The impetus for the song came after the death of Diana, Princess Of Wales in August 1997, but is largely a eulogy to Freddie Mercury and to "anyone who died before their time". It was originally written for a potential Brian May solo project, which eventually evolved into the album Another World. He sent the demo of the song to Roger Taylor who according to Taylor himself put it in a drawer and forgot about it.[1] After eventually hearing it Taylor suggested that it could be turned into a Queen song. Roger Taylor's contribution was to change the tempo and make the lyrics less specific to Mercury.
The song features only the remaining three members of Queen, the final new recording to be released under the Queen name alone. This is also the last new recording to feature John Deacon, who subsequently retired from public life afterward.
No-One but You
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An angel reaching for the sky
Is it raining in heaven
Do you want us to cry?
And everywhere the broken-hearted
On every lonely avenue
No one could reach them
One by one
Only the good die young
They're only flyin' too close to the sun
And life goes on
Without you
Another tricky situation
I get to drownin' in the blues
And I find myself thinkin'
Well, what would you do?
Yes, it was such an operation
Forever paying every due
Hell, you made a sensation (sensation)
You found a way through (found a way through)
One by one
Only the good die young
They're only flyin' too close to the sun
We'll remember
Forever
And now the party must be over
I guess we'll never understand
The sense of your leaving
Was it the way it was planned?
And so we grace another table
And raise our glasses one more time
There's a face at the window
And I ain't never, never sayin' goodbye
One by one
Only the good die young
They're only flyin' too close to the sun
Cryin' for nothing
Cryin' for no one
No one but you
The lyrics of Queen’s song No One But You can be interpreted as a message of tribute and mourning to the band’s former lead vocalist, Freddie Mercury, who had passed away from AIDS-related complications in 1991. The opening lyrics, “A hand above the water, an angel reaching for the sky”, can be seen as a reference to Freddie’s suffering and eventual transcendence.
The lines “Is it raining in heaven, do you want us to cry?” suggest the ongoing pain and loss that Mercury’s death caused, and the following verse “And everywhere the broken-hearted, on every lonely avenue, no one could reach them, no one but you” alludes to Freddie’s unique ability to connect with his audience and comfort fellow outcasts.
The chorus, “One by one, only the good die young, they’re only flying too close to the sun, and life goes on without you,” is a bittersweet reminder of the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death, and also of the hope and inspiration that Mercury brought to his fans. In the second verse, the lyrics seem to take on a more personal tone, with guitarist Brian May singing about his own struggles with grief and wondering what Freddie would do in his situation. The song ends with a sense of unresolved longing, a recognition that some pain can never be fully healed.
Line by Line Meaning
A hand above the water
Someone is struggling and reaching out for help.
An angel reaching for the sky
Someone is reaching for a higher power or something beyond themselves for help.
Is it raining in heaven
Are those who have passed on experiencing sadness or grief?
Do you want us to cry?
Are those who have passed on trying to make us feel their pain?
And everywhere the broken-hearted
There are people who are suffering and in pain all around us.
On every lonely avenue
No matter where we go or what we do, there is always suffering in the world.
No one could reach them
People who are suffering can feel isolated and alone in their pain.
No one but you
The person who has passed on was the only one who could truly understand and comfort those who are suffering.
One by one
People are dying, and it feels like it's happening too often.
Only the good die young
It seems like the people who are dying are the ones who didn't deserve to.
They're only flyin' too close to the sun
Those who have passed on were taking risks and trying to reach great heights, but they went too far.
And life goes on
Even though we have lost someone we love, the world keeps turning.
Without you
We will never forget the person who has passed on, but we have to learn to live without them.
Another tricky situation
Life is difficult and challenging, and we often find ourselves struggling.
I get to drownin' in the blues
Sometimes we feel overwhelmed and consumed by our emotions.
And I find myself thinkin'
During difficult times, we often wonder how the person who has passed on would handle the situation.
Well, what would you do?
We look to the person who has passed on for guidance and inspiration when we are struggling.
Yes, it was such an operation
The person who has passed on had to work hard and overcome many obstacles in their life.
Forever paying every due
They made sacrifices and faced consequences for their actions throughout their life.
Hell, you made a sensation (sensation)
The person who has passed on made an impact on the world and left a legacy behind.
You found a way through (found a way through)
They were able to overcome obstacles and succeed in life.
And now the party must be over
It feels like the fun and joy has been taken out of life now that the person who has passed on is no longer with us.
I guess we'll never understand
We will never fully comprehend why the person had to die.
The sense of your leaving
We are struggling to make sense of why the person who has passed on had to go.
Was it the way it was planned?
Did the person who has passed on know that they were going to die so soon?
And so we grace another table
We continue to carry on with our lives and participate in the events that come our way.
And raise our glasses one more time
We still celebrate and honor the person who has passed on, even though they are no longer with us.
There's a face at the window
We feel like we can see the person who has passed on in everyday things, like a reflection or a memory.
And I ain't never, never sayin' goodbye
We will never forget the person who has passed on and will always carry them with us in our hearts.
Cryin' for nothing
We are crying because we are sad, but we don't know why.
Cryin' for no one
Even though we are crying, there is no one who can truly comfort or understand us like the person who has passed on.
No one but you
We miss the person who has passed on, and there is no one who can ever replace them in our hearts and minds.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRIAN MAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@therealkaz5824
John sings through his bass
@nannni4012
His playing with heart
@thermic_duccio923
@@nannni4012 💜
@fayeslover
I just wanna give him a hug
@bellayourfella5504
TheRealKaz ☹️
@tobyofodao
YEE
@Blarry-vb9je
When Freddie died a part of everyone died. He will always be the greatest singer to walk the earth.
@abij9274
Blarry 2215 couldn’t agree more. He made everyone feel like they belonged, even though not many of us met him.
@declangill5138
This thread is the reason rolling stone magazine is wrong. They put him in 18th place, 17 places too low
@grantbennett333
@@abij9274 Dressing room blitz BaAL room blitz brigade combat team.. blind Freddy knew that. ????💋 .. pay up darlings ....