You're Not There
Pierce Pettis Lyrics


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The presence of your absence follows me
On trains and at the movies sitting next to empty seats
I wouldn't mind you going
If the emptiness would leave
But the presence of your absence follows me
(you're not there)

The silence of your voice deafens me
The sound of no one answering every time I speak
The overwhelming quiet
So loud I cannot think
The silence of your voice deafens me
(you're not there)

Heaven and earth could not make your stay
I'm damned by your memory that will not go away
The softness of your touch
The toss of your hair
Sometimes I even reach for you
But you're not there

The thought of your love tortures me
Left to my own devices sleeping with the enemy
The unexpected flashbacks that I don't want to see
The thought of your love tortures me
(you're not there)

(CHORUS)

(You're not there)
The presence of your absence follows me
(You're not there)
The silence of your voice deafens me
(You're not there)




The thought of your love tortures me
You're not there

Overall Meaning

Pierce Pettis's song "You're Not There" speaks about the overwhelming feeling of missing someone who is no longer there. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of how the absence of someone can feel so real that even their presence is felt everywhere. The first verse talks about how the presence of the absence follows the singer everywhere they go, like on trains or at the movies where they see empty seats next to them. The singer wishes the emptiness would leave because it's been so hard to cope since the person they miss is no longer around. There is a longing for things to go back to the way they were, but they know that can never happen again.


The second verse talks about how the silence of the person's voice is so loud that it becomes deafening. The singer talks, but there is no one responding, which is a painful reminder of the person's absence. The silence is so loud that it becomes difficult to even think. The third verse expresses how nothing seems to work, and the pain of the person's absence is too much to handle. The thought of their love is torturous, and it's as if they are sleeping with the enemy, yet they cannot seem to let go. The chorus reiterates that the person being missed is not there, they are just a memory that haunts the singer everywhere they go.


Line by Line Meaning

The presence of your absence follows me
I cannot escape the feeling of loneliness and longing that comes with your absence


On trains and at the movies sitting next to empty seats
Even in public places surrounded by people, I still feel the void of your absence


I wouldn't mind you going
I understand that you had to leave and I don't blame you for it


If the emptiness would leave
If only the sense of emptiness and loneliness that came with your leaving would disappear


But the presence of your absence follows me
But unfortunately, I still feel the void you left behind


(you're not there)


The silence of your voice deafens me
The lack of sound from you is so loud that it feels like it's drowning out everything else


The sound of no one answering every time I speak
I feel completely unheard and ignored when I try to communicate without your response


The overwhelming quiet
The emptiness that comes with your absence is almost suffocating


So loud I cannot think
It's so overwhelming that I struggle to even process my own thoughts


The silence of your voice deafens me
I feel deafened by the lack of sound from you


(you're not there)


Heaven and earth could not make your stay
No amount of pleading or bargaining could have kept you from leaving


I'm damned by your memory that will not go away
Your memory still haunts me and prevents me from moving on


The softness of your touch
I still remember the feel of your touch


The toss of your hair
I still remember how you looked and moved


Sometimes I even reach for you
I still have moments of hopelessness where I try to grasp onto the illusion of you being here


But you're not there
But unfortunately, you're not actually present


The thought of your love tortures me
Just thinking about the love we shared causes me extreme pain


Left to my own devices sleeping with the enemy
Without you, I turn to harmful coping mechanisms that only make things worse


The unexpected flashbacks that I don't want to see
I am haunted by memories of our time together that bring me pain and discomfort


The thought of your love tortures me
Even thinking about the love we shared is enough to cause me extreme pain


(you're not there)


(CHORUS)


(You're not there)


The presence of your absence follows me
I am still haunted by the void you left in your absence


(You're not there)


The silence of your voice deafens me
Without your voice, everything else seems to fade away


(You're not there)


The thought of your love tortures me
The memory of our love causes me extreme pain and suffering


You're not there
Unfortunately, you are still absent and I am left to suffer alone




Contributed by Ian N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@catherineadams6863

I love this song.

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