There are certain people you just keep coming back to
She is right in front of you
You begin to wonder, could you find a better one
Compared to her, now she's in question

And all at once the crowd begins to sing
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same

Maybe you want her, maybe you need her
Maybe you started to compare to someone not there

Looking for the right one, you line up the world to find
Where no questions cross your mind
Oh, but she won't keep on waiting for you without a doubt
Much longer for you to sort it out

And all at once the crowd begins to sing
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same

Maybe you want her, maybe you need her
Maybe you started to compare to someone not there
Maybe you want it, maybe you need it
Maybe it's all you're running from
Perfection will not come

And all at once the crowd begins to sing
Sometimes (sometimes)
We'd never know what's wrong without the pain
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same

Maybe you want her, maybe you need her
Maybe you've started to compare to someone not there
Maybe you want it, maybe you need it
Maybe it's all you're running from
Perfection will not come

Oh, it'll never come

Maybe you want her, maybe you need her
Maybe you had her, maybe you lost her to another
Oh, to another


Lyrics submitted by Alli-oh!

All at Once Lyrics as written by Joseph King Isaac Slade

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

All At Once song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

129 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +4
    General Comment

    I’ve been listening to this song and singing it in my head all the time these past few days. I keep playing it over in my head, because I’m trying to convince myself to go for a relationship. This song is pretty much the story of my life right now. There is this guy who likes me.. he’s liked me for about 3 years now. I kinda like him too, but, I would feel weird going out with him. I think kinda embarrassed? I’m just scared. I think I’m stopping myself from liking him. But, I’m trying to figure out if I like him or not.. and this song pretty much explains it for me.

    “There are certain people You just keep coming back to She is right in front of you. You begin to wonder Could you find a better one Compared to her now She's in question.”

    Theres those certain people that you keep liking, even though you won’t get them. Maybe they are taken.. maybe they just aren’t right for you. You are so obsessed with those types of people.. that you don’t even realize that the person for you is right in front of you. You could have them, they are perfect for you… they just might not be the typcial person you would like. You are afraid.. you wonder, if there is a better one out there. You think you could do better. But really.. you can’t. Not that you can’t do better, it’s that, this person is great, there is no need to do better.

    ”And all at once the crowd begins to sing Sometimes the hardest thing and The right thing are the same.”

    It would be hard to give this person a chance, because people would think it was weird. And you are afraid.. it would be so hard to give it a try. But, it’s right.

    ”Maybe you want her Maybe you need her Maybe you started to compare To someone not there.”

    Maybe you do want them. You probably need them. But you keep comparing them to the person you think you want. All the things you want in someone. But that person isn’t there. They aren’t real. This one right in front of you is though, so stop comparing them to people who you don’t even have a chance with, because you can have this.

    ”Looking for the right one You line up the world to find Where no questions cross your mind. But she won't keep on waiting for You without a doubt Much longer for you to sort it out.”

    You are looking everywhere for that person where you don’t have to question if you like them or not. You don’t want to have to question.. you aren’t sure aobut this person. But, they sure aren’t going to keep waiting for you while you make up your mind wether you are going to give them a chance. They will move on if you don’t make up your mind.. and you will be missing out.

    ”Maybe you want it Maybe you need it Maybe it's all you're running from Perfection will not come.”

    You are scared of what this relationship might bring. It’s so different, that you are scared. So you are running from it. But, nothing is perfect. You aren’t going to find a perfect love.. go for it. Stop running away from them.

    ”And all at once the crowd begins to sing Sometimes We'd never know what's wrong without the pain Sometimes the hardest thing and The right thing are the same.”

    If you weren’t capable of feeling pain, you would never know anything was wrong. I don’t really understand this one though. I want to…

    ”Maybe you want her Maybe you need her Maybe you had her Maybe you lost her to another To another.”

