If I Knew Then
The Four Freshmen Lyrics

The lyrics of the song "If I Knew Then" by The Four Freshmen speaks about the regret of the singer over the mistakes he made in his past relationship. The song talks about how the singer wishes he could turn the clock back and rectify the wrongs that have driven them apart. The first line, "If I knew then what I know now," is a common phrase used by people when they want to express regret over past actions. The singer wishes he had known better then and had made different choices, which would have had a different outcome.

The second line, "If I knew then, you'd be here right now," the singer realizes the value of his ex-partner's love, and he understands that he has lost something that was most precious to him. His realization of the pain of being separated from his past beloved is exemplified in the third line, "I'd trade the world and its gold, to have and to hold, The one thing in life I love." He would trade all the riches in the world just to be able to hold and experience the love that he has lost.

The fourth line, "The one thing in life I love" highlights that the singer has understood that love is the one thing that means everything to him, and the absence of this emotion has only caused him immense pain. In the second verse, the lyrics repeat, "If I knew then, oh, what I know now, We would never have drifted apart," the singer wishes that he knew better back then and had made different choices to prevent the distance from growing between them. Finally, the lyrics end with the same line as the first verse, "If I knew then what I know now," highlighting the overwhelming sense of regret the singer feels for not seeing how meaningful his relationship was.