James Blunt: Goodbye My Lover Meaning
Goodbye My Lover Lyrics
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.
So I took what's mine by eternal right.
Took your soul out...
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1TOP RATED
jeremiah0426 Jan 8th 2008, 14:21 report
If you listen to the words, he is talking about someone he fell in love with,he knew from the start is wasn't going to work out, but in his heart he thought it might just work out. Even thou he knew it wasn't going to he still fell head over heals for her. She's the one that stole his heart, and the one that broke his heart. I think that he finally realized that no matter how hard he wants it to work it never will so he is saying goodbye.
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anonymous Feb 13th, 19:57 report
So many interpretations; everyone can see own experiences in it and comes to its own interpretation.
Here is my interpretation (and my story):
In short, for me it tells a story of two people and the beginning and the end of their relationship. It started by her, rather unexperienced, having a crush on him, him recognizing that they do not really fit but deciding to take advantage of the situation to have his fun, them eventually truly falling in love, her finally recognizing that they do not fit, breaking up and leaving him devastated:
“Did I disappoint you or let you down? Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown? 'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun, Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won. So I took what's mine by eternal right. Took your soul out into the night.”
When I first saw you, I know you where an easy prey. You were blinded by your crush on me, you did not really know love and the pain of breaking up but I did and how to play it. We did not really fit and we wont make it long, but I took my eternal right of the strong and you for fun.
“It may be over but it won't stop there, I am here for you if you'd only care. You touched my heart you touched my soul. You changed my life and all my goals. And love is blind and that I knew when, My heart was blinded by you. I've kissed your lips and held your head. Shared your dreams and shared your bed. I know you well, I know your smell. I've been addicted to you.”
Now our relationship is over, but I still cannot let it go. We had been so close, but you do not care for me anymore.
“I am a dreamer but when I wake, You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take.”
I try to stay strong, but when I'm asleep, I am helpless.
“And as you move on, remember me, Remember us and all we used to be”
Although you have a new lover, please remember me and that we once were as happy as you are now again.
“I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile. I've watched you sleeping for a while. I'd be the father of your child. I'd spend a lifetime with you.”
I am the father of your child, and I once gave a promise to you to stick by you for the rest of my life, and I still believe I could have kept my promise.
”I know your fears and you know mine. We've had our doubts but now we're fine,”
In the end we had our quarrels and doubts about our relationship, but they are all over now and settled by its end.
“And I love you, I swear that's true. I cannot live without you. Goodbye my lover. Goodbye my friend. You have been the one. You have been the one for me.”
Good by my dear, we had fifteen years of laughter and tears, passion and routine, happiness and anger, love and hate. Life will go on, even if I can't see it now. Fare well. -
anonymous Dec 4th 2012, 00:01 report
I had a very awful experience dat really puts me in these shoes. I fell inlove with this guy who promised me the stars and the moon, but people would always tell me he had a wife but for some reason he never admitted it, all i knew is that he had a child. After nine months of dating his wife came to me asking if i was his lover, i inocently told him we had been dating but i honestly didn't know he was committed since he had all his attentions on me. After i found out the truth i left him, and even to today he has been looking for me but i am not willing to take such a monster back
To me this song is talking about a guy that as same as the guy i dated played with a girl and maybe loved her but you know it will never work!!!
:-)
God bless you -
judi.max.54 Jul 4th 2012, 23:14 report
He loved her. He still does. But he had to let her go because he had a wife and children. And the impossibleness of the situation became too painful. It's her that's in his dreams. She's the one, only he's strong and walks away. And letting her go left him hollow, an empty shell because his heart belonged to her but he couldn't have her.
I know this story all too well. For I am she. And it left me hollow too. Goodbye my lover. Goodbye my friend. Til we meet in the next life. I will always love you Sab!
