McLean, Don - Empty Chairs Lyrics






I feel the trembling tingle of a sleepless night
Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright
Beams of blue come flickering through my windowpane
Like Gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame

And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did, I never thought you would

Moonlight used to bath the contours of your face
While Chestnut hair fell all around the pillowcase
And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head
A sympathy bouquet left with a love that's dead

And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did, I never thought you would

Never thought the words you said were true
Never thought you said just what you meant
Never knew how much I needed you
Never thought you'd leave, until you went

Morning comes and morning goes with no regret
And evening brings the memories I can't forget
Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs
And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs

And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did, I never thought you would





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McLean, Don Empty Chairs Comments
  1. S.... ....

    I feel the trembling tingle of a sleepless night
    Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright
    Beams of blue come flickering through my window pane
    Like gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame

  2. C.... V....

    Lori Lieberman wrote Killing Me Softly while watching McLean sing Empty Chairs... and gave it to Gimbel & Fox. Ouch!

  3. M.... ....

    Lori Lieberman says that this song was her inspiration to write "Killing Me Softly..." for which she was never credited https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/she-sang-killing-me-softly-before-roberta-flack-now-she-just-wants-you-to-hear-her-side-of-the-story/2020/01/23/9d9dcc7e-3b9d-11ea-8872-5df698785a4e_story.html?utm_campaign=post_most&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1

  4. i.... r....

    45 years or so since i first heard it and Don is still "killing me softly with his song, singing my whole life with his words " and i,m "still crying over you", where ever you are.

  5. l.... ....

    Even now it hurts so bad because I let the love of my life leave.I had never recovered from it. 1976 ,graduating from medical school, hugging me tight with tears in her eyes,i thougth she knew i was leaving too....

  6. c.... f....

    They can’t write like this today.

  7. K.... J....

    Why does this song sound similar to Vincent?

  8. T.... R....

    Lieberman's "Killing me softly" brought me "hear. "Sounds like "Vincent/Starry starry night."
    The song has something you can't find in today's music: patience.

  9. T.... P....

    Killing me softly with his song

  10. J.... M....

    I've never heard this song until now (and I was raised in the 60s and 70s). Wow. Incredible writing. Don't know how I missed it all these years.

    J.... M....

    A young girl singer watched Don MacLean in a concert and heard this, then wrote a heart-felt poem about her experience. The following sequence of events is under controversy. Some say somebody stumbled on the discarded poem and made a song from it. Some say the girl herself transformed the poem into a song. There was a huge controversy about who was the real author of the song because the song became hugely popular. Anyway, the song that came out of the poem that was inspired by this song is 'Killing Me Softly With His Song'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_Me_Softly_with_His_Song

  11. A.... ....

    I'm dead inside

  12. S.... .....

    Don't get me wrong his other more popular songs like Vincent and American Pie are great but this song is truly his best imo. It's such a beautifully tragic story of love lost. You can hear the loneliness in his voice and the words have an imagery not a lot of today's artist even come close to.

  13. R.... M....

    Don McLean is seriously under rated and one of the best song writers that has ever lived.

  14. R.... O....

    Empty chairs ...filled me fully loadful of emotions! Its not empty

  15. G.... R....

    Killing Me Softly

  16. M.... R....

    This has got to be one of the most beautiful and saddest songs I have ever heard in my 58 years of life. When my sister died I played it and I cried all day long. I suppose I took her for granted and tho it was not a romance, the words seemed to apply to the situation just the same. Very touching!!!

  17. s.... a....

    Never knew how much I needed you, until you go

  18. I.... C....

    Any room for some empty tables?

  19. E.... ....

    killing me softly with his song... Lori dixit!

  20. i.... w....

    Never thought you'd leave until you went................. :(

  21. J.... C....

    this song and Vincent always make me cry for some reason

    J.... C....

    Probably because they are both gorgeous songs with poetic lyrics.

  22. L.... A....

    This is the song that rings for my lover and I. We loved and loved hard and fast. And we still do and always will

  23. M.... D....

    Empty chairs
    When I get on the Kop and look around at the empty chairs chairs where family and friends use to sit now occupied by others, I realise that just how much I miss them, especially you dear Brother Robert

  24. J.... D....

    Sounds somewhat like "Vincent ( Starry, Starry Night )".

    J.... D....

    James Dunn sane album; great album

  25. W.... T....

    A very great but underrated talent !

