Hill is the son of social scientist and public servant, Daniel G. Hill, and brother of the author, Lawrence Hill.
One of his songs was "It's a Long Road" (Written by Jerry Goldsmith) which he recorded for the 1982 action movie First Blood. In 1985, he was one of the many Canadian performers to appear on the benefit single "Tears Are Not Enough" by Northern Lights. Although he had many hits in his native Canada, further singles did not fare as well in America.
In 1987, Hill returned to the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the Top 40 hit "Can't We Try", a duet with the then-unknown Vonda Shepard, as well as the near Top 40 hit "Never Thought (That I Could Love)".
A road trip to a Dan Hill concert was the subject of the 1994 Canadian comedy film South of Wawa.
In 2007 he is touring with the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe.
All I See Is Your Face
Dan Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you thought out all the answers
Wanna get back together again
Oh, but a strangers voice rings through my ears
And though I listen you are all I hear
And girl I didn't mean to drive you away
People come and go so fast
But all I see is your face
There's an old man on the corner
Just staring at the sea
I wanna hold him like a broken doll
Ask him if he's lonely like me
The waves crash like a violent dream
The mist flies and the seagulls scream
And the old man he sees nothing just stares into space
And me all I can see is your face
Now I know there are no promises in love
You've gotta give it all you have
And hope that maybe you can share
Maybe you can share your life with someone
A stranger touches me and all I can feel
Is your embrace
A stranger looks my way
And all I ever see is your face
I've got my songs to protect me
I've got my friends to ease the pain
They say time will heal this emptiness
Girl without you it ain't the same
I don't see any stars tonight
Just the darkness of the city lights
I close my eyes once more and try to escape
And all I can see is your face
The song "All I See Is Your Face" by Dan Hill is about a man who can't get over his former lover. Every time he hears the phone ring, he hopes it's her calling. He realizes that he drove her away, but every time he tries to listen to someone else, all he can hear is her voice. The song also includes a scene with an old man staring off into the sea, and the singer wishes he could ask him if he's lonely like him. The song ends with the singer acknowledging that he has his songs and his friends to ease the pain, but ultimately, without his former lover, everything feels dark and empty.
Throughout the lyrics, the singer seems to be grappling with the idea of moving on from his former lover. He acknowledges that there are no promises in love and that you have to give it your all, but he can't seem to shake the feeling that he's lost something truly special. The line "People come and go so fast, but all I see is your face" highlights the transience of life and relationships, but also underscores the singer's inability to move on.
The scenes of the old man staring out at the sea and the singer feeling empty without his lover contribute to the song's sense of melancholy. The imagery of the sea crashing and the mist flying add to this feeling of unease and longing. Overall, the song is a moving portrait of a man struggling to come to terms with lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time the phone rings I pray it might be you
I hope it's you whenever the phone rings.
That you thought out all the answers
I hope you have found the solutions to our problems.
Wanna get back together again
I want us to reconcile and be together once more.
Oh, but a strangers voice rings through my ears
I get disappointed when someone else calls instead of you.
And though I listen you are all I hear
Even if someone else speaks, I'm still only thinking of you.
And girl I didn't mean to drive you away
I didn't intend to make you leave me.
People come and go so fast
Others leave quickly and forget, while I still think of you.
But all I see is your face
I can't forget you as you are always in my mind.
There's an old man on the corner
I see an elderly man on the street.
Just staring at the sea
He's silently gazing at the vast ocean.
I wanna hold him like a broken doll
I feel a desire to give him comfort and care like a fragile toy.
Ask him if he's lonely like me
I wonder if he's also feeling alone like I am.
The waves crash like a violent dream
The sea's movements are powerful, much like a vivid and intense nightmare.
The mist flies and the seagulls scream
The fog moves and the birds create noise.
And the old man he sees nothing just stares into space
The man is lost in his thoughts or mind, unfocused on what's around him.
And me all I can see is your face
I can only picture your face, no matter what I'm looking at.
Now I know there are no promises in love
I realize that love is not guaranteed or sure.
You've gotta give it all you have
You need to try your best in your relationship.
And hope that maybe you can share
And be optimistic that you can have a connection with someone else.
Maybe you can share your life with someone
Perhaps you can have a partner in life.
A stranger touches me and all I can feel
When someone I don't know touches me, I still think of your touch.
Is your embrace
All I long for is the feeling of being hugged by you.
A stranger looks my way
When someone else glances at me.
And all I ever see is your face
I only see you and not anybody else.
I've got my songs to protect me
I use music as a refuge.
I've got my friends to ease the pain
My friends help ease my sadness and hurt.
They say time will heal this emptiness
My friends tell me that with time, I'll feel better.
Girl without you it ain't the same
I feel emptier and incomplete when you're not with me.
I don't see any stars tonight
There aren't any stars visible right now.
Just the darkness of the city lights
All I see are the dim streetlights of the urban area.
I close my eyes once more and try to escape
I shut my eyes once again and attempt to leave my current reality.
And all I can see is your face
No matter what I do, your face is still in my thoughts.
Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: Daniel Grafton Hill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sinjay Bissessar
You have such a phenomenal voice, Love all your songs !!!
Linda Pietrasz
Such a pretty song performed from someone with a beautiful voice.
Thank you for sharing your talent. 💞
Suz Wilson
Beautiful.. I have always loved your voice. 💕
Dan Hill
Thank you
Rosalie Graves
Love your voice since Sometimes When We Touch you're the greatest.
Carole Loftus
siiigghh I have loved your voice since Can't We Try. You truly have a beautiful gift. Thank you for sharing it. ♥️
Linda Pietrasz
Oh, and BTW, I was completely excited to see in my notifications that you had uploaded this. 💖💗
brakmaster
I love your music. It makes me back to when I was kid. My mom used to play your songs when I was barely 10 and she still plays them to this day. Thank you for being a part of my early childhood.
penny miller
Huge Fan beginning in 78, still love your 3 records, Hold On, Longer Fuse, and Frozen in the Night. Wonderful singer/songwriter
Danilo Gaguiat
I miss my wife and my daughter 💝💝💝