Laura
Michael Feinstein Lyrics


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You know the feeling of something half remembered
Of something that never happened, yet you recall it well
You know the feeling of recognizing someone
That you've never met as far as you could tell, well

Laura is the face in the misty light
Footsteps that you hear down the hall
The laugh that floats on a summer night
That you can never quite recall
And you see Laura on the train that is passing through
Those eyes, how familiar they seem




She gave your very first kiss to you
That was Laura but she's only a dream

Overall Meaning

The song Laura by Michael Feinstein explores the feeling of nostalgia through specific memories of a woman named Laura. The first verse sets up the idea of a half-remembered memory, something that seems fuzzy but still feels familiar. Then, the second verse dives deeper into the concept of recognizing someone that you've never actually met. Laura, the woman in question, is described as a figure in the misty light, a distant laugh on a summer night, and a face on the train that passes by. The chorus repeats her name and highlights the dream-like quality of the memory by pointing out that Laura is only a dream.


Overall, the lyrics are about the power of memory and the way it can transport us back in time, even if the person or experience we are remembering is not entirely clear. By using Laura as a symbol for a half-remembered memory, the song taps into the universal feeling of nostalgia we all experience at some point.


Line by Line Meaning

You know the feeling of something half remembered
The feeling of having a vague memory of something that wasn't clear


Of something that never happened, yet you recall it well
Remembering something that feels like a memory from a past life, but it has never happened


You know the feeling of recognizing someone
The sensation of identifying someone, even when they're unknown to you


That you've never met as far as you could tell, well
The experience of encountering someone for the first time but feeling like you have met them before


Laura is the face in the misty light
Laura is the image that appears in haziness or uncertainty


Footsteps that you hear down the hall
Hearing footsteps down the hallway that unsettle you


The laugh that floats on a summer night
The sound of a laugh that drifts through summer air


That you can never quite recall
Something you can't completely remember or grasp


And you see Laura on the train that is passing through
The sight of someone who looks like Laura on a train that is just passing by


Those eyes, how familiar they seem
The recognition of familiar eyes that you simply can't place


She gave your very first kiss to you
Recalling a first kiss that felt like it was done by this mysterious Laura


That was Laura but she's only a dream
Laura was not real, only a fictional character you've created in your mind




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Raksin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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