Elvis Presley recorded his version of "Always on My Mind" on March 29, 1972. The song was released as the B-side of the Separate Ways single, which reached Gold status in the U.S for sales of over half a million copies. It was listed as a double sided hit reaching number 16 on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles chart in November 1972. In the UK "Always on My Mind" was the hit song and "Separate Ways" was the B-side. Brenda Lee's version had stalled at #45 on the country charts in 1972.
Over thirty years later, Presley's version was played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and included on that year's promotional compilation album Voices from the FIFA World Cup.
Always On My Mind
Elvis Presley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
You were always on my mind (you were always on my mind)
Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you
I'm so happy that you're mine
If I made you feel second best
Girl, I'm so sorry I was blind
You were always on my mind (you were always on my mind)
You were always on my mind
Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me, give me one more chance
To keep you satisfied, satisfied
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
You were always on my mind (you were always on my mind)
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you
I'm so happy that you're mine
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Elvis Presley's song "Always On My Mind" speaks about a man who realizes that he didn't appreciate his significant other enough while they were together. The song starts with the admission that he didn't treat her as well as he should have, and he didn't love her as often as he could have. The lyrics present the idea of regret, as he realizes that he could have done more to show his love and appreciation. The second verse shows a more vulnerable side, as he confesses that he didn't hold her during the lonely times and didn't make her feel like the most important person in his life. But despite his imperfections, he still wants to keep his love satisfied, and he desperately seeks for one more chance to make things right.
The song's implied message is that time and distance have a way of clarifying our feelings about what we might have done differently in the past, and how love often means recognizing our mistakes and doing our best to make things right. The "you were always on my mind" refrain suggests that the singer truly cares for this person and she remains in his thoughts constantly. Despite the weight of regret in the song's verses, there is an enduring quality to the devotion to this person that comes through in the chorus. This song has become a classic and demonstrates how love and regret can intertwine in our lives, and how we must embrace those feelings rather than ignore them.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe I didn't treat you
Perhaps I did not show enough compassion and kindness towards you
Quite as good as I should have
To the extent that would have been most appropriate and deserved
Maybe I didn't love you
Perhaps I did not display enough affection towards you
Quite as often as I could have
As frequently as I was able to demonstrate my love
Little things I should have said and done
Minor gestures of affection and promises I failed to fulfill
I just never took the time
Unfortunately, I was too distracted and didn't allocate enough time to you and our relationship
You were always on my mind (you were always on my mind)
You were always at the forefront of my thoughts and I regret not having shown you that more directly
Maybe I didn't hold you
Perhaps I did not embrace you enough during times when you needed comfort
All those lonely, lonely times
Throughout the duration of those long, forlorn moments
And I guess I never told you
I suspect that I neglected to share with you how grateful I am to have you
I'm so happy that you're mine
I am grateful for your love and feel fortunate to have you as my partner
If I made you feel second best
If I ever made you feel inferior or neglected
Girl, I'm so sorry I was blind
I deeply apologize for having been ignorant and unaware of the depth of your emotions and needs
Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Please reassure me that your love for me is still burning strong and hasn't diminished
Give me, give me one more chance
Please grant me another opportunity to make things right and show you how much I value you
To keep you satisfied, satisfied
To ensure that you feel content and fulfilled in our relationship
You were always on my mind (you were always on my mind)
You were constantly present in my thoughts, and I realize now how much you mean to me
You were always on my mind
Throughout everything, you were always at the forefront of my consciousness
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Wayne Carson Thompson, John Jr. Christopher, Mark James
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@brunomateus13
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you
I'm so happy that you're mine
If I made you feel second best
Girl I'm so sorry, I was blind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
Tell me
Tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me
Give me one more chance to keep you satisfied
Satisfied
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you
I'm so happy that you're mine
@Thorsten-Tom-Martin
[Verse 1]
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
[Pre-Chorus]
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
[Chorus]
You were always on my mind
(You were always on my mind)
You were always on my mind
[Verse 2]
Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you
I'm so happy that you're mine
[Pre-Chorus]
If I made you feel second best
Girl, I'm so sorry I was blind
[Chorus]
You were always on my mind
(You were always on my mind)
You were always on my mind
[Bridge]
Tell me
Tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me
Give me one more chance to keep you satisfied, satisfied
[Pre-Chorus]
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
[Chorus]
You were always on my mind
(You were always on my mind)
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
[Outro]
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you
I'm so happy that you're mine
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
@Mindy849
This song is one of my favorites from Elvis. It’s beautiful and never gets old. ❤
@kelbell9312
Absolutely agree Mindy 🌺
@ayala1188
Beautiful song
My love dedicated to me,I love you Michael ❤️💋❤️💋❤️💋❤️💋
@luizfernandomastelin616
Eu concordo com você ❤
@user-km2hd2xn2e
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@user-km2hd2xn2e
Lollllllllôoonlĺ
@sylvianogueira3170
Como amo essa música, meu Deus! Até choro. Oh voz meu Deus! Meu gatão te amo.
@franciscasolangerodriguesd2634
A voz mais linda que o mundo já conheceu, agora cantando no céu ❤❤
@almagrata
👁️🕊️👁️A timeless song in a time of struggle. Long live Elvis Presley! 🌷👩🦰✝️🧔👶🧒👷✡️🐿️🦤👲👷🧕😀🤔
@leonorajustice2733
I love Elvis Presley since I was little girl. Was 1957 till 2023. ❤️🙏🤴🎤🎵🎼🎶