On A Bus To St. Cloud
Trisha Yearwood Lyrics


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On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer
And once on a street in New York City
With the jazz and the sin in the air
And once on a cold L.A. freeway
Going nowhere
And it's strange, but it's true
I was sure it was you
Just a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud

In a church in downtown New Orleans
I got down on my knees and prayed
And I wept in the arms of Jesus
For the choice you made
We were just gettin' to the good part
Just gettin' past the mystery
Oh, and it's just like you, it's just like you
To disagree
And it's strange but it's true
You just slipped out of view
Like a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud

And you chase me like a shadow
And you haunt me like a ghost
And I hate you some, and I love you some
But I miss you most

On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
I thought I saw you there




With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Trisha Yearwood's "On a Bus to St. Cloud" are a haunting tale of lost love and missed opportunities. The verses describe various locations where the singer thinks she sees her former lover, hinting at a life filled with missed connections and moments of heartache. The first verse mentions seeing the person on a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota, surrounded by falling snow "like a silent prayer." The second verse references several cities - New York, New Orleans, and Los Angeles - each with its own atmospheric details. In each instance, the singer is convinced she sees her lost love, but the person quickly fades away "like a face in the crowd."


The chorus of the song adds to the melancholy tone, with a hint of bitterness and regret. The singer acknowledges that the relationship was complicated and that she both loved and hated the person. However, she can't shake the sense of loss and longing that haunts her. The repeated mention of St. Cloud reinforces the idea of a missed connection or lost opportunity, as if the bus to that small town is a symbol of fate or chance.


Overall, the lyrics to "On a Bus to St. Cloud" are a poignant and beautifully written reflection on love, loss, and missed chances. The imagery is evocative and bittersweet, capturing the feeling of seeing someone you used to love and feeling both drawn to and haunted by them. It's a powerful reminder of how deeply love can affect us, even long after the relationship has ended.


Line by Line Meaning

On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
The singer is on a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota and is reminiscing about times she has thought she saw the person she's singing about.


I thought I saw you there
The singer thought she saw the person she's singing about while on the bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota.


With the snow falling down around you
The person the singer thought she saw was surrounded by falling snow, making the scene peaceful and prayer-like.


Like a silent prayer
The falling snow around the person the singer thought she saw resembled a silent prayer.


And once on a street in New York City
The singer saw the person she's singing about once on a street in New York City.


With the jazz and the sin in the air
The setting in New York City was filled with both jazz music and a sense of sin or wrongdoing.


And once on a cold L.A. freeway
The singer saw the person she's singing about once on a cold L.A. freeway.


Going nowhere
The L.A. freeway the singer saw the person on was not leading anywhere.


And it's strange, but it's true
The singer finds it odd, but real, that she keeps thinking she sees the person she's singing about in various places.


I was sure it was you
The singer was confident that the person she saw was the one she's singing about.


Just a face in the crowd
Despite being sure she saw the person she's singing about, they were just one of many faces in a crowd.


In a church in downtown New Orleans
The singer was in a church in downtown New Orleans when she prayed for the person she's singing about.


I got down on my knees and prayed
The singer shows her respect by getting down on her knees while praying for the person she's singing about.


And I wept in the arms of Jesus
The singer cried while feeling embraced in the arms of Jesus.


For the choice you made
The singer cried and prayed for the person she's singing about due to a choice that they made.


We were just gettin' to the good part
The relationship or situation the singer had with the person she's singing about was just getting better.


Just gettin' past the mystery
The singer and the person she's singing about were just figuring things out, moving past the mystery.


Oh, and it's just like you, it's just like you
The singer knows the person she's singing about well and their actions are not surprising to her.


To disagree
The person the singer is singing about tends to disagree or go against what others are thinking or feeling.


You just slipped out of view
The person the singer is singing about is no longer visible or present in her life.


Like a face in the crowd
The person the singer is singing about is now like any other face in a crowd, not standing out to her anymore.


And you chase me like a shadow
The person the singer is singing about still follows her, like a shadow.


And you haunt me like a ghost
The singer feels haunted by the person she's singing about, as if they are a ghost from her past.


And I hate you some, and I love you some
The singer has mixed feelings towards the person she's singing about, sometimes hating them and other times loving them.


