One Sweet Day Lyrics
Sorry I've never told you
All I wanted to say
And now it's too late to hold you
'Cause you've flown away, so far away
[Verse 2: Mariah Carey]
Never had I imagined
Living without your smile
Feeling and knowing you hear me
It keeps me alive, alive
[Chorus: All & Mariah Carey]
And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together (Together)
One sweet day
(And I'll wait patiently to see you in Heaven)
[Verse 3: Boyz II Men & (Mariah Carey)]
Darling, I never showed you (No, no, no, no)
Assumed you'd always be there (Always there)
I thought you'd always be there
I, I took your presence for granted
But I always cared (But I always cared)
And I miss the love we shared (Yeah, and I know)
And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way (Lost along the way)
And I know eventually we'll be together (Oh, no, I know)
One sweet day
(And I'll wait patiently to see you in Heaven)
[Bridge: Mariah Carey & (Boyz II Men)]
(Although the sun will never shine the same again)
(I'll always look to a brighter day) Yeah, yeah
Lord, I know when I lay me down to sleep
You will always listen as I pray
[Chorus: All]
And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day (One sweet day)
And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together (Yes, we will)
(One sweet day) One sweet day
[Outro: Mariah Carey with Boyz II Men]
Sorry, I never told you
All I wanted to say
About
“One Sweet Day,” featuring Boyz II Men, was released as the second single from Mariah’s Daydream album in November 1995. She was inspired to write this song after losing her close friend and collaborator David Cole, who died in January 1995 due to complications from spinal meningitis brought on by AIDS. Mariah wanted to write (and sing) a eulogy for him and other loved ones she and her fans had lost.
It is the most commercially successful single of both Carey’s and Boys II Men’s careers. It was also a hit internationally, reaching the top 10 in Australia, Belgium, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the UK. Additionally, the song received critical acclaim, with critics lauding its writing and craft, as well as the sentiment behind the lyrics.
“One Sweet Day” spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a record that has been matched by only one other song, Despacito, which also stayed at the top for the same amount of time. “Old Town Road” officially broke the record on July 29, 2019, marking its 17th week on the Hot 100 as number one.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Mariah Carey talked about the songwriting experience in an interview with Chris Nickson, author of the book “Mariah Carey Revisited: Her Story” in 1998.
I wrote the initial idea for ‘One Sweet Day’ with Walter (Afanasieff), and I had the chorus…and I stopped and said, ‘I really wanna do this with Boyz II Men,’ because…obviously I’m a big fan of theirs and I just thought that the work was crying out for them, the vocals that they do, so I put it away and said, ‘Who knows if this could ever happen, but I just don’t wanna finish this song because I want it to be our song if we ever do it together. [The] whole idea of when you lose people that are close to you, it changes your life and changes your perspective. When they came into the studio, I played them the idea for the song and when [it] was finished, they looked at each other, a bit stunned, and told me that Nat (Nathan Morris) had written a song for his road manager who had passed away. It had basically the same lyrics and fitted over the same chord changes. It was really, really weird, we finished the song right then and there. We were all kinda flipped about it ourselves. Fate had a lot to do with that. I know some people won’t believe it, but we wouldn’t make up such a crazy story."
- 1.Fantasy
- 3.One Sweet Day
- 4.Open Arms
- 6.I Am Free
- 8.Long Ago
- 9.Melt Away
- 10.Forever
- 12.Looking In
- 14.El Amor Que Soñé
