The Man I Love
Hildegard Knef Lyrics


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When the mellow moon begins to beam
Every night I dream a little dream
And of course Prince Charming is the theme
The he for me
Although I realize as well as you
It is seldom that a dream comes true
To me it's clear
That he'll appear

Some day he'll come along
The man I love
And he'll be big and strong
The man I love
And when he comes my way
I'll do my best to make him stay

He'll look at me and smile
I'll understand
And in a little while
He'll take my hand
And though it seems absurd
I know we both won't say a word

Maybe I shall meet him Sunday
Maybe Monday, maybe not
Still I'm sure to meet him one day
Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day

He'll build a little home
Just meant for two
From which I'll never roam
Who would, would you?




And so all else above
I'm waiting for the man I love

Overall Meaning

The song "The Man I Love" by Hildegard Knef is a romantic ballad that expresses the yearning of a young woman for her ideal partner. The opening lines of the song portray the dreamy state of mind of the singer who imagines herself in a world where she is with her prince charming. She acknowledges that it is rare for such dreams to come true, but she cannot help but hope that someday, he will come along. The words "the man I love" are repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the intense desire of the singer to find her soulmate.


The singer's daydreams about the man she loves are so vivid that she sees him as big and strong, and she resolves to make him stay when he comes her way. There is a sense of inevitability in the lyrics, as she believes that they are meant to be together, and she trusts that they will be able to communicate without saying a word. The second half of the song presents the singer as patient, waiting for her love to arrive, even if it takes years. She imagines a future where they have a little house just for the two of them, and she never wants to leave his side. The song ends with the singer still waiting eagerly for the man she loves, as if nothing else in the world matters.


Line by Line Meaning

When the mellow moon begins to beam
Whenever the soft light of the moon fills the sky


Every night I dream a little dream
Each night I have a small fantasy


And of course Prince Charming is the theme
Of course, the hypothetical perfect partner is the subject of my fantasy


The he for me
The perfect him for me


Although I realize as well as you
While I understand as you do


It is seldom that a dream comes true
It’s rare that a fantasy becomes a reality


To me it's clear
It's evident to me


That he'll appear
That he will arrive


Some day he'll come along
Eventually he will show up


The man I love
The man I'm in love with


And he'll be big and strong
He will be both physically large and mentally stable


And when he comes my way
And when he comes toward me


I'll do my best to make him stay
I'll try my hardest to make him not leave


He'll look at me and smile
He will gaze and grin at me


I'll understand
I'll comprehend


And in a little while
And soon afterward


He'll take my hand
He'll hold my hand


And though it seems absurd
Although it seems unreasonable


I know we both won't say a word
I know that neither of us will say anything


Maybe I shall meet him Sunday
Perhaps I will meet him on Sunday


Maybe Monday, maybe not
Perhaps Monday, perhaps not


Still I'm sure to meet him one day
Nevertheless, I'm certain we will meet someday


Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day
Perhaps Tuesday will be the day I receive good news


He'll build a little home
He'll construct a modest house


Just meant for two
Just intended for the two of us


From which I'll never roam
That I'll never leave


Who would, would you?
Who would leave, would you?


And so all else above
And so, above all else


I'm waiting for the man I love
I'm waiting for the man I'm in love with




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@beatewester4777

O wie wunderbar. Es ist Sonntagmorgen. Beginnender Herbst bei schönem, trockenen Wetter. Und dann das Lied. Hildegard. YEAH! Herzlichen Dank, Fritz einen 😘😘😘Und dass der Text dabei ist, ist Luxus 😃

@abfabinri

I was with my Dad in Berlin in late 60's  early 70's. He was with Philips of Netherlands and was making videos for their record label using new technology, way before MTV. I remember seeing Hildegarde Knef in studio, she brought her daughter with her who was about 6 at time. She sang Happy Birthday to someone in her crew. Till this day I remember that, I can't even remember the video. She sang it so unique, never heard anything like it. I was about 12 at the time. I didn't understand a word in German but I loved to hear her just talk. She could make even German sound nice!

@andreastucholsky845

abfabinri German sounds GREAT and nice - why the EVEN :-)

@tomduggan51

abfabinri
Many thanks for sharing this wonderful story! A priceless memory! What a treat to see and hear the most beautiful girl in the whole world-an absolute treasure to behold.
Every best wish to you and thanks again.

@paulpeterson4320

FABULOUS STORY

@timothylegg

@@andreastucholsky845 I think he's possible heard more of the dialect spoken in bars and pubs.

@timothysdog6130

That's so awesome

@Lieberknecht-pu9oy

Generation of my mother. I Love her also ich schätze Sie sehr bis heute.

@jmrodas9

She sings with a deep voice but she has depth and feeling and transmits both.  Nice to hear her sing.

@laslaka

Elle avait du chic et du chien, le sens du tempo, une voix suave, sensuelle et rocailleuse à la fois.
Cette voix et ce caractère de battante, et cette force intérieure

Quel plaisir de l'écouter encore et encore. Merci Hildegard!

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