The Shadow of Your Smile
Bobby Durham Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The shadow of your smile
When you have gone
Will color all my dreams
And light the dawn

Look into my eyes my love and see
All the lovely things you are to me

Our wistful little star
It was far, too high
A teardrop kissed your lips
And so did I

Now when I remember spring
All the joys that love can bring

I will be remembering
The shadow of your smile

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bobby Durham's "The Shadow of Your Smile" speak to the enduring power of love and the bittersweet pain of separation. The opening lines, "The shadow of your smile / When you have gone / Will color all my dreams / And light the dawn," convey the idea that even when a loved one is no longer present, the memory and impact of their presence remains. The phrase "the shadow of your smile" suggests that just as a smile casts a shadow, a person's absence can cast a lingering emotional presence that colors everything in the wake of their departure, from dreams to the dawning of a new day.

The second verse underscores the idea of memory and the importance of holding onto the positive feelings associated with a relationship: "Look into my eyes my love and see / All the lovely things you are to me." Though the loved one may be physically absent, their essence lives on in memory, and it is essential to savor and reflect on the beauty the relationship brought.

Line by Line Meaning

The shadow of your smile
The memory of your smile and its impact on my life

When you have gone
When you have left my life

Will color all my dreams
Will encompass all my thoughts and emotions

And light the dawn
And bring warmth and hope to my days

Look into my eyes my love and see
Look at me and recognize my love for you

All the lovely things you are to me
All the wonderful attributes and qualities that make you special to me

Our wistful little star
Our insignificant and fleeting existence in the grand scheme of things

It was far, too high
Our ambitions and desires were unattainable and unrealistic

A teardrop kissed your lips
A symbol of sadness and loss

And so did I
And I too was affected by the pain and heartbreak

Now when I remember spring
Now when I look back on happier times