According to interviews, the inspiration of the song came when a fire broke loose in Robert Smith's home. After that day, Robert was going through the remains and came across his wallet which had pictures of his wife, Mary. The cover of the single is one of the pictures. The same picture was used as the cover of the "Charlotte Sometimes" single, but this version was heavily warped and distorted.
In 2004, the song was voted 278th on Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.
Pictures of You
The Cure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I almost believe that they're real
I've been living so long with my pictures of you
That I almost believe that the pictures are all I can feel
Remembering you standing quiet in the rain
As I ran to your heart to be near
And we kissed as the sky fell in, holding you close
Remembering you running soft through the night
You were bigger and brighter and wider than snow
You screamed at the make-believe, screamed at the sky
And you finally found all your courage to let it all go
Remembering you, fallen into my arms
Crying for the death of your heart
You were stone white, so delicate
Lost in the cold
You were always so lost in the dark
Remembering you how you used to be
Slow drowned, you were angels
So much more than everything
Hold for the last time then slip away quietly
Open my eyes, but I never see anything
If only I'd thought of the right words
I could have held on to your heart
If only I'd thought of the right words
I wouldn't be breaking apart all my pictures of you
Looking so long at these pictures of you
But I never hold on to your heart
Looking so long for the words to be true
But always just breaking apart
My pictures of you
There was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more
Than to feel you deep in my heart
There was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more
Than to never feel the breaking apart
My pictures of you
In the song Pictures of You, The Cure's frontman Robert Smith is haunted by memories of a lost love - his pictures of her, which have become his only solace. He has been looking at these pictures for so long that they seem to have taken on a life of their own. He reminisces about their last moments together, when they shared a kiss as the sky fell in around them. He remembers her fear and how he always held her close during those moments. He also recalls her fierce spirit, how she screamed at the sky, and how she had the courage to let go of everything.
As the song progresses, Robert Smith wonders if he could have saved their relationship if he had only found the right words. He is caught in a painful cycle of looking at pictures and longing for something that can never be regained. He acknowledges that nothing else in the world matters to him more than having his lost love in his heart. The song is a powerful reflection on the nature of memories and how they can consume and define a person.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been looking so long at these pictures of you
I've been staring at these pictures of you for so long
That I almost believe that they're real
That I've started to believe they are actually happening
I've been living so long with my pictures of you
I've been keeping these pictures with me for so long
That I almost believe that the pictures are all I can feel
That I've come to rely on these pictures as my only source of comfort
Remembering you standing quiet in the rain
Recalling how you stood silently in the rain
As I ran to your heart to be near
As I hurried to be close to you
And we kissed as the sky fell in, holding you close
And we embraced while the sky seemed to collapse around us
How I always held close in your fear
How I used to hold you tightly when you were frightened
Remembering you running soft through the night
Recalling how you ran through the night so gently
You were bigger and brighter and wider than snow
You shone brighter than the snow, bigger and wider than it
You screamed at the make-believe, screamed at the sky
You shouted and screamed at unreal things, at the sky
And you finally found all your courage to let it all go
And you somehow found the strength to let go of it all
Remembering you, fallen into my arms
Recalling how you fell into my embrace
Crying for the death of your heart
Weeping for the loss of your spirit and soul
You were stone white, so delicate
You were as white as stone, fragile and breakable
Lost in the cold
Lost in the icy and unwelcoming surroundings
You were always so lost in the dark
You were always so confused and troubled
Remembering you how you used to be
Recalling how you used to act and behave
Slow drowned, you were angels
Gradually sinking, you were like heavenly messengers
So much more than everything
So much more extraordinary than anything else
Hold for the last time then slip away quietly
Embrace me for the final time and then depart silently
Open my eyes, but I never see anything
Although I'm awake, nothing comes into view
If only I'd thought of the right words
If only I had been able to say the proper things
I could have held on to your heart
I could have kept you close to my heart
If only I'd thought of the right words
If only I had been able to say the proper things
I wouldn't be breaking apart all my pictures of you
I wouldn't be shattering all of the pictures I have of you
Looking so long at these pictures of you
I've been gazing at these images of you for so long
But I never hold on to your heart
But I never succeed in keeping you close to my heart
Looking so long for the words to be true
I've been searching for the right words to make it real
But always just breaking apart
But always ending up shattered
My pictures of you
These images I have of you
There was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more
There was nothing in the world that I ever desired more
Than to feel you deep in my heart
Than to have you firmly rooted in my heart
There was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more
There was nothing in the world that I ever desired more
Than to never feel the breaking apart
Than to never experience the pain of breaking apart
My pictures of you
