Close Your Eyes
Jimmy Rowles And Ray Brown Lyrics
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My true love was true
I of course replied
"Something here inside
Cannot be denied"
They said someday you'll find
All who love are blind
You don't realize
Smoke gets in your eyes
So I chaffed and I gaily laughed
To think they would doubt my love
Yet today, my love has flown away
I am without my love
Now laughing friends deride
Tears I cannot hide
So I smile and say
"When a lovely flame dies,
Smoke gets in your eyes."
The lyrics of "Close Your Eyes" by Jimmy Rowles and Ray Brown in 1933 tell the story of a jilted lover reflecting on the nature of love and the reality of heartbreak. The singer is asked by others how he could be sure that his love is true, to which he replies that there is something inside him that cannot be denied, an intuition that he cannot explain or prove.
Others caution him that love can blind us to the truth, that we may not see the flaws or faults of the beloved until it is too late. But the singer dismisses this as cynicism, even arrogance, on their part, and remains steadfast in his convictions.
However, as fate would have it, his lover leaves him, and he is left to deal with the ridicule of his former friends and the pain of his own failed love. In the end, he comes to accept that love is not always stable or predictable, that sometimes things just don't work out, and that even beautiful flames can extinguish leaving behind only ashes in the form of the smoke that gets in your eyes.
Overall, the song's lyrics are a melancholy meditation on the risks and rewards of love, and the ways in which it can shape and define us. With simple, straightforward language and a poignant melody, "Close Your Eyes" captures both the joys and sorrows of the human heart.
Line by Line Meaning
They asked me how I knew
Someone asked me how I knew that my true love was true
My true love was true
I knew that my love was true and real
I of course replied
I replied with confidence
"Something here inside
There was something inside of me
Cannot be denied"
And I couldn't deny it
They said someday you'll find
Someone told me that someday I'll find
All who love are blind
That all lovers are blind
When your heart’s on fire
When you’re deeply in love
You don't realize
You’re not aware
Smoke gets in your eyes
That the truth can be clouded by emotions
So I chaffed and I gaily laughed
So I brushed it off and I laughed
To think they would doubt my love
To think they didn’t believe in my love
Yet today, my love has flown away
But today, my love has disappeared
I am without my love
I feel the absence of my love
Now laughing friends deride
Now my friends mock me as I struggle
Tears I cannot hide
I can't hide my tears
So I smile and say
So I force a smile and say
"When a lovely flame dies,
"When a beautiful thing ends,
Smoke gets in your eyes."
It can cause pain and confusion.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind