About The Song

Marmalade’s “Reflections of My Life” was a hit single in 1969/1970, reaching #3 in the UK Singles Chart and #6 in the US Billboard Pop Singles chart. The song, written by lead guitarist Junior Campbell and lead singer Thomas McAleese (credited by his birth name, Dean Ford), is a ballad with a pathos-laden melody and Moon River-inspired lyrics. The song is often seen as a reflection of the times, with its anti-war sentiments and emphasis on the passing of time.

The song’s lyrics describe a person who is changing and arranging everything in their life. They reflect on how the changing of sunlight to moonlight represents a significant change in life, with “reflections of my life” filling their eyes, suggesting emotions of nostalgia and sorrow. The chorus repeats a phrase from the opening lines of Paul Simon’s “I Can’t Get Out of My Own Skin,” which adds another layer of meaning to the song.

Video

Lyrics

The changing of sunlight to moonlight
Reflections of my life
Oh, how they fill my eyes
The greetings of people in trouble
Reflections of my life
Oh, how they fill my eyes

All my sorrow
Sad tomorrow
Take me back to my old home
All my crying (all my crying)
Feel I’m dying, dying
Take me back to my old home

I’m changing, arranging
I’m changing, I’m changing everything
Ah, everything around me
The world is a bad place
A bad place, a terrible place to live
Oh, but I don’t wanna die

All my sorrow
Sad tomorrow
Take me back to my old home
All my crying (all my crying)
Feel I’m dying, dying
Take me back to my old home
All my sorrow (all my sorrow)
Sad tomorrow
Take me back (take me back) to my old home
All my crying (all my crying)
Feel I’m dying…