If You Can Dream
Lena Horne with Lennie Hayton and His Orchestra Lyrics

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If you are but a dream
I hope I never waken
It's more than I could bear
To find that I'm forsaken

If you're a fantasy
Then I'm content to be
In love with lovely you

And pray my dream comes true

I long to kiss you
But I would not dare
I'm so afraid that
You may vanish in the air

So, darling
If our romance would break up

I hope I never wake up
If you are but a dream

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "If You Can Dream" by Lena Horne with Lennie Hayton and His Orchestra convey the idea of a person being in love with someone they see as a dream or a fantasy. The opening lines of the song express the wish to never wake up if the person they are dreaming of is not real. It shows a desire to keep the illusion of their love alive and to avoid the pain of waking up to a reality without the person they love.

The second verse demonstrates the singer's contentment with being in love with a fantasy, even if it means their love is never realized. It reveals a level of surrender to the idea that the love they feel may never come to fruition, yet they remain hopeful that the dream may become a reality.

The chorus is an expression of fear that the illusion may end suddenly, and the person they love will vanish from their life. The singer is cautioning themselves to be careful not to jeopardize the dream by taking action that could cause it to break up. They end the song with the sentiment that they hope they never wake up from this dream, even if it may never become a reality.

Overall, the lyrics of "If You Can Dream" speak to the human experience of yearning for something that may never come to pass. It is about holding onto hope and love even in the face of uncertainty and the potential for disappointment.

Line by Line Meaning

If you are but a dream
If you only exist in my mind, I never want to leave this moment of fantasy

I hope I never waken
I never want to wake up and realize that you weren't real

It's more than I could bear
The thought of losing you is so painful, I couldn't handle it

To find that I'm forsaken
To discover that you never existed, and that all my feelings were in vain

If you're a fantasy
If you only exist in my imagination

Then I'm content to be
I'm happy just to have this moment of love in my fantasy

In love with lovely you
I'm so in love with you, even if you're only a dream

And pray my dream comes true
I hope against hope that somehow my fantasy could become a reality

I long to kiss you
I so want to feel your lips on mine

But I would not dare
I can't risk losing this moment and realizing that you're just a figment of my imagination

I'm so afraid that
I'm scared that if I reach for you, you'll disappear