From the 1960s to the 1980s, Diamond was one of the more successful pop music performers, scoring a number of hits. As critic William Ruhlmann writes, "as of 2001, he claimed worldwide record sales of 115 million copies, and as of 2002 he was ranked third, behind only Elton John and Barbra Streisand, on the list of the most successful adult contemporary artists in the history of the Billboard chart."[1] As of May 2005 he has sold 120 million records worldwide, including 48 million records in the U.S.[2]
Though his record sales declined somewhat after the 1980s, Diamond continues to tour successfully, and maintains a very loyal following. Diamond's songs have been recorded by a vast array of performers from many different musical genres.
Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and then in 2000 was given its Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the early part of 2011.
In 2008 Neil Diamond scored his first ever Billboard number one album with "Home Before Dark", the album also became his first studio album to get to number one in the UK.
Last Thing On My Mind
Neil Diamond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too late for the learning
Made of sand, made of sand
In the wink
Of an eye my soul is turning
In your hand, in your hand
Are you going away?
With no word of farewell
Will there be not a trace
Left behind.
Well I could have loved you better
I didn't mean to be unkind
You know, that was the last thing on my mind
You got reasons a plenty for going
This I know, this I know
For the weeds
Have been steadily growing
Please don't go, please don't go.
[Chorus]
The first two lines of the verse set the tone for the whole song, where the singer is regretting a past relationship that ended badly. He says that it's a lesson too late for learning, meaning that he's learned something from the relationship, but it's too late to change anything because the relationship is over. The metaphor of the sand is ongoing throughout the song, and it speaks to the fragility of the relationship. Anything built on sand will eventually fall, so the relationship was never on a strong foundation in the first place.
The singer goes on to say that his soul is turning in the wink of an eye in the other person's hand, meaning that they have control over his feelings and emotions. This line shows the power dynamic in the relationship, with one person holding more power than the other.
In the chorus, the singer asks if the other person is leaving without saying goodbye and if there will be no trace left behind. He then shifts the blame to himself by saying that he could have loved the other person better, and he didn't mean to be unkind. The line "you know, that was the last thing on my mind" implies that the singer wasn't actively trying to be unkind. Instead, he took the other person's feelings for granted and didn't think about how his actions were affecting them.
Overall, the song describes a failed relationship where one person was hurt more than the other, and the singer is regretting his past mistakes. The sand metaphor represents the fragility of the relationship, and the power dynamic between the two people is unbalanced. The chorus implies that the other person is leaving without saying anything, and the singer wishes he had treated them better.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a lesson
What happened is something to be learned from.
Too late for the learning
But it's too late to learn from it now.
Made of sand, made of sand
It was a situation that was doomed from the start.
In the wink
Suddenly, quickly
Of an eye my soul is turning
My emotions changed rapidly.
In your hand, in your hand
It was in your control.
Are you going away?
Are you leaving me?
With no word of farewell
Without saying goodbye.
Will there be not a trace
Will there be no evidence left behind.
Left behind.
That you were ever here.
Well I could have loved you better
I could've treated you better.
I didn't mean to be unkind
I didn't intend to hurt you.
You know, that was the last thing on my mind
I never wanted to hurt you, but it was something I didn't consider.
You got reasons a plenty for going
You have many valid reasons to leave.
This I know, this I know
I understand that.
For the weeds
The issues and problems.
Have been steadily growing
Have been getting worse over time.
Please don't go, please don't go.
I don't want you to leave.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Thomas R Paxton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Donald Cook
. . . Let us always pay tribute to Neil's then musical arranger, Lee Holdridge.
The 'Stones' album in "71 - from which this sublime track is taken, onto all the
musical charts and conducting that most
amazing orchestra on 'HOT AUGUST NIGHT ' in '72 , then two most unique albums
ever recorded - 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull ' in '73 and 'Serenade' in '74 .
Lee Holdridge was in his mid to late
t w e n t i e s (!?!) when he gave SO much to that unmatched 'Neil Diamond Sound'
of the early '70's. Not forgetting that producer par excellance of all of those
life - changing albums - Tom Catalano .
Randall
@GlennCatania ......
Then you're more blind
than Stevie Wonder.
At NO point in your comment
do you acknowledge, imply
or even suggest that
Tom Paxton or anybody
other than Neil Diamond
wrote this song.
You do throughout your
comment praise Diamond
as a song composer.
You refer to him as an
exceptional writer & composer
and you end your comment
by saying "This song is a prime
example of his talent".
Regardless if it was your
intention or not, you were
clearly and heavily implying
that Neil Diamond wrote
this song.
Randall
It was only a mid-chart single
that reached #56 in 1973.
And it wasn't even originally
meant to be a single.
MCA went back and released
it almost two years after his
album, STONES, was released,
which is the album this song
was included on.
kath nh
Of the millions of versions of this beautiful song, I like this one the best. Neil Diamond's voice was at its peak and he did a very honest, heartfelt version of this song. No one ever topped this version, in my personal opinion. I listen to it frequently and never get tired of it.
Rosemary Clarke
Which album is this on?
Wellington Middleton
Thanks for loving Neil who's a great artist and singer, but my favorite version is by Jose Feliciano
kath nh
@Wellington Middleton I agree. Jose Feliciano does a good version of this song. One of the reasons I like it so much might have to do with the fact that I saw Diamond sing it at the Boston Music Hall in 1971, just a couple of weeks before my husband and I got engaged. I was obviously very happy at the time but both of us look back at that concert as one of the best we ever attended. It was just Diamond and a few backup musicians and he just sang one song after another. You could tell he was going to be a great showman one day because of his personality but he was just beginning and it was just him and his music. Maybe we were both high on happiness or maybe it was a great show and when he sang that song, I melted !
Amanda Meunier
Neil.sings love and kindness into every note.
The orchestra flows like a river on this..timeless.
Donald Cook
. . . Let us always pay tribute to Neil's then musical arranger, Lee Holdridge.
The 'Stones' album in "71 - from which this sublime track is taken, onto all the
musical charts and conducting that most
amazing orchestra on 'HOT AUGUST NIGHT ' in '72 , then two most unique albums
ever recorded - 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull ' in '73 and 'Serenade' in '74 .
Lee Holdridge was in his mid to late
t w e n t i e s (!?!) when he gave SO much to that unmatched 'Neil Diamond Sound'
of the early '70's. Not forgetting that producer par excellance of all of those
life - changing albums - Tom Catalano .
Glenn Catania Sr
Neil Diamond is one of the most prolific composers of all time. All of his songs hold such a special meaning to us and tell a special story we can relate to. On any given day when I'm trying to equalize a mood or search for serenity, I'll play his treasured albums and soon find myself. What an exceptional writer, composer and entertainer to have maintained his popularity over a half a century. This song is a prime example of his talent.
Udayan Gupta
This song is however a creation of Tom Paxton.
Ilda Ortiz
Totalmente de acuerdo con tu comentario
Randall
So apparently you're under the
mistaken impression that
Neil Diamond wrote this song.
You are very wrong.
This song was written and
first recorded by the Folk
legend, Tom Paxton.