Berlin, who was Jewish, was one of the few Tin Pan Alley/Broadway songwriters who wrote both lyrics and music for his songs. Although he never learned to read music beyond a rudimentary level, he composed over 3,000 songs. Many of his songs, including "God Bless America", "White Christmas", "Alexander's Ragtime Band", and "There's No Business Like Show Business," left an indelible mark on American music and culture. He produced 17 film scores and 21 Broadway scores, in addition to his individual songs.
All Alone
Irving Berlin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just like a melody that lingers on
You seem to haunt me night and day
I never realized till you had gone
How much I cared about you
I can't live without you
[Refrain:]
All alone
There is no one else but you
All alone
By the telephone
Waiting for a ring
A ting-a-ling
I'm all alone every evening
All alone feeling blue
Wondering where you are
And how you are
And if you are
All alone too
[2nd verse:]
Just for a moment you were mine, and then
You seemed to vanish like a dream
I long to hold you in my arms again
My life is very lonely
For I want you only
The lyrics to Irving Berlin's song "All Alone" depict the feelings of loneliness and longing for a lost love. In the first verse, the singer compares the presence of their former lover to a lingering melody that stays with them day and night. They admit that they didn't fully realize the depth of their feelings until they were gone. The refrain emphasizes the singer's solitude, as they express being alone with no one else but their ex-lover on their mind. They anxiously wait by the telephone, hoping for it to ring and bring them some connection, symbolized by the phrase "ting-a-ling." The singer laments their evenings spent alone, feeling sad and wondering about the whereabouts and well-being of their lost love, and whether they too are experiencing the same loneliness.
The second verse briefly recalls a moment when the singer and their lover were together, but it quickly passes like a fleeting dream. The singer expresses a strong desire to hold their former partner in their arms once again, as their life has become very lonely without them. The lyrics convey a sense of yearning and a longing for the presence and love of the person they have lost, emphasizing their exclusive desire for them.
Overall, "All Alone" is a melancholic and introspective song that captures the emotions and experiences of longing, loneliness, and the realization of a deep attachment to someone who is no longer present.
Line by Line Meaning
Just like a melody that lingers on
You have a lasting effect on me, just like a beautiful melody that stays with me.
You seem to haunt me night and day
Thoughts of you occupy my mind constantly, like a haunting presence.
I never realized till you had gone
I didn't fully comprehend my feelings for you until you were no longer here.
How much I cared about you
I now understand the extent of my affection and love for you.
I can't live without you
You are so vital to my existence that I can't imagine living without you.
All alone
I am completely by myself, without anyone else's presence.
I'm so all alone
The solitude I feel is overwhelming and consuming.
There is no one else but you
You are the only person who occupies my thoughts and desires.
By the telephone
I am positioned near the telephone, eagerly waiting for communication.
Waiting for a ring
Anticipating the sound of the telephone ringing, indicating your attempt to contact me.
A ting-a-ling
The sound of the telephone ringing with hopeful expectations.
I'm all alone every evening
Throughout each evening, I am solitary and without company.
All alone feeling blue
Being alone fills me with a deep sense of sadness and melancholy.
Wondering where you are
I am constantly curious about your whereabouts.
And how you are
I am concerned for your well-being and state of mind.
And if you are
I question whether you are experiencing the same sense of aloneness.
All alone too
I ponder if you are also feeling the loneliness and solitude that engulfs me.
Just for a moment you were mine, and then
There was a brief period when you belonged to me, but it swiftly vanished.
You seemed to vanish like a dream
You disappeared from my life as abruptly and unexpectedly as a fleeting dream.
I long to hold you in my arms again
My heart aches to embrace you tightly once more.
My life is very lonely
The absence of your presence makes my life exceedingly desolate.
For I want you only
My sole desire is to have you and no one else.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Teryn Macallan
Just like a melody that lingers on
You seem to hold me night and day
I never realized that you had gone
How much i care about you
I can't live without you
All alone, I'm so all alone
There is no one else but you
All alone by the telephone
Waiting for a ring, a ting-a-ling
I'm all alone every evening
All alone, feeling blue
Wond'ring where you are and how you are
And if you are all alone too
All alone, I'm so all alone
There is no one else but you
All alone by the telephone
Waiting for a ring, a ting-a-ling
I'm all alone every evening
All alone, feeling blue
Wond'ring where you are and how you are
And if you are all alone too
Teryn Macallan
Just like a melody that lingers on
You seem to hold me night and day
I never realized that you had gone
How much i care about you
I can't live without you
All alone, I'm so all alone
There is no one else but you
All alone by the telephone
Waiting for a ring, a ting-a-ling
I'm all alone every evening
All alone, feeling blue
Wond'ring where you are and how you are
And if you are all alone too
All alone, I'm so all alone
There is no one else but you
All alone by the telephone
Waiting for a ring, a ting-a-ling
I'm all alone every evening
All alone, feeling blue
Wond'ring where you are and how you are
And if you are all alone too
James Horn
Third line should be 'til you had gone.
I came looking for this after Trump complained that he was all alone in the White House over Christmas (and after Melania flew back from Florida, no less).
Jolson does it better.
Cantor Classics
Classic rendition by Jolson.
Bernhard Straßmann
The man next to him is Irving Berlin, a very popular composer.
Bobbie Kravitz
Just wonderful.
Free Hunter
greats upon greats--the giants whose shoulders everyone since has stood upon...
David Thompson
To be clear, this is Irving Berlin singing to his mother after her death.
The McCormack(1924) is another interpretation.
Audrey L.
Who's here from The Plastic Age?
scxttline
racist
Milton Downes
How?