Lost in the Moment
Edie Brickell Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The register stood open as the smoke cleared the room
And one man was lying over blood and a broom
The store door was swingin' in a midnight breeze
And another man ran through the dark and the trees
Lost in the moment of what he needs
Lost in the moment of what he needs
He ran past the motel threw his gun in the trash
Looked down through the darkness and counted the cash
The man at the store was trying to stand
Looked up through the white light and reached out his hand
Lost in the moment of what he needs
Lost in the moment of what he needs
Are you there can you hear me
Are you there
The ambulance arrived but it was too late
In the spin of the red lights they covered his face
He had a wife who was waiting watching TV in bed
Wondering why he wasn't home yet
Their baby was sleeping until the telephone rang
He woke and he cried out but nobody came
Lost in the moment of what he needs
Lost in the moment of what he needs
Are you there can you hear me
Are you there
She doesn't know what they'll do now now that he's gone
Try to get over and try to get on
Alone in the backyard a cool afternoon
The tree they planted has started to bloom
She wanted him to see this she wanted him there
She wanted to kiss him and brush back his hair





Lost in the moment of what she needs
Lost in the moment of what she needs

Overall Meaning

The song "Lost in the Moment" by Edie Brickell tells a story of a man who robs a store at gunpoint and ends up killing someone in the process. After committing the crime, he runs away and throws his gun in the trash. He later realizes the gravity of his actions and mourns for the life that was lost. Meanwhile, the victim's wife is left in shock and grief, trying to come to terms with the sudden loss of her husband. She finds comfort in the small moments of beauty around her, like a tree in her backyard that she and her husband planted together, but ultimately, the pain of his absence is too much to bear.


Line by Line Meaning

The register stood open as the smoke cleared the room
The cash machine was open after the air cleared out


And one man was lying over blood and a broom
One person was on the ground covered in blood and a broom was nearby


The store door was swingin' in a midnight breeze
The entrance of the shop was moving back and forth with the wind of midnight


And another man ran through the dark and the trees
Another man hurried through the darkness and among the trees


Lost in the moment of what he needs
Overwhelmed by his desires, and not aware of his surroundings


He ran past the motel threw his gun in the trash
He ran quickly past the hotel and disposed of his firearm in the garbage


Looked down through the darkness and counted the cash
Peered down and carefully counted the banknotes in the darkness


The man at the store was trying to stand
The person at the store was attempting to rise


Looked up through the white light and reached out his hand
Gazed upwards into the bright light and stretched out his arm


Are you there can you hear me
Asking if anyone is present and listening


The ambulance arrived but it was too late
The medical vehicle came, but it was already too late


In the spin of the red lights they covered his face
The rotation of the red lights swirled while they covered his countenance


He had a wife who was waiting watching TV in bed
He had a spouse who was patiently watching television in their bed


Wondering why he wasn't home yet
Curious as to why he had not yet returned


Their baby was sleeping until the telephone rang
Their infant was in slumber until the phone rang


He woke and he cried out but nobody came
The baby awoke and yelled, but no one came to console him


She doesn't know what they'll do now now that he's gone
She is unsure of what the future will bring now that she has lost him


Try to get over and try to get on
Attempting to move on and keep going


Alone in the backyard a cool afternoon
By herself in the yard on a cool day


The tree they planted has started to bloom
The tree they planted has begun to produce flowers


She wanted him to see this she wanted him there
She wished he could be present to witness this sight


She wanted to kiss him and brush back his hair
She longed to kiss and caress his hair




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDIE ARLISA BRICKELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@patrickv391

Up in a tree house a little boy plays
Catching his shirt on a nail that has raised
His smile is bright as his papa looks on
Papa trying to decide if the timing is wrong.

Lost in the moment of what he needs
Lost in the moment of what he needs

He calls to his child puts his hands out to receive
The boy jumps down hugs his daddy.
His father tells of that house he built one July
Its your grandfather’s tree he was a good man

Lost in the moment of what he needs
Lost in the moment of what he needs
Are you there, can you hear me, are you there

The boy pushed back looks his dad in the eyes
Says can I go play in Grandpas tree now.
Grandma looks on with hope on her brow
Takes up the child gives him a kiss
Brushes back his hair lifts him up to a bough
She starting to cry he looks so much like him now.

Lost in the moment of what she needs.
Lost in the moment of what she needs
Are you there, can you hear me, are you there



All comments from YouTube:

@michaelhuggins3787

Painfully beautiful

@AsifurRahmanbrandnanny

My seventh grade English teacher played this song for us in school. Back in 1997. I just heard it in a dream, woke up with tears in my eyes and looked it up with the lyrics.

@sarastraw5402

This song always makes my eyes water. It is a treasure of human sorrow. Classic.

@mvg952

Arguably the most perfect, powerful, and beautiful song ever written.

@bertjohnandjake

Common enough American story but here told with real humanity. Tuned to perfection with the softest of soft rock. A real gem.

@StickyColaBud

Love this .. Paul Simon guiter very nice too

@31Alden

Sublime perfection.

@dasteven10

A most amazing song

@shannonkringen

love this song about empathy

@paulpeczon9086

A friend just very suddenly lost her lover to Melanoma. Different story. Same lost meaningless devastation. I'm spinning out for her and this one broke me for a minute. But music , empathy and expression are cathartic. We need this. Thank you

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