  26. B.... M....

    Anazing - the chouces of words and how tthey are connected ... i can’t find the eirds to describe how beautiful the kyrics are of this this sing, plus the melody. I’ve been a fan if Din Mclean

  27. K.... C....

    Thank You

  28. e.... m....

    I still keep his favorite chair.

  29. e.... m....

    I lost my husband 2 yrs ago but this song it hurts me so much. I love him so much !

  30. y.... -....

    so sad 😥

  31. f.... q....

    Just beautiful ❤️

  32. Q.... Q....

    This is softly killing me

  33. G.... R....

    This song epitomizes exactly why life sucks and is completely meaningless. You are only alive just to hurt.

  34. a.... ....

    at empty tables?

  35. J.... G....

    Sad, remains me when my first wife left back in 1975, wow must be PTSD, a thought I was over that episode!

  36. s.... ....

    McLean could always make that guitar sing, make his voice touch you in the most intimate places, make those lyrics pierce you in your most painful moments. Such a great and underappreciated artist.

  37. E.... B....

    This guy has written many many great songs and three stone cold classics.
    American Pie. Vincent. And I Love you So.

  38. R.... D....

    This is the song that inspired "killing me softly" by Roberta flack.

  39. �.... ....

    I feel the trembling tingle of a sleepless night 
    Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright 
    Beams of blue come flickering through my window pane 
    Like gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame
    And I wonder if you know 
    That I never understood 
    That although you said you'd go 
    Until you did I never thought you would
    Moonlight used to bathe the contours of your face 
    While chestnut hair fell all around the pillow case 
    And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head 
    A sympathy bouquet left with the love that's dead
    And I wonder if you know 
    That I never understood 
    That although you said you'd go 
    Until you did I never thought you would
    Never thought the words you said were true 
    Never thought you said just what you meant 
    Never knew how much I needed you 
    Never thought you'd leave, until you went
    Morning comes and morning goes with no regret 
    And evening brings the memories I can't forget 
    Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs 
    And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs
    And I wonder if you know 
    That I never understood 
    That although you said you'd go 
    Until you did I never thought you would

  40. D.... T....

    The melody is so similar to "Vincent"

  41. M.... ....

    Your mum had the heart of an empath. Her soul of sensitivity lives on in spirit. Blessing upon Mother and Son. Be Safe and Be Well my friend.

  42. S.... ....

    “It is not those who can inflict the most, but those that can suffer the most who will conquer.”

  43. S.... ....

    Hell is empty and all the devils are here.

  44. l.... c....

    This is the song that inspired “Killing Me Softly (With His Song)”, which I just listened to. Now I need to know what killed him.

  45. i.... w....

    Sad songs are more authentic in my mind because life has more sadness and sorrow in them.The happy moments are brief but the pain never goes away. You can try to cover it up but it's always there.

  46. R.... D....

    This to me is probably the greatest love song ever put on paper don has a way with words he's s born genius well that's my opinion anyeay

  47. S.... ....

    Roy West - Todmorden in West Yorkshire 11/1/2018

  48. H.... V....

    A great song by don mclean

  49. r.... d....

    Why do i hear "VINCENT" in the guitar..?

    r.... d....

    ... me too. Perhaps because it's the same artiste.

  50. e.... m....

    I alway's love you love, I miss you so much

  51. D.... G....

    Kenny Rankin's "What Matters Most" is second only to this for the Saddest Songs of All Time

  52. T.... ....

    # Empty nest.. I love you Tutter <3 Fly free.. grow strong and successful. My wish for you <3

  53. H.... V....

    A great song

  54. C.... K....

    My goodness...could this song be any more beautiful? Pure poetry. Thank you for one of my all time favorites.

  55. A.... H....

    Love this, don.

  56. t.... ....

    So beautiful...

  57. K.... g....

    managed to see him in concert last month,just excellent

  58. P.... L....

    https://youtu.be/H_ilc7jPvNE my tribute to Don mclean

  59. n.... w....

    I saw Don in concert for the first time in 1973. This song is my favourite. Please listen to the song " You were my friend the writers". Thank you.https://youtu.be/Wr1UPAWdPu0

  60. F.... D....

    I lost my dad 2 yrs ago. My parents are both gone now. I am genuinely sorry for your loss. This song is beautiful and a worthy tribute to those no longer with us. Good luck my friend.

  61. s.... ....

    Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox collaborated with Lori Lieberman to write the song after she heard "Empty Chairs". Fox disputed it but...... "Don McLean supported Lieberman both on his website and from the stage of a concert which he invited her to attend in 2010. However, the matter only reached an unequivocal conclusion when contemporaneous articles from the early 1970s were exhumed, all of them vindicating Lieberman. In an April 5, 1973 article in the Daily News, Norman Gimbel was quoted as follows: "She [Lori Lieberman] told us about this strong experience she had listening to McLean ('I felt all flushed with fever / Embarrassed by the crowd / I felt he had found my letters / And read each one out loud / I prayed that he would finish / But he just kept right on'). I had a notion this might make a good song so the three of us discussed it. We talked it over several times, just as we did for the rest of the numbers we wrote for this album and we all felt it had possibilities."[10]

  62. C.... S....

    Roland Mansfield
    1 year ago
    I feel the trembling tingle of a sleepless night
    Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright
    Beams of blue come flickering through my window pane
    Like gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame

    And I wonder if you know
    That I never understood
    That although you said you'd go
    Until you did I never thought you would

    Moonlight used to bathe the contours of your face
    While chestnut hair fell all around the pillow case
    And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head
    A sympathy bouquet left with the love that's dead

    And I wonder if you know
    That I never understood
    That although you said you'd go
    Until you did I never thought you would

  63. S.... L....

    Over the years, there have been so many songs that tell of failed relationships. None of them
    convey the pain and anguish as sincerely as this one. For those of you who've never experienced
    the tragedy of lost love, the words sung here perfectly describe the overwhelming sadness and
    heartache that consume the one who remains. You can't help but cry.

  64. S.... L....

    EXCELLENT song

  65. d.... u....

    What a righteously bittersweet lament! Makes my heart ache for lost love, and pine for a time when I thought anything was possible...

  66. D.... M....

    Never thought you said just what you meant ... because to him words meant nothing, they were just words. He did not understand that my words did not mean nothing . Untl I went, he never thought I would.

  67. E.... U....

    Love this song! I play it every night before bed ;)

  68. b.... ....

    "And I wonder if you know
    That I never understood
    That although you said you'd go
    Until you did, I never thought you would"

    "Never thought the words you said were true
    Never thought you said just what you meant
    Never knew how much I needed you
    Never thought you'd leave, until you went...."

    my god this song is killin' thank you Don Mclean

  69. W.... ....

    I got a lot of inspiration from this song, he is the greatest poet musician in the world, his songs are my muse.

  70. L.... ....

    Great song off a brilliant album. Sends shivers up my spine.

  71. m.... m....

    i thik the greatest love song ever

  72. m.... m....

    i want to play this song at my funeral make all the bastards who hate me cry

  73. w.... ....

    "Killing Me Softly With His Song" Was written about THIS song !

  74. P.... A....

    Thanks!

  75. M.... L....

    I just heard this last week even though I grew up in the 70s. Beautiful song. But eerily, since I've heard this song, three people I know (two were family) have passed. Weird.

  76. O.... J....

    "Empty Chairs"

    I feel the trembling tingle of a sleepless night
    Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright
    Beams of blue come flickering through my windowpane
    Like Gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame

    And I wonder if you know
    That I never understood
    That although you said you'd go
    Until you did, I never thought you would

    Moonlight use to bath the contours of your face
    Chestnut hair fell all around the pillowcase
    And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head
    A sympathy bouquet left with a love that's dead

    And I wonder if you know
    That I never understood
    That although you said you'd go
    Until you did, I never thought you would

    Never thought the words you said were true
    Never thought you said just what you meant
    Never knew how much I needed you
    Never thought you'd leave, until you went

    Morning comes and morning goes with no regret
    And evening brings the memories I can't forget
    Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs
    And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs

    And I wonder if you know
    That I never understood
    That although you said you'd go
    Until you did, I never thought you would

  77. V.... E....

    A song for lost loves. Sigh!!!

  78. E.... C....

    Mclean shouldn't beat his wife. Not cool

  79. B.... M....

    I love this song. It's so soothing to the soul.

  80. f.... h....

    and i wonder if you know, that i never understood, that although you said youd go, until you did, i never thought you would....never knew how much i needed you..

  81. p.... ....

    when humanity is gone will the universe ever know the beautiful creations we made

  82. R.... H....

    And i you Glen

  83. m.... m....

    a stunning song

  84. T.... ....

    beautiful song.

  85. E.... ....

    Don, you are killing me softly with this song too! How do you know that she has leaving home?

  86. t.... ....

