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The Day Before You Came Lyrics
I must have left my house at eight, because I always do.
My train, I'm certain, left the station just when it was due.
I must have read the morning paper going into town,
And having gotten through the editorial, no doubt I must have frowned.
I must have made my desk around a quarter after nine,
With letters to be read, and heaps of papers waiting to be signed.
I must have gone to lunch at half past twelve or so;
The usual place, the usual bunch,
And still on top of this I'm pretty sure it must have rained,
The day before you came.
I must have lit my seventh cigarette at half past two,
And at the time I never even noticed I was blue.
I must have kept on dragging through the business of the day,
And without really noticing, I must have shut a part of me away.
At five I must have left; there's no exception to the rule,
A matter of routine, I've done it ever since I finished school.
The tube back home again,
Undoubtedly I must have read the evening paper then.
Oh yes, I'm sure my life was well within its usual frame,
The day before you came.
Must have opened my front door at eight o'clock or so,
And stopped along the way to buy some Chinese food to go.
I'm sure I had my dinner watching something on T.V.
There cannot be a sitcom or a game show that I've never seen.
I must have gone to bed around a quarter after ten;
I sleep so much these days, I need to be in bed by then,
Or maybe I read a while,
The latest one by Declan Gunn or something in that style.
It's funny, but I had no sense of living without aim,
The day before you came.
And turning out the light,
I must have yawned and dreamt my way through yet another night,
And rattling on the roof I maybe heard the sound of rain,
<i>"I love the rain."</i>
The day before you came.
My train, I'm certain, left the station just when it was due.
I must have read the morning paper going into town,
And having gotten through the editorial, no doubt I must have frowned.
I must have made my desk around a quarter after nine,
With letters to be read, and heaps of papers waiting to be signed.
I must have gone to lunch at half past twelve or so;
The usual place, the usual bunch,
And still on top of this I'm pretty sure it must have rained,
The day before you came.
And at the time I never even noticed I was blue.
I must have kept on dragging through the business of the day,
And without really noticing, I must have shut a part of me away.
At five I must have left; there's no exception to the rule,
A matter of routine, I've done it ever since I finished school.
The tube back home again,
Undoubtedly I must have read the evening paper then.
Oh yes, I'm sure my life was well within its usual frame,
The day before you came.
And stopped along the way to buy some Chinese food to go.
I'm sure I had my dinner watching something on T.V.
There cannot be a sitcom or a game show that I've never seen.
I must have gone to bed around a quarter after ten;
I sleep so much these days, I need to be in bed by then,
Or maybe I read a while,
The latest one by Declan Gunn or something in that style.
It's funny, but I had no sense of living without aim,
The day before you came.
I must have yawned and dreamt my way through yet another night,
And rattling on the roof I maybe heard the sound of rain,
<i>"I love the rain."</i>
The day before you came.
Song Info
Submitted by
sallydammerung On Jul 27, 2008
More The Real Tuesday Weld
Last Words
La bête et la Belle
I Love The Rain
The Ugly and the Beautiful
(I Always Kill) The Things I Love
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This is a great version of the song by Abba. The lyrics have been slightly changed.
Instead of Abba's: "I must have read a while; the latest one by Marilyn French or something in that style" It's "Or maybe I read a while, The latest one by Declan Gunn or something in that style."
And Abba goes: "There's not, I think, a single episode of Dallas that I didn't see" whereas it's here: "There cannot be a sitcom or a game show that I've never seen."
The song describes a before-after-setting, but you only learn the before: an aimless, empty life, that is not even aware of its problems. But I'm not really sure, if the change will ever happen.
This version of the song is a suicide note about a person who was alone and didn't realize what he was missing; then fell in love and lost it.
The entire song is sung like a letter being written, describing a normal day for this person. Throughout all the verses, you can see the singer referencing the past in how his life was so dull and monotonous "the day before you came". There are however, a few lyrics that show he is also writing in present tense and those are
"I never even noticed I was blue." "I must have shut a part of me away." "I sleep so much these days"
All of these lines are associated with depression. They mention reading "The latest one by Declan Gunn or something in that style." Declan Gunn is a fictional author in the book I, Lucifer. In I, Lucifer, Declan Gunn is a depressed, suicidal alcoholic who's outlook on life is rather bleak and sad. Something of that style to Gunns' writing would be equally depressing and dark.
"It's funny, but I had no sense of living without aim, The day before you came."
This is a powerful verse that describes a person who once had their life in complete order, however unknowingly and ignorant they were to love. Only to be shown the potential behind what could have been and to have it ripped away at the same time.