But I miss you most
Despite the mixed feelings the singer has, what she misses the most is the person she's singing about.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GRETCHEN PETERS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@patrickhenderson4926

I love you so much , Trisha! I hope you know how many lives you have touched with your voice.
I have sung this countless times with my own lyrics, because they all happened:
On a bus to Northstar, California
I thought I saw you standing there
With the snow falling down
Around like a silent prayer.
And on Spring Break in New Orleans
With the jazz and the sin in the air
And once on a cold LA freeway
Going nowhere.
And it's strange but it's true
I was sure it was you
Just some dude by his car
On the bus to Northstar
In a temple outside Sapporo
I got on my knees to meditate
And wound up weeping at the foot of Buddha
For the choice you made.
We were just gettin' to the good part
Just gettin' past the mystery
Oh, and it's just like you
It's just like you to disagree.
And it's strange but it's true
You just slipped out of view
Like that dude by his car
On a bus to Northstar
And you chase me like a shadow
And you haunt me like a ghost
And I hate you some and I love you some
But I miss you most.
--- Instrumental ---
On a bus to Northstar, California
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down
Around like a silent prayer...



@Macwench2006

On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer
And once on a street in New York City
With the jazz and the sin in the air
And once on a cold L.A. freeway
Going nowhere
And it's strange, but it's true
I was sure it was you
Just a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud
In a church in downtown New Orleans
I got down on my knees and prayed
And I wept in the arms of Jesus
For the choice you made
We were just gettin' to the good part
Just gettin' past the mystery
Oh, and it's just like you, it's just like you
To disagree
And it's strange but it's true
You just slipped out of view
Like a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud
And you chase me like a shadow
And you haunt me like a ghost
And I hate you some, and I love you some
But I miss you most
On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer
Songwriters: GRETCHEN PETERS
© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC



@tc247

Hello Donald. You wrote me because of my comment on the song by Trisha Yearwood, " On a Bus to St. Cloud"
I've been very happily married for 25 yrs to my 2nd husband.
Before he even came into my life I was in love with someone else and it just wasn't meant to be. God had other plans for me.
The other man before him was from St Cloud, MN. So when I hear this song once in a while, it does take me back in time to old memories. I think music does that to everyone. Like love and grief, happiness and sadness, music and lyrics touch our hearts and souls. When that person is gone for whatever reason, we have our memories and the songs that remind us of certain times in our lives. You're right, "we've all missed someone in a moment..." and so many of us HAVE BEEN on that Bus to St. Cloud.
Thank you for caring enough to write.
Many blessings to you David ~
Victoria
Santa Fe, NM USA
2/21/23



All comments from YouTube:

@pattyhaley2949

I just relate to this song so much. My Dad passed away 46 years ago and I still look in a crowd or anywhere I go thinking I might somehow catch a glimpse of his Sweet Face. You never stop longing for that great love that was taken so harshly in a blink of a eye. I Miss You Daddy 😢😢😢. I'll never stop looking....

@terrybarrow7639

My wife passed away yesterday and a friend
Sent me this song such a beautiful song

@JamesSterling

God, what a beautiful song! So sad, evoking lost love, regret, and what could have been. It makes this 71 year old man cry when I hear it. Thank you Gretchen Peter for writing it and thank you Trisha Yearwood for singing it so beautifully.

@reine7500

My best friend committed suicide over a year ago and this song resonates deeply with me. “I hate you so and I love so but I miss you most.” At one moment I hate him for what he’s put us through, another I remember everything we shared and treasure every second but I always miss him.

@marthazboril2504

I am so sorry for your loss. Sending love and prayers.

@keetahbrough

why hate him. you weren't there when he left? because you had no control? Look at your reasons why you would hate someone who was suffering so MUCH.. that he killed himself. Ask why there was nothing to help him stay here. Ask the entire WORLD why we haven't addressed SUICIDE yet. Suicide is the real pandemic so why aren't we getting daily numbers? Like we did with Covid. They're HIGHER then covid's numbers... guaranteed.

@patrickhenderson4926

God bless you.

@CorinneTheMountainGoatBlack

I tried, unsuccessfully,to take my life just before Christmas. I was due to be married this March

@darryljohnson4458

@@CorinneTheMountainGoatBlack hang in there life gets better even when we can't see it plus you would be missed by so many people you don't wanna cause them that kind of pain.

7 More Replies...

@cornstorm666

"And you chase me like a shadow and you haunt me like a ghost " I hate you so and I love you so..but I miss you most.

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