Barbra Streisand (born Barbara Joan Streisand; April 24, 1942 Brooklyn, Ne… Read Full Bio ↴Barbra Streisand (born Barbara Joan Streisand; April 24, 1942 Brooklyn, New York), is an Academy Award-winning American singer, theater and film actress, composer, film producer, and director. She has won Oscars for Best Actress and Best Original Song as well as multiple Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and an honorary Tony Award. She received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor on December 7, 2008. She is the most successful female recording artist according to the Recording Industry Assoc. of America (RIAA).

Barbra Streisand has recorded more than 60 albums, almost all with Columbia Records. Her early works in the 1960s (her debut The Barbra Streisand Album which won two Grammy Awards in 1963, followed by The Second Barbra Streisand Album, The Third Album, My Name Is Barbra, etc.) are considered classic renditions of theater and nightclub standards, including her version of Happy Days Are Here Again. Beginning with My Name Is Barbra, her albums were often medley-filled keepsakes of her television specials.

Starting in 1969, Streisand tackled contemporary songwriters; like many talented singers of the day, she found herself a fish out of water in attempts to tackle rock, but her vocal talents prevailed and she gained newfound success with the pop and ballad-oriented Richard Perry-produced album Stoney End in 1971. The title track, written by Laura Nyro, was a big hit for Streisand.

Streisand's 1980 album, Guilty featured the songwriting, production and vocal talents of Barry Gibb and was the best-selling album of her recording career. During the 1970s, she was also highly prominent in the pop charts, with number-one records like The Way We Were, Evergreen, No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (her duet with Donna Summer), and Woman In Love; some of these came from soundtracks of her films. She recently took part in supporting Haiti in singing "We are the World 25th anniversary.

When the 1970s ended, Streisand was named the most successful female singer in the U.S. - only Elvis Presley and The Beatles having sold more albums. [1]

[1] In 1982, New York Times music critic Stephen Holden wrote that Streisand was "the most influential mainstream American pop singer since Frank Sinatra."

Until It's Time For You To Go
Barbra Streisand Lyrics

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You're not a dream
You're not an Angel
You're a man
I'm not a queen
I'm a woman
Take my hand

We'll make a space in the lives that we planned

And here we'll stay until it's time for you to go
Yes we're different worlds apart
We're not the same

We laughed and played at the start like in a game
You could have stayed outside my heart
But in you came

And here you'll stay until it's time for you to go
Don't ask why of me
Don't ask how
Don't ask forever

Love me
Love me now
This love of mine
Had no beginning it had no end

I was an oak
Now I'm a willow
Now I can bend
And though I'll never in my life see you again

Still I'll stay
Until it's time for you to go

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Barbra Streisand's "Until It's Time For You To Go" tell the story of two individuals who come from different worlds and who have a limited time together. The singer acknowledges that her lover is not a dream, not an angel, but a man. She also sees herself as a woman, not a queen, and invites him to take her hand. They create a "space in the lives that we planned" and agree to stay together "until it's time for you to go."

The difference between the two is acknowledged in the line, "Yes we're different worlds apart, we're not the same." Despite their differences, they share a playful start to their relationship, but the singer understands that her lover could have easily stayed outside her heart, but he chose to come in. She asks him not to question their relationship, just to love her now, and suggests that their love had no beginning and no end. In the end, she acknowledges that she will never see him again and yet she will stay until it's time for him to go.

The central theme of the song seems to be the acceptance of impermanence and the willingness to love fully in the moment. The singer understands that their time together is limited and chooses to embrace their love, despite their differences and the possibility that it will not last. In some ways, the song speaks to the bittersweet nature of life itself, where we know that all things must pass, and yet we still invest ourselves in them fully.

Line by Line Meaning

You're not a dream
You're not a figment of my imagination

You're not an Angel
You're not an otherworldly being

You're a man
You're a human male

I'm not a queen
I'm not royalty

I'm a woman
I'm a female human

Take my hand
Hold onto my hand

We'll make a space in the lives that we planned
We'll find a way to fit into each other's lives

And here we'll stay until it's time for you to go
We'll stay together until the moment you need to leave

Yes we're different worlds apart
We are vastly different from each other

We're not the same
We don't have similar personalities or backgrounds

We laughed and played at the start like in a game
Our relationship started out with joy and fun, like a game