One Time
JAMS. Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Saw a girl that I used to know
I was deep in thought at the time
To recognize the face at first
Cause I was probably looking at mine
Well she was the only girl I've ever loved
But my folks didn't dig her so much
I was young
This is serious
To me she was the world (she was my world now)
I thought I'd never live without her,
But I got by in time

Well let me tell you now,
Saw a guy that I used to know
Man he'd changed so much
I think it hurt him to say 'hello,
Cause he hardly opened his mouth
Yeah well he was my best friend a few years ago
Truly inseparable

We were young
We were full of ideals
We were gonna pull this whole world
But something happened
I didn't know why
But that's the way that it goes.

I suppose,
What you say - what you do
Don't mean nothing, nothing at all
And all the bonds you make between ya
Can be broken any time you want now
Please tell me if my philosophy's wrong
I've got to know the truth
I don't mean to offend anyone but,
You know it's something that I do, oh-

So nice to see you tonight,
And I'm so glad that you came
Some of the people standing outside, say
Sure feel the same
Yeah my point is in a round about way
Given time he'll always forget
Cause the memories
That ... me on
To me everything (you're everything now)




And it always will be mine, yeah
And no one can take them away

Overall Meaning

In JAMS.’s song One Time, the singer reflects on two chance encounters with people that used to be important to him. These people were the only girl the singer ever loved and his best friend from a few years ago. The singer struggles with the idea that time moves on and people change. He realizes that the relationships he thought were so solid can be broken at any moment. The song touches on the idea of nostalgia and how people cling to memories to hold onto the past.


The singer of One Time wrestles with the deep emotions that come from reconnecting with people from his past. He recognizes his own reflection in the girl he used to love and is hurt that his parents didn’t approve of her. The singer deeply cared for this girl, but ultimately let her go. He reflects on the fact that, at one time, he thought he would never be able to live without her but, in time, was able to move on. Similarly, upon seeing his former best friend, the singer is startled by how much he has changed. He remembers the strong friendship they once shared and how they believed they could change the world together. Now, the singer realizes that it is easy for connections to be severed and bonds to be broken.


One Time is a powerful reflection on how people change and how relationships can break apart over time. The song offers a deeper understanding of human emotion and how people can cling to memories to hold onto the past. The lyrics of One Time are a reminder that, even in the face of inevitable change, some memories will always be important.


Line by Line Meaning

Saw a girl that I used to know
I once saw a girl that I have known before


I was deep in thought at the time
At that time, I was lost in deep thoughts


To recognize the face at first
It was difficult for me to recognize her face initially


Cause I was probably looking at mine
As we resembled each other, I might have been looking at my own face


Well she was the only girl I've ever loved
I have loved her more than any other girl I've ever known


But my folks didn't dig her so much
Unfortunately, my parents didn't like her much


I was young
I was young and naive back then


This is serious
It was a big deal for me


To me, she was the world (she was my world now)
She meant everything to me and was my whole world


I thought I'd never live without her,
Initially, I thought I couldn't live without her


But I got by in time
Eventually, I learned to cope without her


Well let me tell you now,
Now, let me tell you this


Saw a guy that I used to know
I once saw a guy that I had known before


Man he'd changed so much
He had changed beyond recognition


I think it hurt him to say 'hello,
I believe it was painful for him to even say 'hello'


Cause he hardly opened his mouth
He barely spoke


Yeah well he was my best friend a few years ago
He was my closest friend some years back


Truly inseparable
We were completely inseparable


We were young
We were young and naive at that time


We were full of ideals
We had many ideals and aspirations


We were gonna pull this whole world
We aimed to change the world in our own ways


But something happened
Something occurred that changed everything


I didn't know why
At that time, I didn't comprehend why


But that's the way that it goes.
But that's just how life is sometimes


I suppose,
I guess,


What you say - what you do
Your words and actions


Don't mean nothing, nothing at all
Don't amount to anything significant


And all the bonds you make between ya
The relationships that you form together


Can be broken anytime you want now
Can be shattered anytime you wish


Please tell me if my philosophy's wrong
If I am mistaken, please correct me


I've got to know the truth
I need to know the truth


I don't mean to offend anyone, but
I don't wish to hurt anyone's feelings, but


You know it's something that I do, oh-
It's just something that I do, you know


So nice to see you tonight,
It's pleasant to see you again this evening


And I'm so glad that you came
I am delighted that you could make it here


Some of the people standing outside say
Some of the people outside say that


Sure feel the same
They feel the same way as I do


Yeah my point is in a roundabout way
My point is not very direct


Given time, he'll always forget
With time, he'll eventually forget


Cause the memories that...me on
Because the memories that keep me moving forward


To me, everything (you're everything now)
Everything to me (now, you are everything)


And it always will be mine, yeah
It will always belong to me


And no one can take them away
And nothing can ever steal them from me




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL JOHN WELLER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@karmasutra4774

50’s best for overall life conditions

70’s best environment drugs

80’s best for music / intro to videos and games

90’s hated the 90’s music lol.. grunge :/

Now EDM when that came on the scene and the ecstasy was pure back in the mid 90’s that was a fun time too



@kozmicre982

@Mark Riley
at least we saw it through raw first hand experience
If we saw anything more credited to the cause and revolutionary vibe music brings in on every level
the meaning of any promise of a coming day
and the dreams that make it to the top of the mountain stand with the ones that hoped for the pinnacle, the vibe of truth
and the beat goes on eternal, infinite essence
there wont ever be anything like we witnessed in the power that music always has & always will be.
We saw a miracle in its forming and I testify to that as irreplaceable and sacred.
We never forget where we come from
Streets of Fire & always down for the cause!



@richmck007

I’m 59 and I still remember this as if it were yesterday.
Man, am I glad I lived the Beat boz lifestyle!
Still listen to this on Sunnyview but most Electro boogie from back then was on Tommy Boy records.
Th moves, the vibe!
Electric is the only word to describe it!
Whoever put this gem together knows, and if you don’t know...As Biggie says, now you know.
Great moves, great tunes, great times.
Still Jammin’ on it although my knees ain’t doin’ so well when it gets cold!
To all da’ BB in da house: Keep rockin’ it , don’t stop!
💃🏽🕺🏽🎼🙏🏽🎼🙏🏽🕺🏽💃🏽



All comments from YouTube:

@derecklawrence1979

Who’s still jamming out to this song in 2024?

@rodneywalker2307

Still rocking it march 2024

@themerculator

Yessir

@Elhombresanchez

You already know 💪

@DavidFernandez-ft3cy

all day right now march 19 2024

@mkazilakwamchilloh3563

Right here jamming around and upside down

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@turner111971

I'm 50, and I'm telling you now...the 80's is at THE top of the food chain when it comes to music, dancing and talent. No decade will ever come close to the 80's, NEVER!

@edwells4769

The only decade worse than the 80s was the 2010s. 2020s are off to a pretty awful start as well.

@harrydacosta9496

the 90's was good also

@johnthorley8162

Sorry friend, the 80s were damn good, but the 70s beats it hands down, i know, i was there :).

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