These pictures I have of you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robert James Smith, Simon Gallup, Roger O'Donnell, Porl Thompson, Laurence Andrew Tolhurst, Boris Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alicjanowosad8484
Lyrics:
I've been looking so long at these pictures of you
That I almost believe that they're real
I've been living so long with my pictures of you
That I almost believe that the pictures are all I can feel
Remembering you standing quiet in the rain
As I ran to your heart to be near
And we kissed as the sky fell in, holding you close
How I always held close in your fear
Remembering you running soft through the night
You were bigger and brighter and wider than snow
You screamed at the make-believe, screamed at the sky
And you finally found all your courage to let it all go
Remembering you, fallen into my arms
Crying for the death of your heart
You were stone white, so delicate
Lost in the cold
You were always so lost in the dark
Remembering you how you used to be
Slow drowned, you were angels
So much more than everything
Hold for the last time then slip away quietly
Open my eyes, but I never see anything
If only I'd thought of the right words
I could have held on to your heart
If only I'd thought of the right words
I wouldn't be breaking apart all my pictures of you
Looking so long at these pictures of you
But I never hold on to your heart
Looking so long for the words to be true
But always just breaking apart
My pictures of you
There was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more
Than to feel you deep in my heart
There was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more
Than to never feel the breaking apart
My pictures of you
@eirinelly151009
I've been looking so long at these pictures of you
That I almost believe that they're real
I've been living so long with my pictures of you
That I almost believe that the pictures are all I can feel
Remembering you standing quiet in the rain
As I ran to your heart to be near
And we kissed as the sky fell in, holding you close
How I always held close in your fear
Remembering you running soft through the night
You were bigger and brighter and wider than snow
You screamed at the make-believe, screamed at the sky
And you finally found all your courage to let it all go
Remembering you, fallen into my arms
Crying for the death of your heart
You were stone white, so delicate
Lost in the cold
You were always so lost in the dark
Remembering you how you used to be
Slow drowned, you were angels
So much more than everything
Hold for the last time then slip away quietly
Open my eyes, but I never see anything
If only I'd thought of the right words
I could have held on to your heart
If only I'd thought of the right words
I wouldn't be breaking apart all my pictures of you
Looking so long at these pictures of you
But I never hold on to your heart
Looking so long for the words to be true
But always just breaking apart
My pictures of you
There was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more
Than to feel you deep in my heart
There was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more
Than to never feel the breaking apart
My pictures of you
@michaelrespublica9498
Tomorrow Lost Today
8/14/17 @ 7:45AM
Shattered porcelain every-where I turn.
Glimpsing at tomorrows and tomorrows:
Fragments from an exquisite vase.
Searching gingerly through shards
Salvaging for just one:
One not too jagged, not too sharp;
A vista through death,
Without shredding my heart,
Or puddling too much blood.
But each pane picked pierces,
Dripping crimson shaped tears.
Like rain down an autumn pane.
Tomorrow lost today.
And today lost tomorrow.
@bracha0346
My beautiful mum was suffering from heavy depressions back in the eighties, and took her own life in 1989 at the age of 26, when I was only one year old. Today I was going through her old record collection and found a little paper inside The Cure’s Disintegration album sleeve. It was an old handwritten note by her with some drawings. Beautiful painted red and purple flowers, many little hearts with my name written a hundred times and the words: ‘there was nothing in the world that I ever wanted more than to feel you deep in my heart’. I immediately searched on Google and found out it are words to this song. I listened to it all morning. I got so close to my mother today because of this song. These words describe how she felt, how ill she was. How she struggled with being alive. But it also finally tells me how much I was wanted, and how much she wanted to stay with me and see me growing up. I am sure she listened to this song a thousand times. She is my hero and she is free now. This afternoon I visited her grave and brought her red and purple flowers. I also gave her back her Disintegration album wrapped up in plastic, close to her where it belongs. The note is in my closet forever. 7:27
@schildwaechter
sad and beautiful
@Stormshadow11114
Bracha, I feel for you, a sad but wonderful story at the same time. Your mother is now at peace and I hope you find peace too?
Hope you don’t mind me saying but love to you both.
@iwantschepurnoj1372
🙏
@gordonmccarthy3133
I cant imagine how that made you feel finding that note. Thank you for sharing God bless you x
@gyulalakatos7181
Amazing sad and beautiful story....
@gabriellesouzatorquato7024
Every once and while I come back here to read the comments. Sometimes I even cry, because it's hard to see how many people are suffering with grief. But, I also feel less lonely in this world.
@marthamydear7499
I feel the same! So lonely, go to this song, feel somewhat connected with others. 😊❤️🙏
@tonyg045
I do the same and I'm astonished how this song has touched so many people in so many ways. This song is truly Timeless.
@jorynickila7760
Don't feel lonely. You're just by yourself handling yourself for right now. You're not alone😳. It's just very hard for us to find each other nowadays amongst all the BS the world throws at us....😅 Don't give up on us thow! We are out there. And now that we have found each other, we don't have to be alone. Wherever you are in this world, at least you have us now. And wherever you go and whatever you do, love follows! (and not the weird, icky creepy kind either.....)😅 Because you are you, and this world would be a far darker place without your light in it.😊 stay strong... For all of us! We will be strong for you, too!!!😁