Great Big Old House
Robert Cray Band Lyrics

Great big old house
The song begins by describing a once-grand and spacious abode that was once filled with life and love, but is now empty and barren

Full of empty rooms
The house has become a cavernous and desolate place, with no signs of anyone being present

Nice family used to live there
The house was once occupied by a happy and contented family, but they have long since departed

But they had to move
The family has left the house for reasons unknown; perhaps they found a better home or were forced to relocate due to circumstances beyond their control

Just the carpets on the floor
All that is left behind in the abandoned house are the carpets that once covered the floors

And the loadbox on the frontdoor
The only sign of life that remains is the mailbox attached to the front door, which presumably still receives mail even though nobody is there to pick it up

Is all of that remains
This repeated phrase underscores the emptiness of the house and the absence of anything that might indicate its past inhabitants

There used to be love, love, love
The repeated refrain is a poignant reminder that the house was once filled with the warmth of familial love, but that feeling is now long gone

Great big old house
The chorus repeats, emphasizing how the once-magnificent home has fallen into neglect and disrepair

Once was a home
The song continues to emphasize how this house was once a joyful and welcoming place, but is now empty and silent

Where is a laughter
The singer wonders where the sounds of laughter and joy have gone; the house now seems haunted by a sense of loss and loneliness

Someone tells what have been done
The singer imagines someone coming to visit the abandoned house and reminiscing about the happy times that took place there

No more children after school
The absence of children suggests that the house was once bustling with life, but has now grown quiet with the passing of time

Get together by the pool
The happy image of family and friends gathering by the pool is contrasted with the empty, deserted house that now stands in its place

Aint it a shame
The singer laments the loss of what was once a beautiful and lively home

Used to be a car and toys in the backway
The singer describes the various signs of life that now seem like distant memories, including a car and toys left in the backyard

Someone mowing the lawn
This simple act of maintaining the lawn now seems like a distant memory, a reminder of happier times when the house was cared for and loved

But the movingman came and the car was towed away
The image of a moving truck taking away the family's possessions is a poignant reminder of how things can change so quickly, and how the loss of a home can be so devastating

And they cut the gas and phone
The absence of utilities like gas and phone service emphasizes just how completely the house has been abandoned and left to decay

And now the place is all alone (yeah)
The sense of isolation and loneliness is emphasized in this closing line, which emphasizes how the house is now cut off from the outside world and left to rot

Great big old dream
In the final verse, the singer portrays the house not as an object, but as a symbol of a lost and unattainable dream

Nothing but a pain
The singer acknowledges the sadness and pain that comes with the loss of a beloved home, and how the memories of the past can be bittersweet

But there used to be love
Once again, the singer lingers on the memory of the love that once filled the home, and how it is now gone forever

Used to be love, used to be love, used to be love
The final refrain reminds the listener one last time that the true loss of the house is not in its physical decay, but in the absence of the love that once made it a home