universal longing for hope and faith in something seemingly impossible. It conveys the idea that with the right person in your life, everything can change, that you can achieve the impossible. The lyrics serve as a reminder that even in the midst of darkness and despair, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.


Line by Line Meaning

If they had ever told me
I had never expected to experience such sweetness, had anyone forewarned me of it.


How sweet a kiss could be
They had never experienced any kiss as sweet as the one they just had.


I would have said, impossible,
I would have denied it possible at the time.


Impossible for me
I had never thought it was possible for me.


And if they said, you'll find love
Similarly, had anyone said that I would find love.


Beyond the rainbows end
Beyond where it had always seemed impossible to reach.


Impossible, Impossible, my friend.
I would have dismissed the idea as an impossibility, my friend.


To dream about what might have been
They had imagined what their life would be like under different circumstances.


Is strange enough for me
And that in itself felt strange enough.


But now it seems I'm livin' in
But now, it's like I am actually living in that dream.


A dream too beautiful to be
This dream is just too beautiful to not second-guess.


If they had said a moonbeam
Had anybody told me that a moonbeam.


Would calm a stormy sea
Could calm rough waters and skies.


I would have said, impossible,
I would have dismissed it as an impossibility.


But now at last I see
But now, because of you.


That nothing is impossible
I have learned that nothing is impossible.


If you are here with me.
As long as you are by my side.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOE JUNIOR

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

More Versions