Unchained Melody
Les Baxter & His Orchestra Nat King Cole Lyrics

Oh, my love, my darling,
Addressing the loved one with a deep affectionate expression.

I've hungered for your touch a long, lonely time,
The yearning for the loved one’s touch that has been kept alive for a long time despite loneliness.

Time goes by so slowly and time can do so much.
The perception of time feeling slower due to the great longing for the loved one, and the recognition of how much can change during that time.

Are you still mine?
Questioning whether the loved one is still devoted to the artist.

I need your love, I need your love, God speed your love to me.
Expressing a desperate need for the loved one's love, and wishing they would return to the artist.

Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
Describing how rivers, like the singer, are often alone and guided by subtle forces towards the comfort and vastness of the sea.

To the open arms of the sea
The idea that the sea is welcoming and comforting, like the arms of a loved one.

Lonely rivers sigh, "Wait for me, wait for me"
The artist identifies with the lonely rivers and asks the loved one to wait for them.

"I'll be coming home, wait for me!"
Assuring the loved one that they will return to them.