Far Away
Jay–Jay Johanson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But now you're far away
You're still here with me
But not like yesterday, so far
Far away, I hear you breathe
But you're so far away
Once so colourful
But now all turns to grey, so far
When centimetres feels like miles
Seconds like hours
Now it's true love has died
No more roads left to try, far away
Far away, long ago
When love was here to stay
Now it's gone
It doesn't matter what we say, so far
Every word is like a knife
But the silence cuts you twice
The lyrics of Jay-Jay Johanson's song "Far Away" express the feeling of being distanced from someone we love, both physically and emotionally. The first stanza sets the tone by contrasting the past and the present, pointing out that despite the person being physically present, they are not the same as they used to be. The line "once so colourful, but now all turns to grey" suggests a loss of vitality and joy that used to exist in their relationship. The second stanza continues with this theme of distance, using hyperboles to describe the feeling of time stretching to an unbearable extent. The chorus emphasizes the finality of their separation, indicating that they have exhausted all possible options to reignite the love that once existed. The last line adds an extra layer of pain, revealing that even the act of communicating with each other - either through words or through silence - is hurtful.
The imagery used in "Far Away" is striking, as it conveys the weight of the emotional distance between the two individuals. The lyrics evoke a sense of loss and longing, emphasizing the tragic nature of the situation. The choice to use short, simple lines without any metaphorical flourishes gives the song a directness and honesty that resonate with the listener. At the same time, the melody has a haunting quality that accentuates the melancholic mood of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Far away, once so close
You were once close to me, but now you feel so far away.
But now you're far away
You are not near me anymore.
You're still here with me
While you physically are not here with me, your presence is felt in my memories.
But not like yesterday, so far
However, your presence now does not compare to how it was before, it's distant.
Far away, I hear you breathe
I can hear the sound of your breathing, even though you are far away.
But you're so far away
Despite hearing you breathe, you are still far away from me.
Once so colourful
Things were colorful and vibrant before.
But now all turns to grey, so far
However, everything now seems to be less vivid and turning grey, the distance between us makes it feel that way.
It's oh so strange
This feeling of distance and separation is unfamiliar.
When centimetres feels like miles
The physical distance feels much greater than it actually is.
Seconds like hours
Time passes slowly and feels much longer than it actually is.
Now it's true love has died
Our love has ended, it is no longer alive.
No more roads left to try, far away
We have exhausted all avenues of fixing the distance between us, we remain apart.
Far away, long ago
A long time ago, we were together.
When love was here to stay
When our love was strong and durable.
Now it's gone
Now our love has vanished, it no longer exists.
It doesn't matter what we say, so far
Regardless of what we express, the distance between us remains.
Every word is like a knife
Every utterance we make is painful like a sharp knife.
But the silence cuts you twice
However, the real anguish comes when we say nothing at all, the silence is devastating.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NICOLE ATKINS, TORE DAN JOHANSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind