The Parting Of Our Ways
Carpenters Lyrics


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Where has it gone?
The love we shared?
The love I live for is no longer there
If God only planned it to last all our days
There never would have been a parting of our ways

Love was so bright, then you went away
My days were sunny; now they are gray
If God only planned it to last all our days
There never would have been a parting of our ways

I hope and pray that he'll return to me
Forever since he's been gone, I've been in misery
I hope someday he'll come up to my door,
Saying he's sorry he'll leave no more

My love is gone now; it didn't last
Who was my future now is my past
If God only planned it to last all our days
There never would have been,




Never would have been now,
Never would have been a parting of our ways

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Parting Of Our Ways are a lamentation over a lost love. The singer is struggling to come to terms with the fact that the love they once shared has dissipated and that their future together is now a thing of the past. The opening lines “Where has it gone? / The love we shared?” set the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer grapples with the loss of something so important to them. They plead that if God had intended their love to last forever, they would not have had to part ways.


The second verse is particularly poignant, as it describes the singer's struggle to cope with life after their lover has gone. The contrast between “my days were sunny” before the breakup, and “now they are grey” highlights the depth of their loss. The third verse suggests that the singer is still clinging to the hope that their love may one day be rekindled. They long for reconciliation, dreaming that their former lover will return to them and apologize for leaving.


The final verse is a sad acknowledgement of the reality that their former love is now just a memory. The lyrics “my love is gone now, it didn't last / who was my future now is my past” acknowledge that the promising future they once imagined together is now lost. The repetition of “never would have been a parting of our ways” in the final lines emphasizes the regret and sadness that the singer feels about the end of their relationship.


Line by Line Meaning

Where has it gone?
I am searching for the love that we once shared.


The love we shared?
I am questioning whether the love that we once shared even existed.


The love I live for is no longer there
The love that I depended on is no longer present in my life.


If God only planned it to last all our days
I believe that if love was meant to last forever, it would have.


There never would have been a parting of our ways
Our separation would not have happened if our love was meant to last.


Love was so bright, then you went away
Our love was strong and joyful, but it ended when you left.


My days were sunny; now they are gray
My life was happy and bright when our love was present, but now it feels dull and sad.


I hope and pray that he'll return to me
I am wishing and begging for my love to come back to me.


Forever since he's been gone, I've been in misery
My life has been full of pain and sadness since my love left.


I hope someday he'll come up to my door,
I have a dream that my love will return to me and apologize.


Saying he's sorry he'll leave no more
I want my love to apologize and promise not to leave me ever again.


My love is gone now; it didn't last
Our love ended and did not survive.


Who was my future now is my past
The person I thought I would spend my life with is now a memory of the past.


Never would have been,
The possibility of a separation


Never would have been now,
would not have happened.


Never would have been a parting of our ways
Our relationship would not have ended and we would have stayed together forever.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Richard Carpenter

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

ConsumerWarrior

Any teenage girl who is thinking about going into the music entertainment industry needs to listen to songs like these by Karen Carpenter from when she was 16 years old. If Miley Cyrus as a teenage girl had been teleported back in time to the 1960s or the 1970s, she could never have competed with someone as talented as Karen Carpenter. It's just as simple as that. We need this kind of music back on the radio.

WARDMAN3

Do people realize the Karen was only 16 when she sang this..... Talent like this is a one in a millenia.... The most beautiful voice in modern pop history and sorely missed

MeloLand

Fantastic song!!

gvalley07

If it's Karen, its all good!

Dastardly XK120

Damn right !!! 🌟 Superstar 🌟

Jorge Marcelo Baña

A great work of restoration of this historic recording thanks

Eli Foust

Richard would soon blend his own voice ,the real package.

Bananadiva1

Am I the only one who thinks this sounds like a Shangri Las song? I love it!

Peter Emmert

An original mint condition Magic Lamp Records 45 of this song would fetch a whopping $10,000.00 in 2020! Any other conditions would be less, but would still be in the mega-dollar category!

folgore1

Anyone know how many of their old Osborn recordings survive?

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