Memory
Elaine Page & Sarah Brightman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a rose that is fading
Roses whither away like the sunflower
I yearn to turn my face to the dawn
I am waiting for the day
Midnight, not a sound from the pavement
Has the moon lost her memory?
The withered leaves collect at my feet
And the wind begins to moan
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days, I was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Every street lamp
Seems to beat a fatalistic warning
Someone mutters and the street lamp gutters
And soon it will be morning
Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in when the dawn comes
Tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale cold smell of morning
The street lamp dies, another night is over
Another day is dawning
Touch me, it's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun if you touch me
You'll understand what happiness is
Look
A new day has begun
The lyrics to Elaine Paige's song "Memory" convey a sense of longing for the past and hoping for a new beginning in the present. The first verse depicts the beauty of nature and how it withers away, much like the memories of a happier past. The singer yearns for the dawn, which represents the possibility of a new start. The second verse contrasts the stillness of the night with the singer's rumination on past happiness. The street lamps seem to warn of the inevitability of change; however, the singer resolves to start anew when the sun rises. The final lines reinforce this idea, saying that a new day has begun.
The song comes from the musical "Cats," which is based on T.S. Eliot's collection of poems called "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats." Andrew Lloyd Webber composed the music for the show, and the lyrics were written by Trevor Nunn, based on Eliot's poems. "Memory" was originally sung by Elaine Paige playing Grizabella, a character who is shunned by the other cats and longs for her past glory days. The song became a hit, and Paige also performed it in the Broadway version.
Line by Line Meaning
Daylight, see the dew on the sunflower
Observing dew on the sunflower in the morning.
And a rose that is fading
A wilted rose.
Roses whither away like the sunflower
A comparison between roses and sunflowers withering away.
I yearn to turn my face to the dawn
Desiring a fresh start in life.
I am waiting for the day
Anticipation for a new beginning.
Midnight, not a sound from the pavement
The city is quiet at night.
Has the moon lost her memory?
A rhetorical question questioning if the moon forgets what it sees.
She is smiling alone in the lamplight
A personification of the moon's smiling face.
The withered leaves collect at my feet
Fallen leaves gather around oneself.
And the wind begins to moan
The sound of wind can be heard.
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
Memories resurfacing in the night.
I can smile at the old days, I was beautiful then
Recalling happy memories of youth.
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Remembering a time of pure happiness.
Let the memory live again
Wishing to relive happy memories.
Every street lamp
Each street lamp.
Seems to beat a fatalistic warning
A pessimistic warning felt from the street lamps.
Someone mutters and the street lamp gutters
Hearing a mumble from someone on the street.
And soon it will be morning
The night will soon end and the sun will come up.
Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
Anticipating the sunrise with hope.
I must think of a new life
Contemplating embarking on a new journey.
And I mustn't give in when the dawn comes
Remaining strong when the new day arrives.
Tonight will be a memory too
The current night will become a memory.
And a new day will begin
Welcoming a new day of possibilities.
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The leftover reminder of past experiences.
The stale cold smell of morning
The scent of the morning air dissipated.
The street lamp dies, another night is over
The street lamp dies, signaling the end of the night.
Another day is dawning
Another day is beginning, bringing new opportunities.
Touch me, it's so easy to leave me
Feeling vulnerable in the moment.
All alone with the memory
Being left only with memories.
Of my days in the sun if you touch me
Remembering the good days spent enjoying life.
You'll understand what happiness is
Realizing that happiness is fleeting and can be taken away.
Look
An exclamation of noticing something.
A new day has begun
A bright new day has started.
Lyrics © CONSALAD CO., Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trevor Nunn, T.S. Eliot, Zdenek Hruby
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@heisthomaz8184
Memory, turn your face to the moonlight
Let your memory leave you
Open up, enter me
If you find there, the meaning of what happiness is
Then a new life will begin
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
I was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Burnt out ends of smokey days
The stale, cold smell of morning
The streetlamp dies, another night is over
Another day is dawning
Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes, tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
Sunlight through the trees in summer
Endless masquerading
Like a flower, as the dawn is breaking
The memory is fading
Touch me, it's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is
Look, a new day has begun
@nkbujvytcygvujno6006
Lyrics:
Memory
Turn your face to the moonlight
Let your memory lead you
Open up, enter in
If you find there the meaning of what happiness is
Then a new life will begin
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
I was beautiful then
I remember a time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale cold smell of morning
A street lamp dies, another night is over
Another day is dawning
Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
JEMINA:
Sunlight, through the trees in summer
Endless masquerading
GRIZABELLA AND JEMIMA:
Like a flower as the dawn is breaking
GRIZABELLA:
The memory is fading
Touch me, it's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is
Look, a new day has begun
@TheShowsMustGoOn
What's your favourite Elaine Paige performance?
Here she is singing 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina' from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxR-1mZem8Q
@enolamsamoht
Yup, Andrew Lloyd Webber is known for recycling his characters into new ones for new productions
@redsidebiker
Simple, this one. Don't Cry is Julie Covington's song. Julie chose to not do the West End.
@Broadwaygirl918
All of them
@graceannemorgan1035
For me the choice is easy
Memory this one.
@donreed
I'm new here. Specializing in headless homophones. Care for one?
@kashiichan
Everyone always talks about how well Elaine Paige sings this role -- and she DOES -- but no one ever mentions how well she ACTS it. This is fantastic.
@ROYALP100
Yes, and that is the difference Paige can also ACT!
@deiiisan
It just feels so natural that it almost goes unnoticed!
@HaydnC5
This is why I believe Elaine is the best Grizabella, she acts it so perfectly. Most other artists I see tend to try and belt as much as they can, but that's not the point of the song at all. It's about the raw emotion of a character that is literally on their last legs, thinking they are going to dye alone and forgotten about, pleading to be accepted again.