The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and stars
Were the gift you gave
To the dark and the endless skies, my love
To the dark and the endless skies

The first time ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth turn in my hand
Like the trembling heart
Of a captive bird
That was there at my command, my love
That was there at my command

The first time ever I lay with you
And felt your heart beat close to mine
I thought our joy
Would fill the earth
And last to the end of time, my love
And last to the end of time

The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and stars
Were the gift you gave
To the dark and the empty skies, my love
To the dark and the empty skies


Lyrics submitted by tmmfalk

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment

    This is a beautiful and haunting love song. I actually fell in love with my wife while singing this song to her. It took me a long time to realize that it's a song about breaking up. The clue to the meaning is the subtle change in the first verse when it's repeated at the end. The skies change from endless to empty. This realization made the song even more interesting to me.

    tmmfalkon May 15, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is a very beautiful and touching song! I actually love it when it's sung by Celine Dion, the only difference from her's and Ewans is that it's not really a break up song...they don't mention the empty skies and how they are dark and empty...it just talks about a couples love and how one feels for the other. I love this song sooo much it touches me deeply and i can never get enough of it!

    StaSha23on December 30, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I'm crazy about this song! Where does Ewan McGregor sing it??? I would love to hear it.

    Tyler2004durdenon November 23, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Love this song.

    The Ewan McColl Version is great - although never heard it song by Ewan - Just Peggy!

    I do like the other versions - Leonna Lewis version is incredibly emotiona - thank the key change on the last verse.

    Having said that the original is equally powerful and not as 'pleading' as the others that came afterwards.

    Nuarda123on March 31, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Ok.. where do they sing this in the movie? I cant remember.. haha.

    LilSpiceGirlon April 01, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Ewan McGregor, FFS!!! that gave me a laugh. You mean MacColl - one of the all time greats, an uncompromising Salfordian socialist. See also Mark E Smith, and long live Lancashire

    donutslikefannyson September 16, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I recently heard Peggy Seeger's version of this song and noticed what an amazing song this is. I remeber hearing Roberta Flack's version on the radio years ago, but it didn't make much of an impression on me. This recent listening of Peggy's version smacked my upside the head as if it were a baseball bat, or some other blunt object. On first listen, it struck me as just a hanuntingly beautiful love song. On the 3rd listening I was struck by increased sadness and feeling it was about a breakup.. Maybe it is about a parent's love for an infant child. There is lot's of imagery to support this interpretation ("I felt the earth turn in my hand like the trembling heart of a captive bird). But in Peggy's version, the first verse is not repeated, and the song ends with- "I thought our joy would fill the earth and last to the end of time..." The key word is "thought". I can't help read this as s/he thought the love would last forever but did not. This transforms the whole song from what first appears as a beautiful love song to a song reflecting a love that died. Note that Roberta and Celine changed "thought" to "knew". Maybe my interpretation was not the intention of Ewan MacCOLL, but watching my 25 year marriage in the proccess of falling apart, I can't help read it this way.

    MamboManon November 21, 2011   Link

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