The Way It Was Before
Chuck Berry Lyrics


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The way it was before
I lost your love for me
I never thought I crave to see you
The way it was before

And so it was
I fooled around and lost your love
And since I'm only dreaming of
The way it was before

(Said someday I'd learn, ohh)
And you told me that the tide would turn
And now I see
(I promise, I'll be true, ooh)
And I'll give my love to only you, so help me

Each night I pray
That you'll try and understand
How much I need your love again
The way it was before

(Said someday I'd learn, ohh)
And you told me that the tide would turn
Now I see
(I promise, I'll be true, ohh)
And I'll give my love to only you, so help me

Each night I pray
That you'll try and understand
How much I need your love again




The way it was before
The way it was before

Overall Meaning

In this song, Chuck Berry expresses his pain of losing the love of his life and wishes to turn back time to the way things were before. He begins by acknowledging the love he once had but lost, and how he never thought he would yearn to see it again. He then reflects on how he lost her love by fooling around and now only dreams of how things used to be before. He acknowledges his mistakes and promises to be true to her and give his love to only her. He prays every night that she will understand how much he needs her love back in the same way it was before their love was lost.


The lyrics of the song are written in a way that touches the hearts of listeners, who have experienced the pain of losing someone they truly love. The use of words like 'fool around' and 'crave to see you' symbolizes the desperation and need for their love to be reignited. The song expresses a yearning for what was once there, and how the author wishes they could go back, fix their mistakes and reconcile.


Line by Line Meaning

The way it was before
Reflecting on how things used to be before losing your love


I lost your love for me
Admitting fault for losing the love of another


I never thought I crave to see you
Realizing the depth of one's feelings and yearning for the past


And so it was
Referring to the past and how things played out


I fooled around and lost your love
Admitting wrongdoing and losing the love of another due to infidelity


And since I'm only dreaming of
Acknowledging that the situation can only be imagined and is not reality


The way it was before
Continuing to reflect on the past and the way things used to be


(Said someday I'd learn, ohh)
Remembering a promise to learn from past mistakes


And you told me that the tide would turn
Recalling advice that things would get better


And now I see
Realizing the truth in what was previously said


(I promise, I'll be true, ooh)
Making a promise to be faithful in the future


And I'll give my love to only you, so help me
Pledging to give one's love exclusively to the other person and seeking their help to do so


Each night I pray
Expressing a desire and hope for reconciliation


That you'll try and understand
Hoping that the other person will be able to understand and empathize


How much I need your love again
Expressing the depth of longing and need for the other person's love


The way it was before
Concluding the song with a repetition of the title phrase, emphasizing the desire to return to the past




Contributed by Brayden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Jack


on Little Marie (Alternate)

Yes, oh yes, Long Distance, I'll accept the charge, I'll pay
Which love one is calling me, I did not hear you say.
Both are deep within my hearth, her Mom and my Marie

It so good to hear your voice from Memphis, Tennessee

Oh, you mean so much to me, more than you'll ever know,
Surely, you have not forgot how much I love you so
If you would remember, Dear, and sometimes talk to me
Maybe that would reunite our home in Tennessee.

Last time I saw you, just before I had to leave
You did not want to see me off and promised not to grieve,
My hearth was tore apart as I looked back at my Marie
And there the peace is still remain with you in Tennessee.

I guess I should stop talking, after all you placed the call
But anyway that I can help, you know I'll help you all


Then she spoke and asked me to come back and see Marie
And live together in our home in Memphis, Tennessee.

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