One Minute To One
Rick Nelson Lyrics


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One minute to one
And you gottta go home
And I didn't even kiss ya
While we were alone
I was sittin' there wishin'
I could hold you tight
But I reckon I waited just a little to long to
Kiss you tonight

One minute to one
How did it get so late
Even though I didn't get to kiss you
Well it's really been a wonderful date

One minute to one
And the movie was great
But your mamma's gonna worry
'Cause it's gettin' so late
I just wanted to tell ya
That I love you so
But I reckon I waited just a little to long so
We'd better go

One minute to one
How did it get so late
Even though I didn't get to kiss you
Well it's really been a wonderful date

Now I want you to know now
That I think you're nice




But I reckon I'll wait 'till tomorrow night and
I'll kiss you twice

Overall Meaning

The song "One Minute To One" by Rick Nelson tells the story of a date that is coming to an end. As the clock approaches one in the morning, the singer realizes that he has not yet kissed his date. He expresses regret that he waited too long and missed his chance to hold her tight and kiss her before she has to leave. Despite the great time they had together, he acknowledges that it is time to go home, and he promises to make up for not making a move by kissing her twice the next night.


The lyrics are a poignant reflection of the bittersweet feelings that come at the end of a romantic evening. The singer expresses regret that he didn't act on his feelings sooner, but he also acknowledges that there will be another chance to be with his date. The song captures the feeling of being caught in the moment and wanting to make the most of it, but also feeling a sense of urgency as time ticks away.


Line by Line Meaning

One minute to one
It's almost one o'clock.


And you gotta go home
You have to leave and go back to your house.


And I didn't even kiss ya
I didn't even kiss you.


While we were alone
When we were by ourselves.


I was sittin' there wishin'
I was thinking and hoping.


I could hold you tight
I wanted to hug you closely.


But I reckon I waited just a little too long to
I think I missed my chance to.


Kiss you tonight
Give you a kiss tonight.


How did it get so late
How did the time go by so quickly?


Even though I didn't get to kiss you
Even though I didn't get a chance to kiss you.


Well it's really been a wonderful date
It was a great time spending time with you.


And the movie was great
The movie we watched was fantastic.


But your mamma's gonna worry
Your mother is going to be concerned.


'Cause it's gettin' so late
Because it's getting so late.


I just wanted to tell ya
I just wanted to say to you.


That I love you so
That I love you very much.


But I reckon I waited just a little too long so
But I think it's too late to do it now.


We'd better go
We should leave now.


Now I want you to know now
Now I want to tell you.


That I think you're nice
That I think you're a great person.


But I reckon I'll wait 'till tomorrow night and
But I think I'll wait until tomorrow night to.


I'll kiss you twice
Give you two kisses.




Contributed by Nicholas I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Anthony U

yes it is a very underrated song indeed but definitely a very smooth version!! It's underrated for both Eddie Cochran and Ricky Nelson who both deserved more credit than what they got for it...it should have been way up higher in the charts for sure!!...thanks for posting :)

shondell67

Now that's a guitar solo!!! Absolutely one my all time favorites. This song definately should've ranked higher. Never knew Eddie did this song though. I'll have to check that out.

Paul McIvor

bloody brilliant artist. very underated especially when with stone canyon band. as ricky or rick in later yrs still a legend and always will be god bless you mr nelson sir and thank you.

yudikjon

Never knew this one; love it! Thanks for posting. He was my idol as well; never cared much for the Pelvis. Have several of his very worn LP albums. Too bad we lost him so early.

Patricia Peres

I love the songs from that time! Wonderful Rick Nelson.

Doreen Fernandes

🌿🌻 Wow ! Listening to this number after 55 years ! And remembering handsome Ricky Nelson ❤

D Zilla

My friends and I used this song to practice our dance moves for the Christmas dance at my old high school(Detroit Visitation), so I'll never forget it.

elmer zu

I've never heard this one before....It reminds me of "It's Late", which is one of my favorites by Rick. If it's an album cut it would explain why it didn't hit the airwaves here. Rick is in the runner up spot to Elvis.. king of r&r...I mean not only did he have a large number of top 40 singles, he was also one of the biggest television celebrities to have ever hit the boobtube. By the way Billboard & the Music Industry overlook all of this & instead have chosen to term Michael J(omg)!!

Ron Cromer

James Burton was the featured guest at Eric Clapton's "Crossroads" gutiar festival last summer (2010) in Chicago. After backing up Ricky for several years the Louisiana born gutiarist went on to back up Elvis Presley until "The King's" death in 1977. Though James Burton was not well known to most he was, indeed, a gutiar legend in his era.

D Zilla

It was a simpiler time the 50's and 60's. And sex was not like M&M candies and the act was not diminished by a"Dog In Heat Philosophy" of these modern times. Yes, Riclky Nelson had that shy, boyish charm and was nothing but great. His song "Poor Little Fool" is my favorite, I guess I can relate to it. One of the best songs of the "Rock&Roll Era", but "One Minute To One" is the song that we practiced our dance moves too.

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