This is believed to be one of his most powerful and diverse efforts, with a jazzy, soulful, and gospel-like tone to the song. In fact, during the song's climax ("It's Never Over,..."), you can hear gospel-like backing vocals, which in reality are actually Jeff multi-tracking his own voice.
The song was covered by the English jazz pianist songwriter Jamie Cullum on his 2003 album Twentysomething, and has also been covered by American singer-songwriter John Mayer.
Lover You Should've Come Over
Jeff Buckley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners
Parading in a wake of sad relations
As their shoes fill up with water
Maybe I'm too young
To keep good love from going wrong
But tonight you're on my mind so
You'll never know
Broken down and hungry for your love
With no way to feed it
Where are you tonight?
Child, you know how much I need it
Too young to hold on
And too old to just break free and run
Well, sometimes a man gets carried away
When he feels like he should be having his fun
But much too blind to see the damage he's done
Yeah, sometimes a man must awake to find that, really
He has no one
So I'll wait for you and I'll burn
Will I ever see your sweet return
Oh, will I ever learn?
Oh oh oh, lover, you should've come over
'Cause it's not too late
Mm
Lonely is the room, the bed is made
The open window lets the rain in
Burning in the corner is the only one
Who dreams he had you with him
My body turns and yearns for a sleep
That won't ever come
It's never over
My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder
Yeah, it's never over, all my riches for her smiles
When I slept so soft against her
It's never over
All my blood for the sweetness of her laughter
It's never over
She is a tear that hangs inside my soul forever (mm)
Ah, but maybe I'm just too young
To keep good love from going wrong
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh lover, you should've come over, yeah yeah, yes, yes
I feel too young to hold on
I'm much too old to break free and run
Too deaf, dumb, and blind
To see the damage I've done
The sweet lover, you, you should've come over
Oh, love, well I've waited for you
Lover, lover, lover
Lover, love, lover
Love, love, love, love, love
Lover, you should've come over
If it's not too late
Jeff Buckley's song "Lover You Should've Come Over" is a song about lost love and heartbreak, with the singer grappling with the pain of unrequited love. The first verse sets the scene of a funeral on a rainy day, with the singer feeling like he is too young and inexperienced to retain the love that slipped away. He is hungry and desperate for his lover's return, feeling too old to let go but not quite mature enough to hold on tightly. The second verse is a stark portrait of the singer's loneliness, as he yearns for his lover from the confines of an empty room. He longs for her touch, her smile, and her laughter, knowing deep down that he may never have her back.
Throughout the song, Buckley's emotive voice conveys the raw intensity of heartbreak and loss, with his urgent delivery and soaring vocal range submerging the listener in the singer's emotional turmoil. The repeated refrain of "lover, you should've come over" serves as a poignant reminder of all the missed opportunities for love and connection, with the present moment slipping away like sand through fingertips.
The song has been interpreted in various ways, with some fans speculating that it was written about Buckley's own failed romances and feelings of inadequacy. The song has also been cited as a seminal moment in Buckley's career, with critics hailing it as an iconic example of his unique vocal talent and poetic songwriting abilities.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking out the door
Standing at the door, observing
I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners
Witnessing rain pouring onto mourners of a funeral
Parading in a wake of sad relations
Mourners walking solemnly behind the hearse with grieving family members nearby
As their shoes fill up with water
Their shoes getting filled with water due to the rain
Maybe I'm too young
Possibly being too inexperienced to maintain a perfect relationship
To keep good love from going wrong
Incapable of retaining a love that does not break apart
But tonight you're on my mind so
Thinking of a past lover at present
You'll never know
Not telling the lover one is thinking about them
Broken down and hungry for your love
Emotional state of being deprived of the affection of a love
With no way to feed it
Not having an option to satiate such a hunger
Where are you tonight?
Questioning about the whereabouts of the person loved
Child, you know how much I need it
The significance of having the love of the other person in his life
Too young to hold on
Being too inexperienced to hold on to a love
And too old to just break free and run
Being too mature to simply give up and move on
Well, sometimes a man gets carried away
At times, a person could get consumed by thoughts and emotions
When he feels like he should be having his fun
When one desires to let loose and be carefree
But much too blind to see the damage he's done
Failing to perceive the effects of one's actions on another
Yeah, sometimes a man must awake to find that, really
Sometimes, a person wakes up to realize that in reality,
He has no one
He is alone despite thinking otherwise
So I'll wait for you and I'll burn
Holding on for the love of a person and feeling the pain
Will I ever see your sweet return
Questioning if the person will come back and return all the love shown
Oh, will I ever learn?
Wondering if a lesson will be gained from this entire experience
Oh oh oh, lover, you should've come over
Expressing the fact that the person should have come back to be with him
'Cause it's not too late
It's not too late for the person to come back and relive the love they shared
Lonely is the room, the bed is made
Describing the atmosphere of a lonely room with an empty bed
The open window lets the rain in
Depicting an open window leading rainwater to enter the room
Burning in the corner is the only one
A metaphorical representation of how his heart is burning in the corner
Who dreams he had you with him
Daydreaming of having the lover by his side
My body turns and yearns for a sleep
Body craving to have minimal stress and attain peace through sleep
That won't ever come
A desire not destined to be fulfilled
It's never over
Love doesn't have an end
My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder
A loving kiss on the shoulder is worth more than anything he could possibly imagine
Yeah, it's never over, all my riches for her smiles
Willing to trade everything he owns to see a smile on her face
When I slept so soft against her
Lying down next to the lover, holding her softly during sleep
She is a tear that hangs inside my soul forever (mm)
Lover will leave a mark in my soul forever
Ah, but maybe I'm just too young
Possibility of loving someone purely, but still being naive about love itself
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Uncontrollable emotions arising from missing someone
Oh lover, you should've come over, yeah yeah, yes, yes
Desperately wishing that the lover came back to him
I feel too young to hold on
Feeling too inexperienced to hold on
I'm much too old to break free and run
Feeling too mature to simply give up and move on
Too deaf, dumb, and blind
Feeling lost and helpless in the situation
To see the damage I've done
Failing to perceive the effects of one's actions on another
The sweet lover, you, you should've come over
Expressing the wish that the lover returned
Oh, love, well I've waited for you
Describing the patient and continuous wait for the lover
Lover, lover, lover
Affectionately referring to the lover with three repetitions of the word
Love, love, love, love, love
Undying love with five repetitions of the word
Lover, you should've come over
The lover should return to the writer's life
If it's not too late
It's not too late for the lover to return and rekindle their love.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jeffery Scott Buckley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Pride317
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Looking out the door I see the rain
Fall upon the funeral mourners
Parading in a wake of sad relations
As their shoes fill up with water
Maybe I'm too young
To keep good love from going wrong
But tonight you're on my mind
So you never know
[Verse 2]
Broken down and hungry for your love
With no way to feed it
Where are you tonight, child
You know how much I need it
Too young to hold on
And too old to just break free and run
[Verse 3]
Sometimes a man gets carried away
When he feels like he should
Be having his fun
And much too blind to see
The damage he's done
Sometimes a man must awake
To find that really, he has no-one
So I'll wait for you, and I'll burn
Will I ever see your sweet return
Oh, will I ever learn?
[Chorus]
Oh lover, you should've come over
Cause it's not too late
[Verse 4]
Lonely is the room, the bed is made
The open window lets the rain in
Burning in the corner is the only one
Who dreams he had you with him
My body turns and yearns
For a sleep that won't ever come
It's never over
My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder
It's never over
All my riches for her smiles
When I slept so soft against her
It's never over
All my blood for
The sweetness of her laughter
It's never over
She's the tear that hangs
Inside my soul forever
Well maybe I'm just too young
To keep good love from going wrong
[Chorus]
Oh... Ohh...
Ohhhhh... Ohhhhhh...
Ohh..... lover, you should've come over
Yes, yes, I feel too young to hold on
And I'm much too old to break free and run
Too deaf, dumb, and blind
To see the damage I've done
Sweet lover, you should've come over
Oh, love well I'll wait for you
Lover, lover, lover
Lover, lover, lover, lover, lover, lover
Lover, lover, lover you should've come over
Cause it's not too late
@ale1641
Looking out the door
I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners
Parading in a wake of sad relations
As their shoes fill up with water
Maybe I'm too young
To keep good love from going wrong
But tonight you're on my mind so
You'll never know
Broken down and hungry for your love
With no way to feed it
Where are you tonight?
Child, you know how much I need it.
Too young to hold on
And too old to just break free and run
Sometimes a man gets carried away,
When he feels like he should be having his fun
Much too blind to see the damage he's done
Sometimes a man must awake to find that, really,
He has no one
So I'll wait for you and I'll burn
Will I ever see your sweet return,
Or, will I ever learn?
Lover, you should've come over
'Cause it's not too late.
Lonely is the room the bed is made
The open window lets the rain in
Burning in the corner is the only one
Who dreams he had you with him
My body turns and yearns for a sleep
That won't ever come
It's never over,
My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder
It's never over, all my riches for her smiles
When I slept so soft against her
It's never over,
All my blood for the sweetness of her laughter
It's never over,
She is the tear that hangs inside my soul forever
But maybe I'm just too young,
To keep good love from going wrong
Oh lover, you should've come over, yeah yeah yes
I feel too young to hold on
I'm much too old to break free and run
Too deaf, dumb, and blind
To see the damage I've done
Sweet lover, you should've come over
Oh, love I've waited for you
Lover, you should've come over
'Cause it's not too late
@rva
I miss him. x
@jerkball07
yeah, me too. what if....unknown songs?
@dropclutch1
Just when I thought the romantic in me was gone and dead for good, he always brings it back to life like a mourning, love sick zombie.
@ccxxz4233
This is my song so ion know who u miss if he's mine
@ccxxz4233
Jk
@juanballesteros2887
Amen.
@bjwnashe5589
With Jeff it's always 3 am and all hearts are broken forever.
@33melissaj
But it hurts so good.
@annagaszkowska283
This comment 👏 it's crazy how effortless this song is in capturing that pain of losing somone and knowing it's too late
@bjwnashe5589
It breaks my heart every time I listen to it. Morgan James did a great cover of this song. Check it out.