I Never Knew
Lester Young Lyrics


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I'll never be the same
Stars have lost their meaning for me
I'll never be the same
Nothing's what it once use to be
And when the songbirds that sing
Tell me it's spring
I can't believe their song
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
I'll never be the same
There is such an ache in my heart
Never be the same since we're apart
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I know down deep inside
I'll never be the same never be the same again

I'll never be the same
Stars have lost their meaning for me
I'll never be the same
Nothing's what it once use to be
And when the songbirds that sing
Tell me it's spring
I can't believe their song
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
I'll never be the same
There is such an ache in my heart
Never be the same since we're apart




Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I know down deep inside

Overall Meaning

Lester Young's song "I Never Knew" is a melancholic jazz tune that recounts the aftermath of a painful separation. The singer expresses how the world has lost its luster without their former lover by their side. The stars no longer have meaning, and nothing is the same as it used to be. Even the songbirds that signal the coming of spring don't bring any joy to the singer. All they feel is emptiness and agony.


The lyrics suggest that the singer was deeply in love with their former partner. They compare the feeling of being in love to that of a king, and their partner was their majesty. They were once so high on love that they couldn't believe anything could bring them down from that high. However, kings can be wrong, and our narrator seems to have accepted that they made a mistake by separating from their love. They are now consumed with grief and heartache, and no amount of hiding behind smiles changes how they truly feel. They know they will never be the same.


The song is a heartbreaking lament that speaks to the universal experience of lost love. It's about how the pain of separation never truly goes away, and how it can impact one's perception of the world around them. The lyrics are beautifully crafted to capture the complexity of emotions that come with heartbreak.


Line by Line Meaning

I'll never be the same
I am forever changed by what has happened


Stars have lost their meaning for me
Things that once seemed important to me have lost their significance


I'll never be the same
I cannot go back to how things were before


Nothing's what it once use to be
Everything has changed and I can never go back to the way things were before


And when the songbirds that sing
Even the pleasant things in life no longer bring me joy


Tell me it's spring
Even the signs of new beginnings and fresh starts seem meaningless


I can't believe their song
I cannot accept the idea that life can start anew without what I have lost


Once love was king but kings can be wrong
I used to believe that love was the most important thing, but even it can fail


I'll never be the same
I can never recover from this loss


There is such an ache in my heart
I feel a deep and profound pain in my soul


Never be the same since we're apart
My life and my identity have been forever altered by our separation


Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
Even if I try to pretend that everything is okay, the pain still remains underneath the surface


I know down deep inside
I am aware of my own emotional turmoil and cannot ignore it




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JUNE MILLINGTON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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