Sweet Memories
Ricky Van Shelton & Brenda Lee Lyrics

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(Hum) Sweet memories, sweet memories (hum)

My world is like a river, as dark as it is deep
Night after night, the past slips in and gathers all my sleep
My days are just an endless stream of emptiness to me
Filled only by the fleeting moments of his memory

Sweet memories, sweet sweet memories, oh yeah (hum)

He slipped into the silence of my dreams last night
Wondering from room to room, just turning on each light
His laughter spills like water from the river to the sea
I'm swept away from the sadness, clinging to his memory

Oh-sweet sweet memories, sweet memories, oh yes (hum)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ricky Van Shelton and Brenda Lee's "Sweet Memories" tell the story of a person who is haunted by the memories of a past love. The first paragraph describes how the memories come in like a dark and endless river, filling the days with emptiness. The second paragraph continues the imagery of the river as the person dreams of the lost love wandering through their home, and the laughter of the love interest becomes like water and carries the person away from their sadness. Overall, the lyrics portray the melancholy of someone who cannot escape their memories of a past love.

Line by Line Meaning

My world is like a river, as dark as it is deep
My life is deep and murky just like a river, and difficult to transverse

Night after night, the past slips in and gathers all my sleep
Every night, the memories of the past come back and keep me awake

My days are just an endless stream of emptiness to me
My days are colorless and monotonous, filled with nothing but emptiness

Filled only by the fleeting moments of his memory
The only moments that bring me any joy are the memories of the person I miss.

He slipped into the silence of my dreams last night
Last night, the person I miss appeared in my dreams

Wondering from room to room, just turning on each light
In my dream, the person I miss wandered around the house, turning on all the lights

His laughter spills like water from the river to the sea
The sound of his laughter fills me up like a river flowing into the ocean

I'm swept away from the sadness, clinging to his memory
My sorrow is momentarily lifted as I relive the happy memories I shared with him

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Mickey Newbury

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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