I'm Beginning To See the Light
The Harry James Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I never cared much for moonlit skies
I never wink back at fireflies
But now that the stars are in your eyes
I'm beginning to see the light

I never went in for afterglow
Or candlelight on the mistletoe
But now when you turn the lamp down low

I'm beginning to see the light

Used to ramble through the park
Shadowboxing in the dark
Then you came and caused a spark
That's a four-alarm fire now

I never made love by lantern-shine
I never saw rainbows in my wine

But now that your lips are burning mine
I'm beginning to see the light

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song I’m Beginning to See the Light by The Harry James Orchestra describe a significant transformation happening within the singer’s soul. The words are about how the experience of falling in love has altered their perception of the world. At the beginning of the song, the singer shares how they never cared for moonlit skies or fireflies. Their world wasn’t full of wonder and awe. But when they met their beloved, stars appeared in their eyes and their world became magical. The moonlit skies, fireflies, and stars in the eyes are all metaphors used here to represent the wonder and magic of being in love, and the singer expresses how they are now beginning to see that magic.

Further on, the singer remarks on how they never went in for afterglow, candlelight on mistletoe or making love by lantern-shine or saw rainbows in their wine. However, now everything has changed. The line “I never made love by lantern-shine” can be seen as a metaphor for the singer’s emotional state. Their world was dull and dark, and they never perceived the beauty of love before. But now, they feel as if love has entered their life, and their perspective about it has changed entirely. They’re now starting to see the light.

The last verse of the song focuses on how the singer's life has been transformed ever since they’ve met their beloved. Before, they used to wander alone in the park and shadowbox in the dark. But once their love started, a spark was lit, and it became a four-alarm fire. Their experience of love has allowed them to discover a whole new world that they never knew existed.

Line by Line Meaning

I never cared much for moonlit skies
Moonlit skies never captured my attention or interest

I never wink back at fireflies
Watching fireflies never really appealed to me

But now that the stars are in your eyes
However, since I see the stars reflected in your eyes,

I'm beginning to see the light
I am starting to comprehend and appreciate the beauty of these things.

I never went in for afterglow
I was not interested before in the glow after sunset

Or candlelight on the mistletoe
Candlelit merrymaking under the mistletoe never really appealed to me

But now when you turn the lamp down low
However, when you now dim the lights

I'm beginning to see the light
I am starting to appreciate the romantic setting.

Used to ramble through the park
I frequently walked around the park

Shadowboxing in the dark
Sometimes, I would even sparr with my own shadow in the dark

Then you came and caused a spark
However, you appeared and ignited something within me

That's a four-alarm fire now
That small spark has now become a huge flame.

I never made love by lantern-shine
Until now, I have never had a romantic moment under a lantern's light

I never saw rainbows in my wine
I never saw or experienced the beauty and wonder of rainbows

But now that your lips are burning mine
However, now that we have kissed and shared this intimacy

I'm beginning to see the light
I am discovering new ways to experience life and am starting to understand its beauty.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Kennedy Ellington, Don George, Harry James, Johnny Hodges

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS