One Step Behind
John Wesley Lyrics


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You always been a little slow
hung up on yourself most times
you seem to watch the world going by through
someone else's eyes
your own reflection always seems to blind you
but one day you awoke to find
all the people that tried to love you were gone
you were the only one left behind

You were just one step behind
you were just one step
behind
living one step behind
and you missed it...

You didn't put no kids through college
or lavish love upon a wife
so you sit alone with all your pretty things
waiting for the phone to ring
you saved a whole lot of money
you spent a whole lot of time
waiting for your greater future to get here
but you couldn't catch it

You were just one step behind....
And you missed it

Now you wake up on the sidewalk
with your car keys in your hand
the sunrise burning holes in your eyes
but you missed it
you chased away your princess
waiting for a queen
now your princess is gone
with another man
and you miss her
lord how you miss her
living just one step behind

You wake up and it's over
you done spent your life alone
you don't remember that it even happened




don't realize it's gone
you were just one step behind

Overall Meaning

The song “One Step Behind” by John Wesley paints a melancholic picture of regret and missed opportunities in life. The lyrics speak of a person who always seemed to be living in their own head, never really seizing the moment, and who trusted in the promise of a better future. The singer of the song is portrayed as someone who is disconnected from reality, trapped in their own ego, and obsessed with material possessions. They delayed making meaningful connections with other people, always waiting for a better opportunity, but then found themselves alone and unfulfilled.


Throughout the song, the singer is portrayed as someone who seems to be always chasing something. They are never able to catch up, always one step behind the people who moved on with their lives. As the song progresses, the lyrics reveal that the singer’s disconnectedness and failure to live in the moment has led to an unfulfilling and lonely life. They wake up one day and realize all their chances for happiness have passed them by.


The song’s theme evokes a poignant sense of regret and missed opportunities that resonates with many people. It serves as a reminder that we should not take our time on Earth for granted, and that we must find a way to live fully in the moment.


Line by Line Meaning

You always been a little slow
You have always been a little slow in life, maybe not catching on to things as quickly as others.


hung up on yourself most times
You tend to be self-centered a lot of the time, focusing only on yourself more often than not.


you seem to watch the world going by through someone else's eyes
It seems like you are not living your life, but rather living someone else's life through their eyes and experiences.


your own reflection always seems to blind you
You are too focused on yourself and your own reflection that it blinds you from seeing what's going on around you.


but one day you awoke to find all the people that tried to love you were gone
One day you woke up and realized that all the people who tried to love you have left, and you are left alone.


you were the only one left behind
You are the only one who is still alone and left behind, with no one to love or be loved by.


You were just one step behind
You were always one step behind in life, missing out on opportunities and experiences that could have changed your life forever.


you were just one step behind living one step behind and you missed it...
You were always living one step behind in life, and you missed out on many opportunities and experiences that you could have had if you had been more present and aware.


You didn't put no kids through college or lavish love upon a wife
You did not have children who went to college, and you did not love and cherish any partner in your life with attention and care.


so you sit alone with all your pretty things waiting for the phone to ring
You are now sitting alone with all your material possessions and waiting for something/someone to call you, probably not understanding that it's too late for things to change.


you saved a whole lot of money you spent a whole lot of time waiting for your greater future to get here but you couldn't catch it
You saved a lot of money and spent a lot of time waiting for a better future, but you could not catch up with all the missed opportunities and experiences that could have made your future better.


Now you wake up on the sidewalk with your car keys in your hand the sunrise burning holes in your eyes but you missed it you chased away your princess waiting for a queen now your princess is gone with another man and you miss her lord how you miss her living just one step behind
You wake up one day, alone and empty-handed, with the realization that you have missed out on life. You let go of someone who was your 'princess' waiting for someone better, but now she's with another man, and you miss her dearly. You were always living one step behind, and you missed out on almost everything that life had to offer.


You wake up and it's over you done spent your life alone you don't remember that it even happened don't realize it's gone you were just one step behind
At the end of your life, you wake up and realize that it's over and you have spent all your life alone, not even realizing how it happened or how it all went away. You realize that you were always one step behind.




Contributed by Miles D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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