All Too Soon
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra; Ella Fitzgerald Lyrics

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All too soon
We had to part
The moment you had touched my heart
And with you went my dream

All too soon
All too sweet
Was our affair

And you put all the sweetness there

What a shame that it's gone
All too soon
I knew the strange delights
That only you in love could bring

And as I reached the heights
The bottom fell from everything
You should know as well as I
Our love deserves another try

For we whispered goodbye

All too soon
Too soon

Overall Meaning

"All Too Soon" is a melancholic tune by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra featuring vocals by Ella Fitzgerald. The lyrics speak of the sadness felt after a relationship ends abruptly. The song laments the fleeting nature of love and the joy it brings, expressing regret for not holding onto the blissful moments with the lover. The first verse speaks of how quickly their love ended, just as it was beginning to bloom, and how the memory of it is now distant. The second verse goes on to describe how sweet and perfect their relationship was in spite of its brevity, and how they both knew that it deserved another chance. The chorus repeats the sentiment of how deflating it feels to have the love of one's life depart too soon.

Line by Line Meaning

All too soon
The time we spent together was too short

We had to part
We had to say goodbye

The moment you had touched my heart
I fell in love with you instantly

And with you went my dream
My dream of being with you disappeared when you left

All too sweet
Our relationship was very enjoyable

Was our affair
Our romantic relationship was very good

And you put all the sweetness there
You were the reason our relationship was so enjoyable

What a shame that it's gone
It's unfortunate that our relationship ended

I knew the strange delights
I experienced the unique pleasures

That only you in love could bring
That only loving you could bring

And as I reached the heights
As I experienced the best of our relationship