Never As Good As the First Time by Sade Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Nostalgic Ode to Fleeting Joys
Lyrics
Never going to know
What fate is going to blow
Your way, just hope that it feels right
Sometimes it comes and it goes
You take it ever so slow
And then you lose it
And then it flows right to you
So we rely on the past
And special moments that last
Were they as tender
As we dare to remember?
Such a fine time as this
What could equal the bliss
The thrill of the first kiss
It’ll blow right to you
It’s never as good as the first time
Never as good as the first time
(Never as good as the first time)
Good times, they come and they go
Never going to know
It’s like the weather
One day chicken, next day feathers
The rose we remember
The thorns we forget
We’d love and leave
We never spend a minute on regret
It is a possibility
The more we know, the less we see
Second time is not quite what it seemed
Natural as the way we came to be
The second time won’t live up to the dream
It’s never as good as the first time
(Never as good as the first time)
Never as good as the first time
(Never as good as the first time)
Ba-da-da-da, bum-bum-bum
Ba-ba-da-da-da, bum-bum
Ba-da-da-da, bum-bum-bum
Ba-ba-da-da-da, bum-bum
Natural as the way we came to be
Second time won’t live up to the dream
As natural as the way we came to be
The second time is not quite what it seemed
It’s never as good as the first time
As the first time
Never as good as the first time (the first time)
Natural as the way we came to be
Second time won’t live up to the dream
As natural as the way we came to be
Second time is not quite what it seemed
It’s never, ooh
As good as the first time (as good)
As the first time
As good as the first time (first time)
Ba-da-da-da, bum-bum-bum
Ba-ba-da-da-da, bum-bum
Ba-da-da-da, bum-bum-bum
Ba-ba-da-da-da, bum-bum
Sade’s sultry voice carries more than just melody—it often brings forth a tapestry of introspection, sentiment, and universal truths. ‘Never As Good As the First Time,’ a track from the band Sade’s 1985 album ‘Promise,’ encapsulates a bittersweet truth about human experience through its hypnotic blend of smooth jazz and soul.
With its poignant lyrics and evocative soundscape, the song becomes a portal into the transient nature of joy and the inevitable chase for moments that slip away all too quickly. Let’s dive into the deeper layers of this classic track, unveiling its enduring impact and the meaning it continues to whisper to hearts that have loved and lost.
Chasing the ‘First Time’ Fantasy – The Allure of Nostalgia
The song title itself evokes a universal longing—a craving for the purity and intensity of first experiences. Sade’s lyrics acknowledge the human tendency to romanticize the past, suggesting that perhaps those ‘special moments’ shine brighter in memory’s forgiving glow than in the candid light of present.
But what the song also subtly denotes is the endless pursuit of that inaugural thrill, often at the expense of appreciating the present. It’s a meditation on the nature of happiness itself, questioning whether it’s attainable in the same form more than once or if it’s a shape-shifter, demanding acceptance in its new incarnations.
The Hidden Meaning Behind the Melody – An Ode to Impermanence
Beyond its luscious composition, the track holds a hidden meaning—it’s a commentary on impermanence. The melody mirrors life’s ebbs and flows, reinforcing the notion that nothing, especially the good times, lasts forever. ‘It’s like the weather,’ Sade sings, highlighting the unpredictable and fleeting nature of life’s pleasures.
The recurring refrain ‘never as good as the first time’ isn’t just a lament but a wake-up call to be present, to savor the now before it becomes another ