Once I Was
Jeff Buckley Lyrics


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once i was a soldier
and i fought on foreign sands for you
once i was a hunter
and i brought home fresh meat for you
once i was a lover
and i searched behind your eyes for you
and soon there'll be another
to tell you i was just a lie

and sometimes i wonder
just for a while
will you remember me

and though you have forgotten
all of our rubbish dreams
i find myself searching
through the ashes of our ruins
for the days when we smiled
and the hours that ran wild
with the magic of our eyes
and the silence of our words

and sometimes i wonder




just for a while
will you remember me

Overall Meaning

Jeff Buckley's song Once I Was is a reflection on the singer's past identity and relationships. The singer identifies himself as a soldier, a hunter, and a lover in the opening verse, expressing how he fought on foreign lands, provided for his partner, and searched for her behind her eyes. However, in the following verse, the singer admits that he was a "lie" and that soon, there will be another person who will tell her the same. The song's theme is reminiscing about the past and questioning whether or not the partner will remember the singer, despite his lies and past actions. The second verse emphasizes the singer's longing for the days when they were happy and how he is searching for that same magic and silence in their current ruins. At the end, the singer still wonders if he will be remembered, indicating his desire to be acknowledged and recognized for his past existence.


Overall, the song's lyrics capture the complexity of relationships and how memories shape a person's identity. Jeff Buckley's melancholic voice portrays the singer's emotions and struggles, making the song a poignant reflection on the past.


Line by Line Meaning

once i was a soldier
I used to be a soldier, fighting in a foreign land for you.


and i fought on foreign sands for you
I fought in a distant land for you with utmost diligence and dedication.


once i was a hunter
I was once a hunter, gathering fresh meat for you.


and i brought home fresh meat for you
I used to hunt diligently and skillfully, bringing you the tastiest meat to enjoy.


once i was a lover
I used to be a dedicated lover, searching for your innermost thoughts and feelings.


and i searched behind your eyes for you
I looked deep into your eyes to try and read your thoughts and emotions, to understand you better and show you my love.


and soon there'll be another to tell you i was just a lie
Before long, someone else will reveal to you that my love for you was a deception.


and sometimes i wonder just for a while will you remember me
At times, I ponder for a moment whether you will remember me, even though we have gone our separate ways.


and though you have forgotten all of our rubbish dreams
Even though you seem to have forgotten all of the silly and far-fetched dreams we shared together.


i find myself searching through the ashes of our ruins
I find myself sifting through the debris of our destroyed relationship, trying to find elements of our past we could revive.


for the days when we smiled and the hours that ran wild with the magic of our eyes and the silence of our words
For the days when we were happy, with the hours running joyfully by, enchanted by our eyes and the deep, wordless connection we shared.




Contributed by Connor S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Nava Cevallos Isaac Gonzalo

Once I was a soldier
And I fought on foreign sands for you
Once I was a hunter
And I brought home fresh meat for you
Once I was a lover
And I searched behind your eyes for you
And soon there'll be another
To tell you I was just a lie
And sometimes I wonder
Just for a while
Will you ever remember me
And though you have forgotten
All of our rubbish dreams
I find myself searching
Through the ashes of our ruins
For the days when we smiled
And the hours that ran wild
With the magic of our eyes
And the silence of our words
And sometimes I wonder
Just for a while
Will you ever remember me



All comments from YouTube:

ThisNameWasTaken

Interesting change Jeff made to this song lyrically.. he changed “Will you ever, remember me?” to “Do you ever, remember me?”.. turning that question to ask his father in his afterlife..

adonai yah

I don't think it was so deliberate

Hawkeye

Goosebumps reading this... 🥶

Zoe J

This comment brought tears to my eyes.

Stefan Kessels

His song "What will you say" is a crushing sequel to this tribute to his father

João Augusto

It's like eric said: would you know my name?

2 More Replies...

Eoin Byrne

I love how you can hear Jeff doing sharp exhales through his mouth, as a way to calm his nerves. Such a gorgeous tribute to the father he never knew.

adonai yah

@yardmanharris I often think how it mustve been to hear people bring up Tim so lightly without understanding how hard it was

yardmanharris

I think he's trying to stop himself from crying. He said in an interview he couldn't play the song at home without weeping and struggled to keep himself together singing it on stage that night.

Arghavan Sa.

“Suddenly, before the last chorus, a string broke on his acoustic guitar, and Jeff sang the lines “Sometimes, I wonder for a while/Do you ever remember me?” unaccompanied. If that weren’t dramatic enough, his voice spiraled up on the last word—“me”—like a thin plume of smoke, holding on for a moment before drifting up to the ceiling. He took a quick bow, said “thanks,” and trotted offstage, and the concert ended. It would not have been a more perfect finale if he had planned it.”
[“Dream Brother”, David Browne]

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