For The Good Times
Dottie West & Jimmy Dean Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don't look so sad we know it's over
Life goes on and this old world will keep on turning
Let's just be glad we had some time to spend together
There's no need to watch the bridges that were burning
Lay your head upon my pillow hold your warm and tender body close to mine
Hear the whisper of the raindrops falling softly against the window
And make believe you love me one more time for the good times

I'll get along you'll find another and I'll be here if you should find you ever need me
Don't say a word about tomorrow or forever
There'll be time enough for sadness when you leave me
Lay your head upon my pillow hold your warm and tender body close to mine
Hear the whisper of the raindrops blowing softly against the window

And make believe you love me just one more time for the good times
And there were some good time for the good times

Overall Meaning

The song, For the Good Times is a ballad about two people who are ending their relationship. The lyrics are filled with emotions of sadness, regret, and longing. These feelings are conveyed through both the words themselves and the slow, melodic music that accompanies them.

The song encourages the listener not to focus on the negative aspects of the ending relationship, rather to appreciate the good times they shared. The line "Don't look so sad we know it's over, Life goes on and this old world will keep on turning" is a reminder to not be consumed by sadness, but rather to accept the end, move on and cherish the good memories.

The singer then turns to the comfort of physical contact, holding their partner close which is emphasized by the repetitive line "Lay your head upon my pillow, hold your warm and tender body close to mine." The raindrops are used as a metaphor for the gentle and peaceful atmosphere of a moment shared in the quiet of the night. The request to "make believe you love me one more time" highlights the singer’s unwillingness to let go of the past and an effort to cling onto the feelings of love and happiness despite the truth of their ending relationship.

In the second verse, the singer acknowledges that things will change and move on after the relationship ends. The singer expresses openness to the possibility of a future reconciliation by stating "I'll be here if you should find you ever need me". However, they advise against making promises or speaking of forever as that would only cause more hurt and sadness. The song ends with the repetition of the line “For the good times,” with a final reminder to always cherish the good times they shared.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't look so sad we know it's over
We both realize our relationship has come to an end, but there's no need to be upset about it.

Life goes on and this old world will keep on turning
Even though our relationship is over, the world will continue to move forward and life will go on.

Let's just be glad we had some time to spend together
Instead of being upset that our relationship has ended, we should be grateful for the time we spent together.

There's no need to watch the bridges that were burning
We don't need to focus on the negative aspects of our relationship that led to its end. It's better to move forward.

Lay your head upon my pillow hold your warm and tender body close to mine
Let's find comfort in each other's embrace and enjoy the physical connection we once had.

Hear the whisper of the raindrops falling softly against the window
We can listen to the soothing sound of the rain as it symbolizes the calmness we can find within ourselves.

And make believe you love me one more time for the good times
Let's pretend that our love is still alive for just a little while longer to relive the good times we once shared.

I'll get along you'll find another and I'll be here if you should find you ever need me
We will both move on and find new love interests. However, if you ever need my support, I'll always be here for you.

Don't say a word about tomorrow or forever
It's better to focus on the present and not worry too much about the future or the forever.

There'll be time enough for sadness when you leave me
There's no need to be sad right now. When you leave for good, that's when I'll allow myself to feel sadness.

And there were some good time for the good times
Despite our relationship coming to an end, we can still acknowledge that we had some great moments together.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Kristoffer Kristofferson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS