On My Own
Lea Salonga and Michael Ball Lyrics
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All alone, I walk with him 'til morning
Without him, I feel his arms around me
And when I lose my way, I close my eyes and he has found me
In the rain the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
And I know it's only in my mind
That I'm talking to myself and not to him
And although I know that he is blind
Still I say there's a way for us
I love him, but when the night is over
He is gone, the river's just a river
Without him, the world around me changes
The trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers
I love him, but everyday I'm learning
All my life I've only been pretending
Without me, his world will go on turning
The world is full of happiness that I have never known
I love him
I love him
I love him
But only on my own
The song "On My Own" by Lea Salonga is a beautiful and poignant ballad about unrequited love and heartbreak. The singer is walking alone through the city streets, pretending that the person she loves is by her side. She closes her eyes and imagines his arms around her, but when she opens her eyes, she's all alone. She sees the world around her as full of strangers, and her love as something she can only experience when she's solitary. She knows that her love is unrequited and that the person she longs for is gone, but she still clings to a sliver of hope that there might be a way for them to be together.
The singer's longing is expressed through an extended metaphor, as she describes the world around her. The pavement shines like silver in the rain and the lights are misty in the river. In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight, and all she can see is her beloved and herself together, forever. But she knows that it's all in her mind, that she's only talking to herself and not to him. She knows that he is blind to her love, and that their relationship can never be. But still, she loves him and will continue to love him, even though it can only be "on her own."
Line by Line Meaning
On my own, pretending he's beside me
I am alone but I imagine that he is with me
All alone, I walk with him 'til morning
I am by myself but I walk with him until dawn
Without him, I feel his arms around me
Even without him physically present, I can still feel him hugging me
And when I lose my way, I close my eyes and he has found me
Whenever I feel lost, I close my eyes and imagine that he has come to rescue me
In the rain the pavement shines like silver
When it rains, the pavement reflects like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
The lights of the city are blurry in the river's reflection
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
During the night, the trees are glowing with starlight
And all I see is him and me forever and forever
I can only see him and me together forever in my mind
And I know it's only in my mind
I am aware that it's just my imagination
That I'm talking to myself and not to him
I am actually conversing with myself, not with him
And although I know that he is blind
I understand that he can't see the love I have for him
Still I say there's a way for us
Despite the odds, I still believe we could be together
I love him, but when the night is over
I love him, but once the night is gone, so is he
He is gone, the river's just a river
Once he's gone, everything returns to how it was before and the river is just a river
Without him, the world around me changes
My surroundings are different when he's not with me
The trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers
When he's not there, everything looks and feels lifeless and unfamiliar
I love him, but everyday I'm learning
Even though I love him, I am starting to understand that we may not be together
All my life I've only been pretending
My entire life has just been wishful thinking, pretending that he's actually there with me
Without me, his world will go on turning
Even if I'm not there, his world will continue to turn and things will go on without me
The world is full of happiness that I have never known
There are so many things that I have never experienced or known in this world
I love him
I love him
I love him
I love him
I love him
I love him
But only on my own
But unfortunately, I only love him in my own imagination
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Herbert Kretzmer, Jean Marc Natel, Claude Michel Schonberg, Alain Albert Boublil, John Caird, Trevor Robert Nunn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind