Look Over Your Shoulder
Over the Rhine Lyrics


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Looking back over my shoulder
I can see that look in your eye
I never dreamed it could be over
I never wanted to say goodbye

Looking back over my shoulder
With an aching deep in my heart
I wish that we were starting over
Oh instead of drifting so far apart

Everybody told me you were leaving
Funny I should be the last to know
Baby please tell me that I′m dreaming
I just never want to let you go

Looking back over my shoulder
I can see that look in your eye
Turning my heart over and over
I never wanted to say goodbye

I don't mind everybody laughing
But it′s enough to make a grown man cry
Cos I can feel you slipping through my fingers
I don't even know the reason why

Every day it's a losing battle
Just to smile and hold my head up high
Could it be that we belong together
Baby won′t you give me one more try
One more try

Looking back over my shoulder
I can see that look in your eye
I never dreamed it could be over
I never wanted to say goodbye

Looking back over my shoulder
Oh with an aching feeling inside
Cutting me up, deeper and deeper
Fills me with a sadness that I can′t hide

Looking back over my shoulder
I can see that look in your eye
I never dreamed no no it could be over
I never wanted to say goodbye





Looking back over my shoulder
I can see that look in your eye

Overall Meaning

In "Look Over Your Shoulder," the singer reflects on a past love and the pain of realizing it has come to an end. Looking back over their shoulder, they see the look in their former partner's eye that signaled the end. The singer never thought it could be over and never wanted to say goodbye, instead wishing they could start over and not drift so far apart. The singer feels lost and confused, as if everyone else knew the relationship was ending before they did. They plead with their lover not to leave, hoping it's all a dream and they can hold onto their love just a little bit longer.


The lyrics express the raw emotions of heartbreak and the struggle to let go of past love. The use of the phrase "looking back over my shoulder" emphasizes the pain of looking behind and seeing what was once there, yet now has slipped away. The song also touches on the idea of not being able to control the situation or the feelings of others, as the singer is left wondering why their love is slipping through their fingers. The repetition of the final lines, emphasizing that the singer never wanted to say goodbye, adds to the emotional punch of the song.


Line by Line Meaning

Looking back over my shoulder
Reflecting on my past and my mistakes


I can see that look in your eye
I can see the pain and hurt that I have caused you


I never dreamed it could be over
I always believed that our love would last forever


I never wanted to say goodbye
I never wanted to break your heart and end our love story


With an aching deep in my heart
My heart is deeply pained by the loss of our love


I wish that we were starting over
I wish we could go back to the beginning and start anew


Oh instead of drifting so far apart
Instead of growing distant and losing our love for each other


Everybody told me you were leaving
Others knew about your intentions to leave before I did


Funny I should be the last to know
It's strange that I was unaware of your plans to leave


Baby please tell me that I'm dreaming
I'm in denial about the reality of our situation


I just never want to let you go
I'm holding on to the hope that we can stay together


Turning my heart over and over
My heart is in turmoil and I can't stop thinking about you


I don't mind everybody laughing
I don't care about other people's opinions or mockery


But it's enough to make a grown man cry
The pain of losing you is enough to make anyone cry


Cos I can feel you slipping through my fingers
I can sense that our love is slipping away from me


I don't even know the reason why
I don't understand why we're falling apart


Every day it's a losing battle
Every day I struggle to come to terms with our separation


Just to smile and hold my head up high
I try to put on a brave face and carry on with life


Could it be that we belong together
Is it possible that we are meant to be together?


Baby won't you give me one more try
I'm pleading with you to give our love another chance


Cutting me up, deeper and deeper
The pain of losing you cuts deeper and deeper


Fills me with a sadness that I can't hide
I'm overwhelmed with sadness and can't keep it hidden


I never dreamed no no it could be over
I never imagined that our love would come to an end


Looking back over my shoulder
Continuing to think about our past and what went wrong


I can see that look in your eye
I can still feel the pain you felt when we separated




Writer(s): Mark Heard

Contributed by Kaelyn K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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