Speak Low
Tony Mottola Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our summer day withers away
Too soon, too soon.
Speak low when you speak, love,
Our moment is swift, like ships adrift,
We're swept apart too soon.
Love is a spark lost in the dark,
Too soon, too soon,
I feel wherever I go
That tomorrow is near, tomorrow is here
And always too soon.
Time is so old and love so brief,
Love is pure gold and time a thief.
We're late darling, we're late,
The curtain descends, ev'rything ends
Too soon, too soon,
I wait darling, I wait
Will you speak low to me,
Speak love to me and soon.
The lyrics of Tony Mottola's song 'Speak Low' are about the fragility of love and time. The opening line 'Speak low when you speak, love' is an instruction to keep the emotions low and not be too expressive, as the summer day is withering away too soon. The poet is expressing the urgency of making the most out of the moment, and not letting it slip away carelessly. Our moment is swift, and just like ships adrift, we’re swept apart too soon. The poet means to say that just like ships that drift away in the ocean with the waves, the moment will pass, and it will be in the past before we know it. So, it's better to deal with it gently and appreciate whatever little time we have together.
The poet continues to emphasize the brevity of love and life in the following stanzas. Time is old and love is brief, and time is a thief. Time is a recurring theme in this poem, and the poet is reminding us that no matter how much we try to hold on to a moment in time, it will soon be lost. The poem ends with the poet waiting for the loved one to speak low and speak love to him. The word 'speak' is so important in this poem; it's a metaphor for how we can hold onto a moment by reliving it through words later on.
Line by Line Meaning
Speak low when you speak, love,
Speak quietly and with care when you express your love
Our summer day withers away
Our moments of happiness and love are fleeting like a summer day that comes to an end
Too soon, too soon.
Love and happiness end too soon, leaving us wanting more
Speak low when you speak, love,
Repeat of the first line, emphasizing the importance of speaking carefully when expressing love
Our moment is swift, like ships adrift,
Our time together is short and fleeting, like ships tossed around at sea
We're swept apart too soon.
Our time together ends abruptly and sooner than we want it to
Speak low, darling speak low,
A plea to continue speaking about love with care and quiet emotion
Love is a spark lost in the dark,
The feeling of love can be easily extinguished and forgotten like a spark in the dark
Too soon, too soon,
Reinforcing the sentiment that love can end too quickly
I feel wherever I go
The artist feels the impact of love in all aspects of their life
That tomorrow is near, tomorrow is here
A feeling of apprehension and concern that the end of love is coming soon
And always too soon.
A repetition of the idea that love never lasts as long as one hopes
Time is so old and love so brief,
Time lasts forever while love is short-lived
Love is pure gold and time a thief.
Love is valuable and precious, but time seems to always take it away
We're late darling, we're late,
A sense of urgency to express love before it's too late
The curtain descends, ev'rything ends
The end of love is like the end of a play, with the curtain closing on everything
Too soon, too soon,
A repetition of the idea that love always ends too soon
I wait darling, I wait
A longing to wait for love, no matter how short-lived it may be
Will you speak low to me,
The request for continued care and tenderness when speaking about love
Speak love to me and soon.
Urging their partner to quickly express their feelings of love to avoid losing it too soon
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kurt Weill, Ogden Nash
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind