Throughout the 1950s and early-1960s, Jackie Gleason enjoyed a secondary mu… Read Full Bio ↴Throughout the 1950s and early-1960s, Jackie Gleason enjoyed a secondary music career, lending his name to a series of best-selling mood music albums with jazz overtones for Capitol. Gleason felt there was a ready market for romantic instrumentals. He recalled seeing Clark Gable play love scenes in movies, and the romance was, in his words, "magnified a thousand percent" by background music. Gleason reasoned, "If Gable needs music, a guy in Brooklyn must be desperate!"

Gleason could not read or write music in a conventional sense; he was said to have conceived melodies in his head and described them vocally to staff help. He did likewise with the well-remembered themes of both The Jackie Gleason Show ("Melancholy Serenade") and The Honeymooners ("You're My Greatest Love"). There has been some controversy over the years as to how much credit Gleason should have received for the finished products; it has been written that beyond the possible conceptualizing of many of the songs, Gleason had no direct involvement such as conducting in the making of these recordings. However, his main musical companion, cornetist and trumpeter Bobby Hackett once said: "Jackie knows a lot more about music than people give him credit for. I have seen him conduct a sixty-piece orchestra and detect one discordant note in the brass section. He would immediately stop the music and locate the wrong note. It always amazed the professional musicians how a guy who technically did not know one note from another could do that. And he was never wrong."

Born February 26, 1916 in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He died on June 24, 1987

For All We Know
Jackie Gleason Lyrics

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For all we know
We may never meet again
Before we go
Make this moment live again
We won't say goodbye
Until the last minute
I'll hold out my hand
And my heart will be in it

For all we know
This might only be a dream
We come and we go
Like the ripples, like the ripples in the stream
So baby, love me, love me tonight
Tomorrow was made for some
Oh, but tomorrow
But tomorrow may never, never come
For all we know

Yes, tomorrow may never, never come
For all we know

Overall Meaning

The song, For All We Know, is a poignant and contemplative track that has resonated with listeners for decades. It speaks to the bittersweet experience of being in a transitory moment, unsure of what the future holds. The lyrics paint a picture of two people who may never see each other again, acknowledging the fleeting nature of life and love. The first two lines set the stage for the song: "For all we know / We may never meet again." This sets the tone for the rest of the song, with phrases such as "Before we go / Make this moment live again" and "We won't say goodbye / Until the last minute" emphasizing the importance of cherishing the moment and living in the present.

The chorus of the song reinforces this idea of uncertainty and transience, with the lines "For all we know / This might only be a dream / We come and we go / Like the ripples in the stream." Here, the metaphor of ripples in a stream adds another layer of richness to the song’s imagery. The closing lines of the song drive home the central message of living in the moment and cherishing the time we have with our loved ones: "So baby, love me, love me tonight / Tomorrow was made for some / Oh, but tomorrow / But tomorrow may never, never come / For all we know / Yes, tomorrow may never, never come / For all we know."

For All We KnowJackie Gleason Lyrics

For All We Know
Jackie Gleason Lyrics