My Little Brown Book
Aretha Franklin Lyrics


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My little brown book
With the silver binding
How it keeps reminding me
Of a memory that's haunting me

In some quiet nook
I go through its pages
And peruse this ageless tale
Of the love that failed
To ever become true

On this page is the date
Of that fateful night at eight
When we found we were no longer in love
After that there's nothing more
Just a dark and futile door
That shuts out the stars above

My little brown book
I inscribed your heart vows
But since we're apart
Now this and that last sweet kiss
Is all that's left of you





Is all that's left of you

Overall Meaning

The song "My Little Brown Book" by Aretha Franklin is a poignant and introspective ballad about a love that failed to come to fruition. The lyrics convey the singer's heartache and nostalgia as she reminisces about the relationship through the pages of a little brown book with a silver binding that holds memories of the past. The book serves as a symbol of the memories that continue to haunt her despite the fact that the relationship has ended.


The singer describes how she peruses the book's pages in a quiet nook, reflecting on an ageless tale of a love that failed to become true. The book includes a date that marks the moment when they realized they were no longer in love, after which there is nothing left but a dark and futile door that shuts out the stars above. The singer also reflects on the heart vows that she inscribed in the book, which now serve as a bittersweet reminder of the relationship that has ended, leaving only memories and a last sweet kiss.


Overall, the lyrics of "My Little Brown Book" paint a vivid picture of the emotions of nostalgia, heartache, and love lost. The little brown book is used symbolically as a powerful and tangible reminder of the past that remains ever-present in the singer's mind.


Line by Line Meaning

My little brown book
This is a book that is small and brown colored


With the silver binding
It has a silver binding holding it together


How it keeps reminding me
It reminds me constantly


Of a memory that's haunting me
It reminds me of a past memory that haunts me


In some quiet nook
I take it to a quiet place where I won't be disturbed


I go through its pages
I read through its pages


And peruse this ageless tale
I look deeply into the timeless story inside


Of the love that failed
It tells the story of a love that was not successful


To ever become true
It was never able to fully realize its potential


On this page is the date
One of the pages has the date


Of that fateful night at eight
The date is from a significant, tragic night at 8 pm


When we found we were no longer in love
It was the moment when we realized we no longer loved each other


After that there's nothing more
The rest of the book has nothing else in it


Just a dark and futile door
The remaining pages are empty and represent a hopeless future


That shuts out the stars above
It feels like the empty pages are blocking out any hope or positivity


My little brown book
This is the book I'm referring to


I inscribed your heart vows
The book contains written promises and commitments of love


But since we're apart
Now that we're no longer together


Now this and that last sweet kiss
The only thing left of our relationship is a few memories


Is all that's left of you
The memories are all I have left of you




Contributed by Noah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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