    If you don’t go for it, if you don’t stop being scared of what people are gonna think, if you don’t stop running from it.. they are going to give up on you and move on to someone else.

    waitingonyouon June 17, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    im sorry, but i cant agree with callire, kanzen, or gilmoreloveee

    (but this is just an opinion)

    to me, i think that this is a song about when you have already dumped/been dumped by a girl (from a guy's point of view) but you realize you were a fool

    You begin to wonder Could you find a better one Compared to her now

    it says compared to her "now." This now shows that you more than likely already dated her, and after you had already dated her and broken up in one of those lulls in the relationship in which the relationship is not as strong as it could be.

    Maybe you want her Maybe you need her Maybe you had her Maybe you lost her to another

    so now, after realizing you were a fool for dumping her, you also see that someone else is already dating her, and that you cant have her back because you "lost her to another." Th key here is the phrase "maybe you had her," showing that this girl was one you dated previously

    (the only reason this is my opinion is because it has proven eerily similar to my life, where i broke up with my gf of 1 yr 3 mo because i wanted more, but then after i had my little 1 month flings, i realized that i was a moron for leaving her. oh wait. whats that? she found a boyfriend and theyve been dating for 2 months with no signs of stopping? well... shit.)

    Johnde08on May 02, 2006   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    This song is very personal to me. I listened to this song after a whole year of liking this girl. We flirted constantly and she even told me she liked me but I never did anything about it. I bought the album for christmas and sat down and listened to it. This song struck me straight away. To me it's about doubting whether you like a girl or not. You keep questioning and from the questioning you lose her. "Maybe you lost her to another". That line gets me every time. Coz that's how I felt. I felt like she was mine but I screwed it up and lost her to someone else.

    shoallaon March 29, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    maybe I'm just projecting, but I think it's about looking back with rose-colored glasses, it wasn't that great back then but you chase that nostalgia that twisted the past into something so beautiful. About not moving on to live the life you could possibly have and grasping at a past that never existed in the first place

    skybleachon May 26, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    aw man this song is awesum. im a youth pastor and i've tried to explain this to so many guys n finally there is a song that jus perfect. it doesnt really relate to me but i hav had heaps of buddies in this situation ;) they fall in 'love' with all these different girls for long periods of time, one breaks there heart so they go back too the other one. back n forth. when really the chick that is probabaly best suited for them is right there in front of them but instead they neva see her or when they think bout it for a sec they do just like the song 'start to compare...' i jus think there is so many of us guys out there doin this and wats gonna happen is like the last part of this song>>>Maybe you want her Maybe you need her Maybe you had her Maybe you lost her to another To another.

    the chick who is probabaly like a close buddy or sumthin is goin to realize that we're gonna go after the same girls who will never love us, she'll lose respect, and then she is gonna fall for sumone else 'maybe you lost her to another' so cum on guys n check out a new perspective :)

    blaineandjesuson October 29, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song is obviously a love song. but to me, it's about losing a best friend to another friend. I feel that way lately. My best friend ditched me for another one of my best friends. ANd doesn't talk to me. I lost her to another. Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. I need to let it go. But it's hard.

    gilmoreloveeeon March 11, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Really I think it means he has this girl thats always there and he likes her for now but when you finally have what you wanted in the first place you suddenly start wondering if there may be something better out there.

    this confessionon April 09, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    It’s so A typical of human nature to reject a good – but not amazing – person. We all long for person that is always present in other dreams yet gone in real life. By delaying the moment in which you realizes this, you jeopardize the chance you have at this person. The hardest thing is to let go of illusions and return back to reality. Sometimes we need pain to realize the positive aspects of life. Equilibrium is present through every aspect of our lives, it’s just hard balance our ying and yang.

    michelle.boghossianon June 01, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    to me this song is kinda likee, settling for less , but not really that much less, this person "you keep comming back to " is really the person you like, but your always looking for more. and soo you think, i can probably do better, soo you look and search for someone whos better, but you can't find her, soo maybe you do want her and you do need her and by the end of this song, you already lost her to another, you were too late to go in and get what was right in front of you, the girl thats for you.

    shortysincon July 12, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    To me, it's about a guy who falls for this girl. Maybe out of his ego, he wants to find a better girl maybe in looks to impress his friends. Then by the time he's figured it out that he's meant for her all along, she's fed up with waiting and she has moved on and it's just too late.

    Ulingon September 15, 2006   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.