And Aubrey was her name,
A not so very ordinary girl or name.
But who's to blame?
For a love that wouldn't bloom
For the hearts that never played in tune.
Like a lovely melody that everyone can sing,
Take away the words that rhyme it doesn't mean a thing.

And Aubrey was her name.
We tripped the light and danced together to the moon,
But where was June.
No it never came around.
If it did it never made a sound,
Maybe I was absent or was listening to fast,
Catching all the words, but then the meaning going past,

But God I miss the girl,
And I'd go a thousand times around the world just to be
Closer to her than to me.

And Aubrey was her name,
I never knew her, but I loved her just the same,
I loved her name.
Wish that I had found the way
And the reasons that would make her stay.
I have learned to lead a life apart from all the rest.
If I can't have the one I want, I'll do without the best.

But how I miss the girl
And I'd go a million times around the world just to say
She had been mine for a day.



Lyrics submitted by ruben

Track duration: 03:39

"Aubrey" as written by David Gates

Lyrics © DAVID GATES D/B/A KIPAHULU MUSIC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Aubrey song meanings
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32 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:I've loved this song since I was a teen (when it came out) and I have always felt it was the musings of a boy who fell in love with a girl simply because he thought her name was beautiful.

    My take is that he may or may not have actually known/talked to her, but they never were 'together.'

    Call me crazy, but there were songs (and guys like me) who could make you fall in love with a girl simply because she had a pretty name: 'Melissa' by the Allman Brothers, 'Juniper' by Donovan, etc.

    Funny thing is, I'm a writer working on a novel. It's about a guy who falls in love with a woman who is 8 months pregnant. He is with her long enough to see the baby born but then things don't work out for them.

    It's all pretty autobiographical, and guess what? The girl's name is Aubrey and the baby is named Melissa :)
    Flag jimmiLon September 03, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:gates is one of the best ballad writers ever...the one that got away..thet'll hurt forever...that you wont get over til "forever is thru".....

    why dont they write them like this anymore.......david is telling just as much about him, as he is her...
    Flag just4davidon December 09, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:beautiful song, but most Bread songs are. It's an odd thing about humans that we relish ache of loss when expressed in songs like this. No matter how great the day is going, if a song like this comes up in shuffle, I find myself replaying it multiple times, causing a tear or two...it so completely takes me back to a time in my life when I lost one that I love...maybe that's the recipe...you have to still love the one that was lost, for it to still hurt. Oftentimes, I find upon further reflection, that the one lost was the me that I was at the period the song takes me back to.
    Flagged sonokenon March 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I have read about this song in every place possible. I was always lead to believe it was about a miscarriage.

    But where was June.
    No it never came around.
    If it did it never made a sound

    (June being her expected date, but it never came)

    I never knew her, but I loved her just the same,
    I loved her name

    (they had chosen her name and created a life for her in their minds, he never new her but he loved her).
    Flagged moochooon February 19, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I am a Gen Y, and this song....let me tell you that I just couldn't find this kind of utmost heartfelt, 'warm' feelings in ANY, any song nowadays, and I do really mean it with all my heart!

    I'm a musician myself (indie, DIY), and just yesterday I listened to this song again, and it really moved my heart so much..and for some strange reason, tears almost come out of my eyes (i'm a guy).. it's so beautiful,..and 'sad irony' at the same time!
    Flag dinkoton August 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:the words that rhyme could be her name,Aubrey.

    Flag allencanalon July 26, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I use songs in my class and I learned how beautiful this song is. I have heard this song for so many times but all the replies in this forum really confirm what I have believed so far.
    Flag immanuelon April 19, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Mr Gates is a Genius,,
    Flag jesman11on January 06, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I've been a fan of Bread and David Gates since I was a kid, but this song has always been special for me. If you've listened to Bread's other songs it seems to me that Gates' music had a recurring theme, that of love lost or a love unrecognized or unreturned (If, Diary, Everything I Own, et.al). To say that Gates has suffered a broken heart is just a bit of an understatement (that was irony). Someone ripped his heart out of his chest, shredded it like a cheap newspaper and then kicked it into the gutter.

    Aubrey is about the love he had for a girl who, for what ever reason, was unavailable to him, so his feelings were probably unknown to her. The line "But where was June?" is testament to that. He is refering to June as being the traditional month for weddings.

    Had I been blessed with a family my first daughter would have been named Aubrey,
    Flag heyandyinthecouvon November 20, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I could definitely see this as being about the death of a friend or a young child. The thing that leads me to believe that it is about unrequited love (unless this line refers to something else) is that the month of June is a very popular wedding month. Therefore, the line "But where was June" would be about him lamenting that he, of course, never married the girl he loved. I heard this song today while shopping in a Tuesday Morning store and it sounded so beautiful. For some reason, it immediately made me think of the girl I'm in love with now since it sounded so dreamy. I wasn't able to understand all of the lyrics in the store, so now that I see them, I am saddened and scared! Then again, I was always afraid it would fail just like the guy in the song, so I can relate to it as well. She's still at college, and I just graduated and am back home looking for work, but I hope to make it back to the town where the college is very soon.
    Flag speed114on October 04, 2009   Link

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