Were You Watching?
Norah Jones Lyrics


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Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

Were you watching
When I dropped the seeds from the window?
Were you watching
When I built walls from paper and glue?
Were you watching
When the flowers bloomed in the springtime?
Were you watching
Darling, where were you?

Were you listening
When there was nothing more to say?
Were you listening?
I sang sad songs, anyway
Were you hiding
When our love was in the deepest danger?
Were you watching
As we slowly turned into strangers?

Were you watching?
Were you watching?
Were you watching?
Were you watching?

Were you watching
When the flowers died in the winter?
Were you watching
When I burned the walls of paper and glue?
Were you watching
Darling, where were you?
Were you watching
Darling, where were you?
Darling, where were you?




Darling, where were you?
Darling, where were you?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Norah Jones's song "Were You Watching?" explore the themes of love, loss, and the breakdown of a relationship. Jones sings about moments in time when she made efforts to nurture and protect the relationship, only to have it eventually fall apart. The song's refrain, "were you watching?" poses a question to her former partner, asking if they were present and attentive during those moments, or if they were already checked out of the relationship.


The first verse describes the effort that Jones put into building something, a metaphor possibly for the relationship. She asks the question "were you watching" to her partner to know if they were paying attention to her efforts to grow and nurture their partnership. The second verse describes a time when Jones may have been trying to communicate something, but her partner was either not listening or not available. The third verse hints that perhaps Jones was aware that there were issues in the relationship, and they were in danger, but her partner was oblivious to it.


The recurring question of "were you watching?" is a plea for acknowledgement from the partner. It suggests that if the partner had been more present and invested in the relationship, it could have been saved. The song leaves the listener to imagine whether the partner was indeed watching, and if so, why they failed to act in time to save the relationship.


Line by Line Meaning

Were you watching
Did you take notice?


When I dropped the seeds from the window?
When I started something new and took a risk?


When I built walls from paper and glue?
When I created something fragile and temporary?


When the flowers bloomed in the springtime?
When I experienced growth and renewal?


Darling, where were you?
Where were you in my life during these moments?


Were you listening?
Did you pay attention?


When there was nothing more to say?
When communication broke down?


I sang sad songs, anyway
I expressed my sorrow regardless of whether you were listening or not.


Were you hiding
Were you avoiding the difficult situations?


When our love was in the deepest danger?
When things were falling apart?


As we slowly turned into strangers?
As our relationship deteriorated?


Were you watching?
Were you paying attention?


When the flowers died in the winter?
When things began to wither and die?


When I burned the walls of paper and glue?
When I let go of the things that were holding me back?


Darling, where were you?
Where were you in my life during these moments?


Darling, where were you?
Where were you when I needed you?


Darling, where were you?
Why weren't you there for me?


Darling, where were you?
These are the questions I have for you.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Emily Hart Fiskio, Norah Jones

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Sujit Raj

"Were You Watching?"

Were you watching
When I dropped seeds from the window?
Were you watching
When I built walls from paper and glue?
Were you watching
When the flowers bloomed in the springtime?
Were you watching
Darling, where were you?

Were you listening
When there was nothing more to say?
Were you listening
I sang sad songs, anyway
Were you hiding
When our love was in the deepest danger?
Were you watching
As we slowly turned into strangers?

Were you watching?
Were you watching?
Were you watching?
Were you watching?

Were you watching
When the flowers died in the winter?
Were you watching
When I burned the walls of paper and glue?
Were you watching
Darling, where were you?
Were you watching
Darling, where were you?
Darling, where were you?
Darling, where were you?
Darling, where were you?



Jason Franklin

Dang. That was good. I can especially relate to the second verse right now. It's been an on and off battle trying to remain friends with my ex..

'Were you listening
When there was nothing more to say?
Were you listening
I sang sad songs, anyway
Were you hiding
When our love was in the deepest danger?
Were you watching
As we slowly turned into strangers?

Beautiful words, awesome song.



All comments from YouTube:

Mariano Rizzo

This is her BEST song so far!!! Love the mention of Sunrise in the Oooh Oooh at the beginning. Her voice is so seductive...

Lyric Bot

@Geddy Lee Fan Club Don't think she meant just because of the "oohs". The tune is the same, only transposed. I'd say it's at least subconsciously reminiscent of Sunrise, if only because they share the same songwriter.

Christophe Jergales

I agree. And I mainly listen to death metal. No joke.

Nora is a force.

Geddy Lee Fan Club

I wouldn't call that a mention. People use ooohs in songs all the time.

Maciej Piasecki

Uwielbiam głos tej Kobiety, to jest objawienie w moim muzycznym świecie. Jej głos jest ze mną od lat, jest wyjątkowy. To tło moich czasów. To jest jeden z tych głosów który trudno zapomnieć, który zostaje w pamięci. Dla mnie najwyższy kaliber twórczości.

WhileWild

Norah! One of the best artist I’ve ever heard. She deserves more! I think she is underrated! Her voice has something special and you feel that she is singing with her heart ❤️ I love that. I wish I could make a song with her one day 🙏

Jefferson Nascimento

but she has 12 grammys and this is something!!

Sujit Raj

"Were You Watching?"

Were you watching
When I dropped seeds from the window?
Were you watching
When I built walls from paper and glue?
Were you watching
When the flowers bloomed in the springtime?
Were you watching
Darling, where were you?

Were you listening
When there was nothing more to say?
Were you listening
I sang sad songs, anyway
Were you hiding
When our love was in the deepest danger?
Were you watching
As we slowly turned into strangers?

Were you watching?
Were you watching?
Were you watching?
Were you watching?

Were you watching
When the flowers died in the winter?
Were you watching
When I burned the walls of paper and glue?
Were you watching
Darling, where were you?
Were you watching
Darling, where were you?
Darling, where were you?
Darling, where were you?
Darling, where were you?

anji

Thank you for the lyrics, so lovely to sing along.

Asung T

Thanks

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