Goodbye Again Or
Peter Bjorn and John Lyrics


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It's five o'clock this morning, and the sun is on the rise
There's frosting on the window pane, and sorrow in your eyes
The stars are fading quietly, the night is nearly gone
And so you turn away from me, and tears begin to come

And it's goodbye again, I'm sorry to be leavin' you
Goodbye again, as if you didn't know
It's goodbye again, and I wish you could tell me
Why do we always fight when I have to go

It seems a shame to leave you now, the days are soft and warm
I long to lay me down again, and hold you in my arms
I long to kiss the tears away, give you back the smile
Other voices beckon me, to go a little while

And it's goodbye again, I'm sorry to be leavin' you
Goodbye again, as if you didn't know
It's goodbye again, and I wish you could tell me
Why do we always fight when I have to go

I have to go and see some friends of mine, some that I don't know
Some who aren't familiar with my name,
It's something that's inside of me, not hard to understand
It's anyone who listens to me sing

And if your hours are empty now, who am I to blame
You think if I were always here, our love would be the same
As it is the time we have, is worth the time alone
And lying by your side, the greatest peace I've ever known

But it's goodbye again, I'm sorry to be leavin' you
Goodbye again, as if you didn't know




It's goodbye again, and I wish you could tell me
Why do we always fight when I have to go

Overall Meaning

Peter Bjorn and John's "Goodbye Again Or" is a touching ballad where the lead singer tells the story of leaving his lover once again. The song describes the moment of departure, when the day is just beginning, and the sun is on its way up. The singer looks out the window and sees "frosting on the window pane," a symbol of the coldness that lies ahead. The lover's eyes are filled with sorrow, and as the singer tries to comfort her, she begins to cry, knowing that they will soon be apart.


The lyrics repeat the phrase "goodbye again" several times, underscoring the pain of separation that the couple has become accustomed to over time. The singer longs to stay with his beloved, to hold her in his arms and kiss away her tears, but he also has other obligations that he must honor. He is called to go out and pursue his art, to seek out new audiences and new experiences that will feed his soul. At the same time, he recognizes that his departure is painful and that he and his lover often fight before he leaves.


Ultimately, "Goodbye Again Or" is a song about the bittersweetness of love and loss. The singer acknowledges that being with his lover brings him "the greatest peace I've ever known," but he also recognizes that his wanderlust is a part of who he is. He wishes that their partings could be less fraught with tension, and he acknowledges that their love might not be the same were he always around. It's a poignant moment frozen in time, capturing the pangs of separation that we all experience at some point in our lives.


Line by Line Meaning

It's five o'clock this morning, and the sun is on the rise
It's early morning and the sun is starting to come up


There's frosting on the window pane, and sorrow in your eyes
There's frost on the window and you look sad


The stars are fading quietly, the night is nearly gone
The stars are disappearing and it's almost daylight


And so you turn away from me, and tears begin to come
You turn away from me and start crying


And it's goodbye again, I'm sorry to be leavin' you
I have to say goodbye again and I'm sorry to leave you


Goodbye again, as if you didn't know
It's another goodbye, as if you weren't aware


It's goodbye again, and I wish you could tell me
I'm leaving again and I wish you could explain


Why do we always fight when I have to go
Why do we argue every time I have to leave?


It seems a shame to leave you now, the days are soft and warm
It's unfortunate to leave you now that the days are nice


I long to lay me down again, and hold you in my arms
I want to lie down with you and hold you


I long to kiss the tears away, give you back the smile
I want to kiss away your tears and make you happy again


Other voices beckon me, to go a little while
Other people are calling me to leave for a bit


I have to go and see some friends of mine, some that I don't know
I have to go see some of my friends, some of whom I haven't met


Some who aren't familiar with my name,
Some of them don't know who I am


It's something that's inside of me, not hard to understand
It's something within me that's easy to comprehend


It's anyone who listens to me sing
It's anyone who hears me sing


And if your hours are empty now, who am I to blame
If you feel lonely now, it's not my fault


You think if I were always here, our love would be the same
You believe our love would be the same if I were always here


As it is the time we have, is worth the time alone
The time we have together is worth the time apart


And lying by your side, the greatest peace I've ever known
The greatest peace I've ever felt is lying next to you




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN DENVER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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