David Gray – The One I Love

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Gonna close my eyes
Girl and watch you go
Running through this life darling
Like a field of snow
As the tracer glides
In its graceful arc
Send a little prayer out to ya
'cross the falling dark

Tell the repo man
And the stars above
You're the one I love

Perfect summers night
Not a wind that breathes
Just the bullets whispering gentle
'mongst the new green leaves
There's things I might have said
Only wish I could
Now I'm leaking life faster
Then I'm leaking blood

Tell the repo man
And the stars above
You're the one I love
You're the one I love
The one I love

Don't see Elysium
Don't see no fiery hell
Just the lights up bright baby
In the bay hotel
Next wave coming in
Like an ocean roar
Won't you take my hand darling
On that old dance floor

We can twist and shout
Do the turtle dove
And you're the one I love
You're the one I love
The one I love

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Lyrics submitted by pharmdoc299

Track duration: 03:30

"The One I Love" as written by Craig Mcclune David Gray

Lyrics © CHRYSALIS MUSIC GROUP

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The One I Love song meanings
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32 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is about attending a wedding of the girl he loves but lost. He let her go somehow. The bullets are her vows to the other man, thats why he's leaking life more than blood. Its not physically killing him. Thats why no hell - just them dancing at the big hotel. The repo man is the guy she is marrying and the prayer to her is happiness.
    Flag kwar100on May 24, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Take out David's voice and I would swear this was a Springsteen song.
    Flag bigkufanon January 03, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:Hi all

    Thought I'd add this for a bit of interest. This song always reminded me of something that happened 20 years ago (on Nov 13) in my home town in NZ. 13 people were shot dead in a quiet little corner of the world, Aramoana, NZ.

    "As the tracer glides in its graceful arc, Send a little prayer up to you cross the falling dark" reminds me that everyone was shot mid-late afternoon and some lay dying on the ground as darkness fell...

    "Perfect summer's night, not a windy breeze" reminds me just how lovely that day had been....

    "Just the bullets whispering gentle amongst the new green leaves" reminds me of the time of year, November is late Spring/early Summer in the deep South...

    "These things I might have said, only wish I could, Now I'm leaking life faster, than I'm leaking blood" reminds me that some of those who were shot would have thought exactly that as they lay dying...

    "Just the lights all bright baby in the big hotel"...well, I always thought that was "Bay Hotel" and that's the name of the local pub, where the lights were all bright with friends and family waiting for news....got that one wrong :-)

    Next wave coming in, like an ocean roar" reminds me that Aramoana is right on the beach, waves are the soundtrack there....


    Last thing...David Gray was the name of the gunman.

    I can't believe it's 20 years, feels like yesterday
    Flag NZGirlon November 09, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:oh and btw it is "gonna close my eyes, girl, and watch you go..." not two "gonna's" and it's definitely "repo" not "reaper" man...album cover lyrics
    Flag JMB1988on May 27, 2010   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • +1
    General Comment:agreed that it's a soldier (an American soldier, more specifically)...agreed that it's the Vietnam war because the twist and shout and turtle dove both fit the time period...the repo man I think could be literal and figurative, but mostly i think it's literal since during that time period the woman he's singing to that he's in love with probably couldn't support herself and pay for their belongings bc of the repression of women that still existed so prevelantly during that time period...also they were probably lower class to begin with bc upper-class young men went to college and largely as a group avoided the draft and the military..also the way he dreams of the "big hotel" and dancing as he dies makes him seem like a lower class guy as well..if he was upper-class, he'd call it the ritz or whatever...he'd call it by name...you know? just my opinion...and yes, EricWill it's definitely a girl not his country, but you're not completely off...I think "the stars above" are the stars in the flag and they represent his country (America) bc he wants her to know that he loves her more than he loves his country, and that he died trying to give her a better life with finer things (things that they probably couldn't afford...hence the "repo man")...he's saying he died fighting a war for his country, but he was doing it out (fighting) out of his love for her, not his country...that's my opinion anyway..
    Flag JMB1988on May 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Beautiful song. David Gray never disappoints. I love how the lyrics he uses can make the song have several interpretations.
    Flag brittypoo1on December 30, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:okay, I'm a dummy... definitely a girl, not country... Sheesh, I'm going to get harrassed for that one i know it already...
    Flag EricWillon May 20, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Definitely feeling it was Vietnam war as contributor previously stated... Here's a dual meaning for the stars: Prominent in a military funeral is the flag-draped casket. The blue field of the flag is placed at the head of the casket, over the left shoulder of the deceased... The stars above... Could the "the one I love" be the soldier's country? Surprised there are no overt references to a woman and their times together physically... Also, sad to note so many "poor" people get roped into war and truly love their country and die/get seriously injured in some fucked up place for some fucked up reason... my two cents. -- E.
    Flag EricWillon May 20, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Dead on, no pun intended. The solder is telling his love to think of how much he loved her when the two people (or symbolically represented groups of people) he expects her to see come to take away what was their life together. The repo man will take away those things that she can't afford or no longer has rights to (base housing?), the stars above are the officers who will tell her of his death - thereby taking him away from her.
    Flag ReneDaveon April 22, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The repo man has dual meanings, one material and one spiritual.

    One, as he is dying he expects that his wife or lover will not do well financially without him, and therefore have a visit from a reposession agent.

    Second, the man come to collect a debt is symbolic of God or Death come to take a life.
    Flag thomas_shawon March 30, 2008   Link

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