You Were On My Mind
Marcel Khalife Lyrics

The lyrics of Marcel Khalife's "You Were on My Mind" express the absence of a loved one and the desire for their return in a poetic manner. The opening lines translate to "In your absence, the rain falls. Rise up, come to mind. Above, the low mosque and sound. Like the pyramids Maasara, and like the men of Baalbek." Here, the rain symbolizes the prevalent feeling of sadness that accompanies the absence of the loved one. The singer urges them to come to mind, to be present in thought and to symbolize their longing.

The following lines refer to the imagery of nature, "As much as the grass grew among us, the wild deer grazed." This serves to highlight an explicit connection with nature and its potential for healing amidst emotional turmoil. The repetition of the opening lines, "In your absence, the rain falls. Rise up, come to mind. Above, the low mosque and sound." emphasizes the yearning for the loved one and how their absence imprints itself in the singer's mind.

The next stanza speaks of the singer's wish to have insights regarding the weather, to understand the coming of the winds from the north, and possibly an implication in the loved one's return. The lines, "I went with the shepherd of Hama, who showed me the weather in the north. He told me the year was windy, with dreams that kept falling, oh almighty," emphasize the mystical and spiritual components of the singer's yearning.