Fiji -
anonymous May 7th 2012, 14:36 report
I agree with the above interpretations about the man being married and having an affair.From a previous experience I believe it is a case of him marrying one of his first girlfriends when he was very young and unsure. He then later meets a girl and knows hes sure but knows that they cant be together cos hes married but very much wants to be with her as she has "touched his heart" and would be "the father of her child", perhaps his wife will not have his children and he desperately wants to share that experience with someone he loves and "took her soul out into the night" as he considered maybe being with her and it possibly working out so took the risk of hurting her because his feelings were so strong and because he is a "dreamer", thats how much he wanted this experience,that it could only happen in his dreams. He realises that there is too much at stake to lose in the event that it didnt work out, he would then no longer have his wife, someone he knows he doesnt have the passionate love for, loves her more as a friend, but he knows she will always be there. He was so close to taking the risk but in the end takes the easy way out of having the security of his friend who is already accepted by his family, the girl he loves wont be accepted for being the reason his marriage fails. She "takes his dreams" in the sense that he will constantly long for her and be the one he imagined having his child and if he sees her with someone else or having children that is the dream he imagined having with her. In time he "bears his soul" as he comes to terms with losing and hurting "the one" and will be "kneeling at her feet" perhaps when he tries to keep his marriage alive but it fails as it is different after he has felt the passionate love for someone else, he cant have that with his wife despite his efforts, and she herself is hurt by his infidelity but still takes him back and when he argues with her she brings up his infidelity again and throws it in his face. He says he'd be there for his love if she'd "only care". She cant care about his love cos he has hurt her and its too painful to keep caring, knowing he won't choose her, giving into those feelings will only cause her more agony.
He knew he had won because "love is blind", she still wanted to be with him even though he was married cos she loved him and he loved her and himself was bllinded and couldnt resist. He took what was his by "eternal right" in the sense that he felt like this relationship and being with her was his right cos he felt like she was his because of his intense love for her. Its "not over" cos he still misses her and "holds her hand when hes asleep". -
anonymous Apr 5th 2012, 06:55 report
Nah...its about a deluded psychotic looser of a bloke whos female friend feels sorry for. Hes not happy shes with this other guy and with/has the other guys child. He decides if he cant have her after all the tears etc he has seen her through then noone can. So he kills her! All because when consoling her one night and plying her with alcohol he manages to have whats been in his dreams...her!! Posibly even as twisted as verging on mates-rape. Cynic? Moi? Ha!...
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anonymous Apr 5th 2012, 06:29 report
I think his long time female soul mate got pregnant and dumped by another bloke. James is declaring he will step in..love her..be father etc... Then driving off into the sunset to live the happy ever after dream, he has a car accident and she dies.(should i be feeling guilty? He dosnt know because he has caused himself to loose his true love). His getting on knee referes to when they will next meet...when he will propose...when he dies.
Or maybe he was helping her escape the abusive real father of her child and was speeding in car causing the accident and her death. Again...should he feel guilty? He was saving her and planned to save her forever and live the dream.
Either way.. Very sad and moving. But im sure its way deeper than a split relationship with or without an affair!! -
cota Jul 7th 2011, 13:40 report
I saw him on tv once and he explained that he was in love/engaged once and she got sick and died. This is a true story song... he actually lost his love. He was also a soldier in the British army saw a lot of death in places he went. He's led a very interesting and deep life unlike that of most any singer/songwriters.
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anonymous Jul 5th 2011, 20:05 report
This song Exactly like a relationship I had. 'did I disappoint you or let you down... Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown, I saw the end before we'd begun... Yes I knew u were the blinded etc. I met a guy who unbeknown to me was living a double life. He knew we were never gonna work from the start and knew I was blind not knowing whT was going on. But he fell for me, z I was his bestfriend and soul mate etc. As he was living a Double life everyone found out... Hence let the judges frown. When I found out it was awful he was a mess i was absolutely devstated. we said our goodbyes and he told me he loved me and one day he would find me and have children with me one day. The part that says 'one day be kneeling and father of child' really used to get to me in the song. Incidentally he did find me after everything we r happy and been together five years now.
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anonymous May 16th 2011, 02:17 report
For an interpretation, this song goes word for word with my recent experience. The woman I loved dearly left me for another man. One day I noticed something different about her almost immediately and just had a gut feeling about what was to come. Things were going great but she was simply charmed by another man and there was nothing I could do to keep her by my side. She was definitely my lover, friend, and without a doubt the woman I would spend a lifetime with. I'm still deeply in love with her, and the term "hollow" is spot on for relating how I feel.
