The Lemonheads is an American alternative rock band, originally from Boston… Read Full Bio ↴The Lemonheads is an American alternative rock band, originally from Boston, Massachusetts, but now based in New York City. The primary (and only consistent) member is Evan Dando.

The band formed in 1986 as an underground punk rock act. Their popularity grew during the following decade with the 1992 album It's A Shame About Ray, which was produced, engineered, and mixed by The Robb Brothers (Bruce Robb, Dee, and Joe), followed by a cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson", which eventually became one of the band's most successful singles.

Throughout its various incarnations, recording and touring lineups of the band have included co-founders Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz, John Strohm (Blake Babies), Doug Trachten, Corey Loog Brennan, Byron Hoag, Ben Daughtry, Juliana Hatfield (Blake Babies), Nic Dalton (Godstar, Sneeze, The Plunderers), Dave Ryan, Patrick "Murph" Murphy (Dinosaur Jr), Bill Gibson (Eastern Dark), Mark 'Budola' Newman, Kenny Lyon, Vess Ruhtenberg, Devon Ashley, Karl Alvarez and Bill Stevenson (Descendents), P. David Hazel and various others.

Cited as one of the most important alternative rock groups, The Lemonheads were active until 1997 and went on hiatus, but reformed with a new lineup in 2005 and released The Lemonheads in the following year. The band released its latest album, Varshons, in June 2009.

Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye
The Lemonheads Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm,
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm,
Yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new,
In city and in forest they smiled like me and you,

But now it's come to distances and both of us must try,
Your eyes are soft with sorrow,
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye.

I'm not looking for another as I wander in my time,

Walk me to the corner, our steps will always rhyme
You know my love goes with you as your love stays with me,
It's just the way it changes, like the shoreline and the sea,
But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie,

Your eyes are soft with sorrow,
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye.

I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm,
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm,
Yes many loved before us, I know that we are not new,
In city and in forest they smiled like me and you,

But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie,

Your eyes are soft with sorrow,
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye.

Overall Meaning

The Lemonheads' "Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye" is a song that deeply reflects the complexities and nuances of a relationship. The opening verse describes a moment of tenderness and intimacy between the singer and their partner - "I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm, your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm." However, the singer acknowledges that their love is not unique, and that many who came before them experienced a similar passion.

The chorus of the song - "Your eyes are soft with sorrow, hey, that's no way to say goodbye" - suggests that the couple's relationship has reached a turning point, and they realize that it cannot continue in the same way. The singer notes that they are not looking for another partner, but it is clear that they must part ways. The second verse has a melancholic tone, as the singer describes walking to the corner with their partner and remarking that their love will always stay with each other, even as the nature of the relationship changes.

The final verse serves as a final plea for the couple to let go of the past and embrace the future without each other. The song presents these complex emotions through beautiful and poetic metaphors, such as "It's just the way it changes, like the shoreline and the sea." Ultimately, "Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye" is a poignant and bittersweet reflection on the pain and beauty of love.

Line by Line Meaning

I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm,
I loved you deeply and fondly, from the very first moment of the day, our kisses were passionate and sincere

Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm,
Your hair was like a beautiful golden storm on the pillow, a calm and peaceful sight to awaken to

Yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new,
I understand that many others have loved before us, and our love is not unique or unprecedented

In city and in forest they smiled like me and you,
In different places, people have smiled as beautifully and genuinely as we do

But now it's come to distances and both of us must try,
However, now we must confront the problem of distance and both of us must make an effort

Your eyes are soft with sorrow,
I can see the sadness in your eyes, it softens your gaze

Hey, that's no way to say goodbye.
But we cannot say goodbye in such a sad and final way, it's not an appropriate farewell

I'm not looking for another as I wander in my time,
I'm not interested in finding someone else as I go through life's journey

Walk me to the corner, our steps will always rhyme
Take me to the corner and we'll walk in sync, our steps will always be in perfect harmony

You know my love goes with you as your love stays with me,
You know that my love will always be with you, just as your love will always stay with me

It's just the way it changes, like the shoreline and the sea,
Change is inevitable, and sometimes even love changes and evolves like the shoreline and the sea

But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie,
However, instead of talking about the love we can't control, let's not bring up heavy topics like commitment or things we can't fix

Your eyes are soft with sorrow,
I can still see the sadness in your eyes, it softens your gaze

Hey, that's no way to say goodbye.
But we still can't depart in such a sorrowful and final manner, that's not the way we want to end things

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Leonard Cohen

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm
Yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new
In city and in forest, they smiled like me and you
But now it's come to distances and both of us must try

Your eyes are soft with sorrow
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye

I'm not looking for another as I wander in my time
Walk me to the corner, our steps will always rhyme
You know my love goes with you as your love stays with me
It's just the way it changes like the shoreline and the sea
But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie

Your eyes are soft with sorrow
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye

I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm
Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm
Yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new
In city and in forest they smiled like me and you
But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie

Your eyes are soft with sorrow
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye

Songwriters: Leonard Cohen