    It still brings tears to my eyes when I listen to this song.  Takes me back to the night my husband died in my arms.  He had fought such a long hard battle, he had to go but it was just so hard to believe when he finally did. Don Mclean's words and his voice brings comfort to me, thank you for the video.

    t.... ....

    traylorvh so sorry for your loss

    t.... ....

    Sorry for the loss you had to go through traylorvh. Been there myself. Lost my wife of 10 years in 2010, and she too died in my arms. She said from the day we met she wouldn't live past 60 years old. I refused to believe her. And she died at 57. :( She also loved Don McLean's songs, One of her biggest favorites was "And I Love You So".

  87. J.... A....

    Another musical miracle by the great Don, one of my favorites. Thank you so much for uploading this masterpiece here ...

  88. i.... ....

    Musical perfection.

  89. S.... S....

    Poetry. Notice the use of alliteration...trembling tingle, beams of blue, fragrance of your flower. Also repetitive words - empty rooms and empty clothes and empty chairs. And the phrasing is sublime "a sympathy bouquet left for the love that's dead" and this, almost perfect stanza: "Moonlight used to bathe the contours of your face
    While chestnut hair fell all around the pillow case " This is poetry worth of the Great Romantic poets - byron, keats and shelley.

    S.... S....

    Right on Slim

    S.... S....

    @Joe Caroselli Painting with song...you are no less of a poet...loved it..

    S.... S....

    This is my favorite Don Mclean song for reasons of my own, but I purchased every album that he put out & many of his songs were no less poetic & spanned a wide variety of thoughts & emotions. Mr. Smith, you nailed it with your analysis.

    S.... S....

    Slim Smith and the repeated chords, pitch and tones from Vincent!

    S.... S....

    Yeh so true and he has to do it in song lyrics too so the listener gets it from one hearing....has to make it simple and accessible...

  90. g.... ....

    240p we meet again

  91. C.... D....

    Lost the love of my life & still mourning her 14 YRS.  later... I don't think she ever knew how much she meant to me & how much I loved her...
    hope you are well wherever you are...

    C.... D....

    Celestino Di Vieste lost the love of my life in 1996. No one could dream the pain of losing someone so close until it happens to them

    C.... D....

    35 years for me

  92. S.... F....

    EMPTY CHAIRS leaves me with EMPTY TEAR DUCTS every time i listen to it.

    1 word........."whoahhhhhh!".

  93. P.... B....

    saddest song i've heard. never thought i'd lose my mom. not a day goes by that i dont miss her. wish i would have taken more time to know and understand her.

    P.... B....

    Everything will be OK, Paymon. I'm sure you knew your Mom as much as you could have. She is looking down on you. Make her proud.

    P.... B....

    ' to know and understand her"
    Very powerful statement there my friend!!!!!

    P.... B....

    I know this comment was made three years ago but I lost my mom last year and what you said was so profound that I feel like I said it. This sums up how I feel also.

    P.... B....

    Complete opposite for me..I lost my dad few days ago and I wish I was never this attached to him..because this emptiness is giving me pain..seems like I don't have anything else to do after his demise as I used to hang out with him constantly in recent times. Although my family and friends tell me I did the best thing by being with my father all time. I now know how much it hurts lose your parent and how beautifully this song sums up that feeling.

  94. B.... F....

    I've had a life-long love of this man and his music. This one is so poignant , full of love it has brought many tears to many eyes. Love you still Don. Rest in Peace with God.

    B.... F....

    Happily, he's not dead (^v^). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_McLean

  95. i.... ....

    I would have loved to have heard a very young Jewel do a compilation of Don's songs, or them working together "back in the day." Her guitar playing and voice could have done some wonderful interpretations. A shame she sold out; Don wouldn't.

  96. t.... ....

    you've already been forgiven...just follow His recipe.

  97. t.... ....

    which was pretty much my perception and advice from the beginning...take off-wow just realized it's 2017 711 711...wow...THIS jubilee year...

  98. t.... ....

    and Apocrypha Chpt 7: 1 "In the seventh week in the first year of it, in this jubilee, Noah planted vines on the mountain on which the ark had rested, named Lubar, one of the Ararat mountains, nd they produced fruit in the fourth year, and he guarded their fruit, and gathered it in that year in the seventh month. 2 He made wine from it and put it into a vessel, and kept it until the fifth year, until the first day, on the new moon of the first month. 3 And he celebrated with joy the day of this feast, and he made a burnt sacrifice to the LORD..."

  99. t.... ....

    for you: Apocrypha 1Clem 30:7 "Let the testimony to our well doing be given by others, as it was given unto our fathers who were righteous."