When Your Lover Has Gone
Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin/Sam Lyrics
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That comes with each new love affair
The love that you cherish, so often may perish
And leave you with castles in air
When you're alone who cares for starlit skies
When you're alone the magic moonlight dies
At break of dawn there is no sunrise
What lonely hours the evening shadows bring
What lonely hours with memories lingering
Like faded flowers life can't mean anything
When your lover has gone
The song "When Your Lover Has Gone" by Frank Sinatra is a melancholic tune about lost love and the emptiness that follows. It talks about the futility of planning and dreaming for love affairs because they can easily perish, leaving one with nothing but castles in the air. The lyrics describe the profound loneliness that comes with the absence of a lover. When there is no one to share starry nights and moonlight, the magic dies. At dawn, there is no sunrise, just a dull and dreary morning. The evening shadows bring back memories that linger like faded flowers, making life meaningless.
The lyrics are an expression of the profound sense of loss and emptiness that follows a failed love affair. The singer is asking why they should bother scheming and dreaming of love when it only leads to heartache. The song's message is not entirely hopeless, however. It acknowledges the pain of love lost but also suggests that perhaps there is a time to move on from that pain.
The song was written by Einar Aaron Swan in 1931 and has since been covered by many artists, including Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Sinatra recorded his version in 1959 for his album No One Cares. The song's simple melody and emotive lyrics have made it an enduring classic, beloved by many.
Line by Line Meaning
What good is the scheming, the planning and dreaming
That comes with each new love affair
What use is it to make schemes, plan and dream for every new love affair
The love that you cherish, so often may perish
And leave you with castles in air
The affection that you love so much can easily die and leave you merely with unfulfilled dreams
When you're alone, who cares for starlit skies
When you're alone, the magic moonlight dies
At break of dawn, there is no sunrise
When your lover has gone
When you are by yourself, even the beauty of the stars and the moon can't capture the magic that love brings. When your lover is gone, the sun won't rise to bring a new day.
What lonely hours, the evening shadows bring
What lonely hours, with memories lingering
Like faded flowers, life can't mean anything
When your lover has gone
The length of time you spend in loneliness is intensified by evening shadows with memories that just won't go. Life becomes empty, like flowers that have withered away, when your lover is gone.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Einar Aaron Swan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind