Lover You Say
Jeff Buckley Lyrics


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It's been such a long time
And I was just a child then
What will you say
When you see my face?
Time feels like it's flown away
The days just pass and fade away
What will you say
When they take my place?

It's funny now
I just don't feel like a man
What will you say
When you see my face?
My face...

Mother dear, the world's gone cold
No one cares about love anymore
What will you say
When you see my face?

Father do you hear me?
Do you know me?
Do you even care?
What will you say
When they take my place?

My heart can't take this anymore
What will you say
When you see my face?
When you see my,
See my face...

I can feel your time crawling
To a slow end
I can feel my time crawling
To a slow end...

Mother dear, the world's gone cold
No one cares about love anymore
What will you say
When you see my face?

Father do you hear me?
Do you know me?
Did you even care?
What will you say
When you take my place?

Well it's so funny now




I just don't feel like I'm a man
What will you say?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jeff Buckley's "What Will You Say" deal with the themes of time passing and the fear of being forgotten after one's passing. The opening line of the song, "It's been such a long time and I was just a child then" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is reflecting on his life and how it seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. He wonders what people will say about him when he is gone, and if anyone will remember him at all.


The singer seeks validation from his parents, asking what they will say when they see his face, and if they even care about him. He fears being replaced and forgotten, as time marches on. The line "Mother dear, the world's gone cold, no one cares about love anymore" highlights the singer's disillusionment with the world and the lack of love and care that he perceives.


Overall, "What Will You Say" is a poignant and introspective song that deals with universal fears about the passage of time and the legacy we leave behind. Through Buckley's heartfelt vocals and emotive lyrics, he captures the complexity of these emotions and invites the listener to reflect on their own feelings about these themes.


Line by Line Meaning

It's been such a long time
It has been a long time since we last saw each other.


And I was just a child then
I was very young when we last met.


What will you say When you see my face?
I am curious about how you will react when you see me.


Time feels like it's flown away
Time has passed by so quickly.


The days just pass and fade away
The days seem to pass by too quickly and disappear.


When they take my place?
What will people say about me when I am gone?


It's funny now I just don't feel like a man
I do not feel like I have lived up to society's definition of being a man.


My face...
I am fixated on how you will react when you see me.


Mother dear, the world's gone cold No one cares about love anymore
The world has become a loveless place.


Father do you hear me? Do you know me? Do you even care?
Do you even know who I am, and do you truly care?


My heart can't take this anymore
I cannot handle the pain and sadness that I am feeling.


I can feel your time crawling To a slow end I can feel my time crawling To a slow end...
Time is slowly coming to an end for both of us.


When you take my place?
What will people say about me when I am gone?


Well it's so funny now I just don't feel like I'm a man
I still do not feel like a man, even though so much time has passed.


What will you say?
I am still curious about how you will react when you see me.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRIS DOWD, CARLA AZAR, JEFF BUCKLEY

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

@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



All comments from YouTube:

@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.

@sertyuhg

Jeff was real, there aren't many like him

@austinmcmillen9008

345 a.m right now

176 More Replies...

@that70sgeek

I listened to this song a lot the months following my wife's death. The entire album, actually. Every time I hear "it's never over.. she's a tear that hangs inside my soul forever..." I lose it. Like just now.

@gelflingmama

I’m sorry you lost your other half. My husband has MS. Someday I’ll be right there with you. But for now, I cling. I cherish. I hope you find some joy again. ❤️❤️

@ccxxz4233

😭😭

@shreddingwithfingersSLUM

man

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