I Used To Be A King
Crosby Nash & Young Lyrics
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And everything around me turned to gold
I thought I had everything
Now I'm left without a hand to hold
It's alright, I'm okay, how are you?
What it's worth, I must say, I love you
In my bed, late at night, I miss you
[Chorus]
Someone is gonna take my heart
No one is gonna break my heart again
And I used to be a king
Everything around me turned to rust
It's 'cause I built my life on sand, yeah yeah
And I watched it crumble in the dust
But it's alright, I'm okay, how you are?
For what it's worth, I must say, I love you
In my bed, late at night, I miss you
[Chorus]
I used to be a king
Everything around me, turned around me
Turned around me, turned around me
All I got to do is sing
I can lift myself way off the ground
Yeah, but it's alright, I'm okay, how are you?
For what it's worth, I must say, I love you
In my bed, late at night, God, how I miss you
[Chorus]
The lyrics to "I Used to Be a King" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young speaks of a person who was once on top of the world, having everything they could ever ask for and everything they touched turned to gold. However, despite having all the wealth and material possessions, the person is left without anyone to hold. The song talks about how the person built their life on sand, and everything around them started crumbling down to dust. The person muses about how they used to be a king, but everything around them turned to rust. Despite these setbacks, the person finds solace in singing, which lets them lift themselves way off the ground.
The chorus repeats the phrase, "Someone is gonna take my heart, no one is gonna break my heart again," which could mean that the person has felt heartbreak before and is afraid of experiencing it again. The verses express the person's loneliness, missing someone who is not there, and expressing love to someone who might not be with them anymore. The song ends with the repeated chorus and a longing for someone who is not there.
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to be a king
I had everything under my control and was living a luxurious life.
And everything around me turned to gold
All the people and things in my life seemed to be perfect and valuable.
I thought I had everything
I believed I had achieved everything I ever wanted in life.
Now I'm left without a hand to hold
Currently, I feel lonely and abandoned without any emotional support.
It's alright, I'm okay, how are you?
I'm doing fine, how about you?
What it's worth, I must say, I love you
Despite my personal issues, I want you to know that I love you.
In my bed, late at night, I miss you
During my lonely hours, I miss your presence and companionship.
Someone is gonna take my heart
I'm open to giving love another chance in the future.
No one is gonna break my heart again
I will not let anyone hurt me in a romantic relationship again.
Everything around me turned to rust
All the things and people that used to be valuable in my life have lost their worth and become undesirable.
It's 'cause I built my life on sand, yeah yeah
I based my life and expectations on temporary and unstable things that eventually crumbled.
And I watched it crumble in the dust
I observed all the nice things in my life falling apart and becoming worthless.
All I got to do is sing
Singing helps me to overcome my struggles and elevate my mood.
I can lift myself way off the ground
By singing, I can boost myself up and find happiness despite my struggles.
In my bed, late at night, God, how I miss you
During my loneliest hour at night, I miss you more than ever and pray to God for comfort.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: GRAHAM NASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Randall Polk
This is David Crosby and Graham Nash at their very Best as far as I'm concerned. ! Even though it's Graham's song and there are about 20 recordings of it.... Okay five but it's even better than the studio! I love these guys forever!
ClitMcTorius
From the CrosbyNash-album-LIVE. The CD has bonus tracks by Crosby
C. S. McLeod
David Lindley on slide. He has n't much time left to live. R.I.P. Mr. Dave.
rubyfocus
No. David Lindley on electric violin. Sorry.
C. S. McLeod
@rubyfocus no. David is playing lap steel with volume pedal.
Richard Bennett
@C. S. McLeod No. No. It's an electric violin with distortion. Seen him do it. On this tour. And I don't know why you're predicting his early demise replete with an RIP. Very odd, I must say. But then again, you're hearing lap steel on this tune where there isn't any lap steel at all....
Lastname First
@Richard Bennett what a horrible thing to read that DL is near death. Jeez Im gonna have to check that out further
Richard Bennett
@Lastname First He's not. It's just something stupid that C. S. McLeod said at the top of this conversation.
Joel Ewing
Who is on drums here? Johnny Barbeta maybe? Thx
ClitMcTorius
Russ Kunkel of course. Simply the best!