Stardust
The Ink Spots Lyrics

And now the purple dusk of twilight time
The time when day fades and night begins is symbolic of the end of a relationship.

Steals across the meadows of my heart
This transition feels like a theft - a slow but persistent erasure of passion and love.

High up in the sky the little stars climb
Stars, as they climb in the sky, remind the singer that time continues moving forward even as they feel stuck in the past.

Always reminding me that we're apart
The artist is constantly reminded of the distance between themselves and their former lover, through the natural reminder of the stars.

You wander down the lane and far away
The imagery of wandering indicates a lack of direction, a drifting apart from one another.

Leaving me a song that will not die
The memory of the love once shared is so strong that it can never truly be forgotten or silenced.

Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The singer’s love for their former partner is now nothing more than a memory, a reminder of a time gone by.

The music of the years gone by.
The music, symbolic of the memories of their love, is a reminder of a time that can never be recaptured.

Sometimes I wonder, how I spend
The artist questions the ways in which they cope with the pain of losing someone they loved.

The lonely nights
The artist feels isolated and alone, without their partner to share the night with.

Dreaming of a song
The singer finds solace in a song that reminds them of their lost love.

The melody
The musical tune is a reminder of happier times, where love was once still present.

Haunts my reverie
The memory of love and happiness is ever-present in the singer's thoughts.

And I am once again with you
The song transports the singer back in time, to a moment where their love was still alive.

When our love was new
This references a time when the sparks of romance and passion were still present between the two lovers.

And each kiss an inspiration
Each physical and emotional encounter served to inspire feelings of love and joy in the artist.

But that was long ago
This is a recognition that these intense feelings have faded over time.

And now my consolation is in the stardust of a song
The memory of the love still remains in the form of music, a comforting presence in the singer's life.

Besides the garden wall, when stars are bright
This line references a specific moment - perhaps a moment of physical intimacy spent outside, under the stars.

You are in my arms
This line describes a moment of incredible closeness and connection between the two lovers.

The nightingale
The natural world, represented by the nightingale, serves as another reminder of the fleetingness of time and the transience of love.

Tells his fairytale
This is an allusion to the idea that love and romance are often unrealistic and fleeting.

Of paradise, where roses grew
The nightingale's song invokes an image of paradise, where all things are perfect and beautiful.

Though I dream in vain
Despite their dreams and attempts to bring back the past, the artist knows that they are unlikely to be successful.

In my heart it will remain
The memory of love will always be present in the singer's heart.

My stardust melody
The song itself, a symbol of love and memory, is often referred to as the “stardust melody” throughout the song.

The memory of love's refrain.
The repeated phrase, “the memory of love's refrain” - keying in on an element of music - serves as the last phrase of the song, a reminder of the themes that the singer has been exploring throughout.