The Carpenters' melodic pop charted a record-breaking score of hit recordings on the American Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, becoming leading sellers in the soft rock, easy listening and adult contemporary genres. The Carpenters had three #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and fifteen #1 hits on the Adult Contemporary Chart (see The Carpenters discography). In addition, they had twelve top 10 singles (including their #1 hits). To date, The Carpenters' album and single sales total more than 100 million units.
During their fourteen-year career, The Carpenters recorded eleven albums, five of which contained top 10 singles (Close to You, Carpenters, A Song for You, Now & Then and Horizon), thirty-one singles, five television specials, and one short-lived television series. They toured in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands and Belgium. Their recording career ended with Karen's death on February 4, 1983. Karen passed away after cardiac arrest due to complications of anorexia nervosa. Extensive news coverage of the circumstances surrounding her death increased public awareness of the consequences of eating disorders.
Their first recordings were not successful, and the recording studio that was recording them, dropped them. That's when their 'savior' came in. Herb Alpert of A&M records heard a couple of their songs and said that he felt that they had good potential. Thanks to him, and his ability to see/hear quality when it appears, we had the GREAT performers of The Carpenters.
The End Of The World
The Carpenters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why does the sea rush to shore?
Don't they know it's the end of the world
'Cause you don't love me anymore?
Why do the birds go on singing?
Why do the stars glow above?
Don't they know it's the end of the world
I wake up in the morning and I wonder
Why everything's the same as it was
I can't understand, no, I can't understand
How life goes on the way it does!
Why does my heart go on beating?
Why do these eyes of mine cry?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
It ended when you said goodbye
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
It ended when you said goodbye
"Ah, what memories, what memories
From Nineteenhundred and Sixty-Three
Well, later that same year
This golden goodie blast from the past
Was introduced by The Chrystals"
The Carpenters’s song “The End of the World” is a ballad about heartbreak and the aftermath of a breakup. The lyrics reflect the singer’s confusion and sadness, as everything around them seems to continue as usual despite their world falling apart. The opening lines pose the questions of why the sun still shines and why the sea still rushes to shore when the singer’s love has ended. The rhetorical questions are an expression of the singer’s feelings of abandonment and the disbelief that the world continues to move forward without their love. Meanwhile, the refrain, “Don't they know it's the end of the world,” emphasizes the singer's sense of loss and disconnection from the world.
The verses continue to express the singer's difficult journey towards acceptance, confusion over the fact that life moves on despite their heartbreak, and the pain of continuing to love someone who has left. The final line, “Don't they know it's the end of the world? It ended when you said goodbye,” is a powerful conclusion that underscores the singer's deep sense of loss and the way it has transformed the world around them.
The song was originally written and recorded by Skeeter Davis in 1962, and The Carpenters covered it in 1975. While the lyrics remain the same, The Carpenters’ rendition has a more somber tone than the original. The song has become a classic and continues to evoke feelings of sadness and heartbreak for listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
Why does the sun go on shining?
Why does life continue without you, even though it feels like everything should stop?
Why does the sea rush to shore?
Why does the world keep moving as if nothing has changed, even though your absence feels overwhelming?
Don't they know it's the end of the world
'Cause you don't love me anymore?
Why doesn't the world recognize that my heart has been shattered and my life has been turned upside down since you left?
Why do the birds go on singing?
Why do simple pleasures like the birds singing and the stars shining continue to exist when my world feels so bleak?
Why do the stars glow above?
Why does the universe seem indifferent to my pain, when all I want is for the world to acknowledge the depth of my loss?
Don't they know it's the end of the world
It ended when I lost your love
Why can't the world understand that my world ended when you left, and that nothing will ever be the same again?
I wake up in the morning and I wonder
Why everything's the same as it was
Why does life seem to go on as if nothing has happened, when my world is in ruins?
I can't understand, no, I can't understand
How life goes on the way it does!
Why does the world keep turning when everything in my life has been turned upside down?
Why does my heart go on beating?
Why does my heart keep pumping blood even though it feels like it's broken into a million pieces?
Why do these eyes of mine cry?
Why do my eyes keep filling with tears, even though I know crying won't change anything?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
It ended when you said goodbye
Why doesn't the world realize that everything changed when you walked out of my life, and that I'll never be the same again?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
It ended when you said goodbye
Why doesn't the world see that I'm not the same person I was before you left, and that my heart still aches with the pain of your absence?
"Ah, what memories, what memories
From Nineteenhundred and Sixty-Three
Well, later that same year
This golden goodie blast from the past
Was introduced by The Chrystals"
This song is a tribute to a simpler time in the past, before heartbreak and loss shattered the singer's world.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lavoxii
"End Of The World"
(originally by Skeeter Davis)
Why does the sun go on shining
Why does the sea rush to shore
Don't they know it's the end of the world
'cause you don't love me anymore,Yes
Why do the birds go on singing
Why do the stars glow above
Don't they know it's the end of the world
It ended when I lost your love
I wake up in the mornin' and I wonder
Why everythings the same as it was
I can't understand, no
I can't understand
How life goes on the way it does
Why does my heart go on beating
Why do these eyes of mine cry
Don't they know it's the end of the world
It ended when you said goodbye
[spoken]
Why does my heart go on beating
Why do these eyes of mine cry
[sung]
Don't they know it's the end of the world
It ended when you said goodbye
Goodbye
@mftepera
Hands down the best female voice I’ve ever heard. Caught my attention as 5 year old boy and I’m still amazed almost 50 years later.
@jawtek82
Has it been difficult going through life as a gay man?
@maxamahnken7325
😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
@umbertocalvini7429
I wish Karen loved herself, as much as we all loved her! 🥰
@greyhound785
So true..
@user-rf8xc4vu2i
Beautiful...
@waynedunn1108
What a waste of life carol was so beautiful and talented
@Eva7998
same here
@TheMrmartind40
Well put
@Mikeschmidt61
I started writing Karen on a bet from some fellow marines when I was in Vietnam in 1970, they bet me she wouldn't respond back. About 3 weeks later I received a handwritten letter that was very heartwarming and we continued to correspond until I was gravely wounded twice in April 71. I was sent to Yokosuka Naval Hospital, my mail caught up to me the last of may and was able to tell Karen what happened, she actually sent a get well card I was 17 and definitely had a crush on her. We corresponded a couple more times but then drifted apart. I will always treasure the memories that got me through a difficult time. 1st Marine Div. 2/11 Foward Observer. Sgt. Michael Schmidt