My situation is far worse than the song and excruciatingly painful to fully share even on the internet. James Blunt needs to hear my story to make this song even sadder and more depressing. -
anonymous Mar 14th 2011, 01:15 report
He is married. He fell in love with this girl. She thought she could make him break his family for her but he won't. She has to go on with the life of a woman who wants a family so although she was deeply in love she has to go; she has no future with him and she needs to find a future, so she'll go.
He saw first that he would never be all hers but he took her, loved her and hurt her. -
anonymous Jan 14th 2011, 08:31 report
I think that the song is actually about two people who were having an affair. He knew he had someone else but she didn't. Looking at the song from this perspective actually explains everything. While with her he imagined a perfect relationship other than the one with his real wife/ g friend "I'm a dreamer but when I'm awake & I'd be the father of your child I'd spend a lifetime with you " but he knew from the beginning that it wouldn't work out but still "took her soul out into the night". For some reason he cannot leave his present relationship but he still loves her and wants her back "and I love you I swear that's true"and wishes to at least be friends "I am here for you if you'd only care". He's simply saying goodbye because she's found out the truth and she doesn't want him back.
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anonymous Sep 12th 2009, 21:43 report
"Should I be feeling guilty, or let the judges frown?" - I left someone. I love him so much, and he couldn't understand how I could be treating him the way I did (back and forth - should we be together or not) and yet love him at the same time. He couldn't understand how I could call him his soulmate... and yet let him go.. after all we have been through, all he's done for me....after EVERYTHING.
Interpretation through actually experience.
It won't work, or I'm too afraid for what will happen, I can't explain the feeling, So I have to let him go for his sake. I have to make that choice for him though he said he would deal with it forever since he loved me that much.. It's about saying goodbye to someone you feel like you can't live without. -
anonymous Sep 24th 2008, 20:25 report
It's actually pretty simple... If you ever broke up with any one you'll understand the song.
here's the deal, the girl is not dead... He thinks of coming back to her in "kneeling at your feet" and James Blunt is not a ghost...
so, it's about a ending relationship (of course) where you think you know what would go wrong since the beginning, but you want to believe it can work out and try to make it happen and so on... you can see that in "I'm a dreamer and when I'm awake you can break my spirit, it's my dreams you take" and "and I still hold your hand in mine, in mine when I'm asleep" so... He knows it won't work out, but he dreams it could do, but when he wakes up, he realizes the thruth... So she "takes his dreams away"
got it? it's my interpretation, I don't know what James was thinking when he wrote it but it fits to me... -
anonymous Jul 23rd 2008, 01:45 report
This song is about the girl he truly loved even though he didn't show it and it wasn't until she died that he realized just how much he loves he and missing her deeply
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anonymous Sep 23rd 2007, 15:59 report
Some of the lyrics are as follows...
"Cause I saw the end, before it began.
Yes I saw you were blinded, and I knew I had won.
So I took whats mine, by eternal right.
Took your soul, out into the night.
........ I am here for you, if you'd only care."
This is more a posting of wanting to understand these lyrics, It seems to me that he met this girl and could see before she could see that the relationship had no long term prospects of working out, however he persued it anyhow knowing he was going to hurt her badly in the end.
"Took your soul out into the night"
I am guessing is a reference to leading her on and giving her the impression that he loved her just as much..... when really he was hot for her and her attention but knew it wouldn't work... He didn't love her the same way.
Could someone please let me know if I'm understanding this song correctly. Im confused cause of a later line line that says....
"........ I am here for you, if you'd only care."
Is this about him now realizing that he really does love her and wants her back but she's too hurt now but he's begging her to come back? Or is he leaving her cause he knows it won't work ..... So he's saying goodbye? Or did she finally leave him?
Then another idea I had was I wonder if she has died and he's saying goodbye?
Please Help!
More James Blunt song meanings »
Goodbye My Lover lyrics
Goodbye My Lover is considered:
Songs about Breakups
Emotions: Sad Songs
Songs about Leaving
Songs about Moving On
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