Throughout the years, and changing line-ups, the group maintained a strong fan-base among jazz fans of all ages.
Stardust
The Dave Brubeck Quartet Lyrics
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Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky the little stars climb
Always reminding me that we're apart
You wander down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The music of the years gone by.
Sometimes I wonder, how I spend
The lonely nights
Dreaming of a song
The melody
Haunts my reverie
And I am once again with you
When our love was new
And each kiss an inspiration
But that was long ago
And now my consolation is in the stardust of a song
Besides the garden wall, when stars are bright
You are in my arms
The nightingale
Tells his fairytale
Of paradise, where roses grew
Though I dream in vain
In my heart it will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of love's refrain.
In the first stanza of The Dave Brubeck Quartet's song Stardust, the singer is describing the feeling of heartbreak as the "purple dusk of twilight time" creeps over the meadows of their heart. They see the stars climbing high in the sky and this reminds them of their separation from their lover. The singer imagines their lover wandering away down a lane, leaving behind a song that won't leave their mind. The song becomes a reminder that love is now just stardust of yesterday and a distant memory of years gone by.
In the second stanza, the singer wonders how they will ever fill the lonely nights that stretch out before them. They dream of a song that haunts their thoughts and once again they are transported back to a time when their love was new and each kiss was an inspiration. The singer imagines being with their lover when the stars are bright and they are in each other's arms. The nightingale sings a fairytale of paradise where roses grew, but the singer knows that their dream of being with their lover is in vain. Even so, the memory of their lost love becomes stardust melody and the refrain of the love that they once knew.
Overall, the song captures a sense of longing for the past and a love that cannot be regained. The melody and lyrics tell a story of heartbreak and the memories that remain.
Line by Line Meaning
And now the purple dusk of twilight time
As the sun sets, the world is painted with a hue of purple.
Steals across the meadows of my heart
The twilight reminds me of us and it slowly eases into my heart.
High up in the sky the little stars climb
The stars twinkle from up high in the sky and gracefully ascend.
Always reminding me that we're apart
The stars seem to remind me that even though we're far apart, we are still looking at the same sky.
You wander down the lane and far away
You've gone away to explore the world - far from where I stand.
Leaving me a song that will not die
Although you're gone, you left me a song that will forever ring in my ears.
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
Our love exists only in my memory, now an ethereal distant thought.
The music of the years gone by.
It's like hearing the musical notes of a melody that was once played.
Sometimes I wonder, how I spend
It is common for me to wonder where the time has gone
The lonely nights
During times of loneliness when my heart aches the most.
Dreaming of a song
I drift off into a world where music flows freely in my dreams.
The melody
The tune that emanates from the music draws me in, haunting me in my waking hours as well.
Haunts my reverie
The music always takes me back down memory lane, a place I so often find myself visiting.
And I am once again with you
I am with you once again in my dreams as if you never left.
When our love was new
We were completely enamored with each other when our love was fresh and new.
And each kiss an inspiration
Sharing a kiss was more than just a physical act - it sparked creativity and passion within us.
But that was long ago
That time has passed and that part of our lives seems to be behind us now.
And now my consolation is in the stardust of a song
The only solace I have now is the melody that was left for me to remember our love by.
Besides the garden wall, when stars are bright
I hear the music and fantasize about being beside the garden wall during a clear star-filled night.
You are in my arms
I am holding you tightly in my embrace, feeling the warmth of your body.
The nightingale
The bird sings a tune that seems to signify the love we once shared.
Tells his fairytale
The tune sounds as if it's a tale of love and fairy dust - almost too good to be true.
Of paradise, where roses grew
Love bloomed and thrived in a place that felt like paradise.
Though I dream in vain
Although I fantasize about this event in my dreams, I know it's unrealistic.
In my heart, it will remain
This memory will always stay with me, locked away in my heart's data banks.
My stardust melody
The song is the fading fragments of our love now turned into a distant memory.
The memory of love's refrain.
Recalling this love is like listening to the melody of an old song- it's a reminder of a love we used to know.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER GENTRY, JOHN HUTCHINSON DEAN, MATTHEW EVERITT, SIMON IAN WHITE, STUART BLACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind