The Love We Had Stays On My Mind
The Dells Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lately baby, i've been thinkin'
How good it was when you were here
And it ain't the wine that i' ve been drinkin'
For once i feel my head is spinning
But early this mornin', when i opened my eyes,
That old lonesome feelin' took me by surprise
I guess you meant more than i realized
The love we had stays on my mind
The love we had stays on my mind

And pretty girl, i've been rememberin'
The good times that we used to share
My thoughts of you don' t have an endin'
And the memories of you are everywhere'
But why should i tell you it's not your concern
You win some, you lose some, i've lost and i've learned
Its just that im so lonely with no place to turn
And year after year i find
The love we had stayed on my mind

Girl, if you were nearer
If you had a mirror
Maybe you could count my tears
And if you were nearer
It would all be clearer
How i wish that you were here (mmm, mmm)
How i wish that you were here (how i wish, that you were here)

(How i wish that you were here

And baby girl, i was tired
So i laid down to dream awhile
But lately i've been so uninspired
Without the comfort of your smile
But i'm not complainin'
'Cause that's how it goes
There's always some heartache in this world i suppose
But you can't imagine nobody knows
The love we had stays on my mind
(Stays on my mind)
The love we had stays on my mind
I never will forget you baby
The love we had stays on my mind




Why how can i tell you
Ad lib...

Overall Meaning

The Love We Had (Stays on My Mind) by The Dells is a song about the lingering feelings of love after a relationship has ended. The lyrics describe the singer’s nostalgia for their past love and the resulting loneliness they feel after its end. The opening lines convey the idea that though the singer has been drinking, it's not necessarily the reason for their current state of mind. They have been thinking about their ex-love lately and are experiencing a dizzying sensation. The morning after, the singer is brought back to reality but miss the lost love more than they realized. They have been thinking of the good times and this is where the memories are coming from, they’re almost everywhere.


The singer seems to be conflicted about their desire to share with the ex-girlfriend or not. Perhaps, they think it’s none of their business, but more likely they want to keep their feelings private. They have learned that you can win some, and lose some, and in this case, they learn through the pain of losing. They address their loneliness and express their feelings of being lost through the years. The chorus repeats, emphasizing that their love is still in their mind no matter how much time has passed.


Line by Line Meaning

Lately baby, i've been thinkin'
Recently, I've been pondering


how good it was when you were here
about the goodness of the time when you were present


and it ain't the wine that i' ve been drinkin'
I'm not under the influence of wine right now


for once i feel my head is spinning
But my head is spinning at this moment


But early this mornin', when i opened my eyes,
This morning, when I woke up


that old lonesome feelin' took me by surprise
I was unexpectedly plagued by loneliness


i guess you meant more than i realized
I suppose you were more important than I had thought


the love we had stays on my mind
Our love remains in my thoughts


the love we had stays on my mind
Our love remains in my thoughts


And pretty girl, i've been rememberin'
Also, beautiful lady, I have been recollecting


the good times that we used to share
about the enjoyable moments we spent together


my thoughts of you don' t have an endin'
My thoughts of you are endless


and the memories of you are everywhere'
Also, the memories of you are ubiquitous


But why should i tell you it's not your concern
However, it's of no concern to you why I say this


you win some, you lose some, i've lost and i've learned
I have learned that success and failure are part of life


its just that im so lonely with no place to turn
I'm just very lonely and don't know where to go


and year after year i find
I discover, year after year


the love we had stayed on my mind
Our love continues to persist in my mind


Girl, if you were nearer
If only you were closer, girl


if you had a mirror
If you possessed a mirror


maybe you could count my tears
Perhaps you could count my tears


and if you were nearer
Also, if you were closer


it would all be clearer
Everything would become clearer


how i wish that you were here (mmm, mmm)
I profoundly yearn for your presence


how i wish that you were here (how i wish, that you were here)
I strongly desire that you were with me


And baby girl, i was tired
Moreover, my dear, I was exhausted


so i laid down to dream awhile
Thus, I reclined to dream for a bit


but lately i've been so uninspired
However, lately, I have felt so uninspired


without the comfort of your smile
As I miss the reassuring feeling of your smile


But i'm not complainin'
But I am not expressing discontentment


'cause that's how it goes
Since that's just how life is


there's always some heartache in this world I suppose
There's always some anguish and pain in life, I assume


but you can't imagine nobody knows
But you can't comprehend what nobody else knows


the love we had stays on my mind
Our love continues to endure in my thoughts


(stays on my mind)
(remains in my thoughts)


the love we had stays on my mind
Our love remains in my thoughts


i never will forget you baby
I will never forget you, baby


the love we had stays on my mind
Our love continues to persist in my mind


why how can i tell you
But how can I explain to you


ad lib...
Additional unscripted lines




Writer(s): Callier Terrence O, Wade Larry

Contributed by Olivia T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@a.c.6475

Marvin junior's voice is like a soulful thunderstorm! often imitated but never duplicated.

@tonyawalker9463

The Six One Niner!
Yes Indeed

@MrTPain

God bless you if you try God love you if you make it this is jawn

@55cleon

NEVER, EVER DUPLICATED!

@DEVINEJUSTICEALLAH72

FACTS!!

@brendakeys7306

Yes lord I can listen to him all day

6 More Replies...

@adamwilmington9687

I keep coming back to this version, Marvin Jr just kills it on every note. Great across the group really, what a beautiful, powerful song.

@TheNeworleansgal

I too can't shake this

@ThraxioLarge

LORD JESUS I swear,Marvin Junior's the only cat who's voice has literally brought me to tears, dude that's just a instrument of God

@traceytracey3756

More Comments

More Versions