Glimmer
Neil Young Lyrics


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When I'm riding down the road in my car
Traveling without you
I can still see you sittin' there, right by my side

With the headlights of the oncoming cars
Flashing in the windshield
There's a glimmer of everything that I once saw in you
Tough love can leave you almost alone
But new love brings back everything to you
All the feelings in you heart come re-awakened

Like a forest without leaves on it's trees standing in the desert
Like the light that still leaks through when you close the door
Like the changes in our life that hits so hard
That day I couldn't find you
There's a glimmer of everything good that once came before

Tough love can leave you almost alone
But new love brings back everything to you
All the feelings in you heart come re-awakened





And there's a glimmer of everything good that once came before
There's still a glimmer of everything that I first saw in you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Neil Young's "Glimmer" describe the feeling of driving without his loved one and how he can still see her sitting right by his side in his mind's eye. Even with the headlights of oncoming cars flashing in the windshield, there is a glimmer of everything he once saw in her. The song describes how tough love can leave someone feeling almost alone, but new love brings back all the feelings in their heart and reawakens them. It's in the absence of his loved one that he is suddenly reminded of everything good that once came before when he was with her.


The song compares the feeling of being without love to a desert without trees, but with the light still leaking through when you close the door. The changes in life can also hit hard, but even when he couldn't find his loved one, there was still a glimmer of everything good that once came before. The song ends with the repeating refrain that in spite of all this, there is still a glimmer of everything that he first saw in her.


Overall, this song speaks to the nostalgia of missing someone who was once an important part of our lives. It highlights the struggles and pain we feel when love is tough, and the hope that new love can bring.


Line by Line Meaning

When I'm riding down the road in my car
While driving on the road in my car


Traveling without you
Going somewhere without you


I can still see you sittin' there, right by my side
Realizing how much I miss you by imagining you sitting beside me


With the headlights of the oncoming cars
The approaching headlights of other cars


Flashing in the windshield
Reflecting off the windshield


There's a glimmer of everything that I once saw in you
A faint reminder of everything I used to see in you


Tough love can leave you almost alone
Difficult love can make you feel almost alone


But new love brings back everything to you
However, a new love renews all emotions


All the feelings in you heart come re-awakened
It revives all the emotions in one's heart


Like a forest without leaves on it's trees standing in the desert
It's like a barren forest standing alone in the middle of a desert


Like the light that still leaks through when you close the door
Like the lingering light that comes through the door when it's closed


Like the changes in our life that hits so hard
Like the changes in our life that can come so suddenly and hit so hard


That day I couldn't find you
The day I couldn't locate you


There's a glimmer of everything good that once came before
There's still hope of the good things that existed before


And there's a glimmer of everything good that once came before
Furthermore, there's still something to hold onto


There's still a glimmer of everything that I first saw in you
There's still a faint reminder of everything I loved in you originally




Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: NEIL YOUNG

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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