Since then, Schuur has become a legend herself. She has been nominated for five and received two GRAMMY® Awards for "Best Jazz Vocalist," as well as headlined many of the world's most prestigious music venues, including Carnegie Hall. Schuur has toured the world and has performed with such greats as Stan Getz, B.B. King, Maynard Ferguson, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and Quincy Jones. She has performed countless times on The Tonight Show, has performed at The GRAMMY’s and at the White House.
No One Ever Tells You
Diane Schuur Lyrics
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What it's like to love and lose
How it feels to waken
And have breakfast with the blues
How to go on living
How to face another day
No, no one ever tells you the way
How it feels to walk alone
Listening for those footsteps
Through the echo of your own
Suddenly it hits you
All those dreams weren't worth a dime
'Cause no one ever tells you in time
Long before
The icy winds of winter
Autumn tells the swallows
Time to fly
So why do we pretend
Till the bitter end
Till it breaks our hearts
To say good-bye
Well
No one ever tells you
That it's just another fling
No one ever warns you
When your heart begins to sing
Someone tells you later
All is fair in love and war
But no one ever tells you before
Long before
Our love boat's torn asunder
We can hear the thunder
Of the falls
So why do we go on
Sailing madly on
Till all we had is gone
Beyond recall
Beyond recall
No one ever tells you
That it's just another fling
No one ever warns you
When your heart begins to sing
Someone tells you later
All is fair in love and war
But no one ever tells you before
It never comes easy
'Cause no one
No one, no one
Ever tells you
Tells you
No one ever tells you before
No one ever tells you before
The song "No One Ever Tells You" by Diane Schuur is a contemplative ballad that explores the harsh realities of love and loss. The lyrics speak to the fact that many people often enter into romantic relationships with idealistic notions of how they will end up together happily ever after. However, the reality is that relationships are often fraught with complications and difficult emotions. The song speaks to the universal experience of waking up and feeling the weight of loneliness and heartbreak, and not knowing how to pick yourself up and carry on.
The song also acknowledges the ironic truth that despite the fact that love and loss are universal, no one quite prepares us for how to handle it. No one tells you how to go on living when you have lost the person that you thought you would spend the rest of your life with. The lyrics remind us that it is easy to get lost in the memories of what we thought would be, but that we must eventually learn to move on.
Interestingly, the song draws on the metaphorical imagery of autumn and winter, as a reminder that even before the bitterness of loss sets in, there are signs that the relationship is fading - this can be likened to the falling of the leaves and the approach of winter.
Line by Line Meaning
No one ever tells you
People don't give you advice
What it's like to love and lose
How it feels to fall in love and then lose that love
How it feels to waken
The feeling you have when you wake up
And have breakfast with the blues
When you feel sad accompanying your breakfast
How to go on living
How to keep living your life without that love
How to face another day
How to deal with the challenges of a new day
No, no one ever tells you the way
People don't guide you on how to deal with these things
How it feels to walk alone
How it feels to be alone without that love
Listening for those footsteps
You desire to hear the sound of footsteps even if they don't exist
Through the echo of your own
Your footsteps echo and it's the only thing you hear
Suddenly it hits you
You realize something suddenly
All those dreams weren't worth a dime
Your dreams are meaningless and of no value
'Cause no one ever tells you in time
Nobody advises you beforehand
Long before
Much earlier
The icy winds of winter
Cold winter winds
Autumn tells the swallows
Autumn season signal the birds to fly away
Time to fly
It's time to go
So why do we pretend
Why do people pretend
Till the bitter end
Until the very end
Till it breaks our hearts
Until it hurts us deeply
To say good-bye
To bid farewell
Well
Um
That it's just another fling
That it's not something serious
No one ever warns you
Nobody gives you caution
When your heart begins to sing
When you start to fall in love
Someone tells you later
Someone informs you afterwards
All is fair in love and war
Anything goes in love and war
But no one ever tells you before
But nobody gives you a warning beforehand
Long before
Much earlier
Our love boat's torn asunder
Our love is shattered
We can hear the thunder
We can hear the loud noise of thunder
Of the falls
Water falling from a height or descending rapidly
So why do we go on
Why do we continue
Sailing madly on
Going strongly or fiercely ahead
Till all we had is gone
Until everything is lost
Beyond recall
Unable to recover or bring back
No one ever tells you that it's just another fling
Nobody informs you that it's just a temporary attachment
No one ever warns you when your heart begins to sing
Nobody cautions you when you start falling in love
Someone tells you later all is fair in love and war
People say that anything goes in love and war
But no one ever tells you before
But nobody guides you beforehand
It never comes easy
It's never an easy situation
'Cause no one
Because nobody
No one, no one
Nobody, nobody
Ever tells you
Advises you
Tells you
Informs you
No one ever tells you before
Nobody guides you beforehand
Lyrics © CARROLL COATES D/B/A MICANA MUSIC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: C. COATES, H. ATWOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind