Smoke gets in your eyes
Larry Adler Lyrics

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They asked me how I knew
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

When your heart's on fire
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."

Overall Meaning

Larry Adler's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a song that has become a classic in the American Songbook. This song tries to explain the complicated feelings associated with love to those who have never experienced it before. In the first verse, the singer is asked how they know that their love is true. The singer responds by saying that they feel it inside and it cannot be denied.

The second verse provides a warning to those who are blinded by love. The singer is told that those who love are blind and do not realize the smoke that gets in their eyes when their heart is on fire. The phrase "smoke gets in your eyes" refers to the tears that are shed when love is lost.

In the final verse, the singer reflects on the loss of their love. They laugh off the doubters earlier in the song, but now that their love has gone, they are the ones being ridiculed by their friends. The singer reveals their pain by noting that they cannot hide the tears, and they mention that the smoke has gotten into their own eyes.

Overall, Adler's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," is about the experience of falling in love, being blinded by it, and losing it. The song acknowledges the pain of loss while also holding onto the hope that love might come back again someday.

Line by Line Meaning

They asked me how I knew
Someone inquired how I was sure about my love

My true love was true
I was confident that my love was genuine

I of course replied
Naturally, I gave my answer promptly

"Something here inside
I felt an overwhelming emotion deep inside

Cannot be denied"
And couldn't possibly be ignored

They said someday you'll find
Those individuals presumed that I would eventually discover

All who love are blind
That people are blinded when they're engulfed by love

When your heart's on fire
At the moment your heart is passionate

You don't realize
You don't notice

Smoke gets in your eyes
Smoke, a metaphor for confusion, troubles your vision

So I chaffed and I gaily laughed
So I ridiculed and laughed cheerfully