One by One
Fading Dreams and Vanishing Hopes: Billy Bragg's Poetic Tale
Lyrics
One by one the teardrops fall as I write to you
Expresses a gradual and emotional process of tears falling while writing to someone.
One by one my words come falling on the page
Describes the incremental nature of words being written and laid out on a page.
One by one my dreams are fading in the twilight
Conveys the gradual fading of dreams as twilight symbolizes a diminishing hope or optimism.
One by one my schemes are failing fast away
Highlights the failure of plans and schemes, diminishing one by one.
One by one the flowers fade here in my garden
Metaphorically describes the wilting and fading of flowers in the speaker's garden.
One by one the leaves are falling from the trees
Uses falling leaves to symbolize the gradual loss or decline of elements in life.
One by one my hopes are vanished in the clouds dear
Expresses the disappearance of hopes, akin to clouds dissipating in the sky.
One by one like snowflakes melting in the breeze
Compares the disappearance of hopes to snowflakes melting away in the breeze, emphasizing fragility.
One by one my hair is turning gray
Describes the aging process, with each hair turning gray one by one.
One by one my dreams are fading fast away
Reiterates the fading of dreams, emphasizing the swiftness of their disappearance.
One by one I ready your letters over
Reflects on the act of reading letters from the recipient one by one.
One by one I lay them all away
Suggests preserving or putting away each letter individually, perhaps for sentimental reasons.
One by one the days are slipping up behind you
Portrays the gradual passage of time with days slipping away one by one.
One by one the sweetest days of life go by
Expresses the fleeting nature of the sweetest days in life, passing one by one.
One by one the moments stealing up behind you
Conveys the incremental nature of moments approaching, perhaps signifying missed opportunities or nostalgia.
One by one she'll come and find not you or I
Suggests the idea of someone (possibly a lover) searching for another person, but not necessarily the speaker.
One by one I hear the soft words that you whispered
Hears soft words whispered one by one, possibly reflecting on shared intimate moments.
One by one I feel your kisses soft and sweet
Describes the sensation of feeling individual kisses that are soft and sweet.
One by one I hope you'll say the words to marry
Expresses the hope that the significant words related to marriage will be uttered one by one.
One by one to one by one forever be
Expresses a desire for a lasting connection, with a commitment to be together one by one forever.
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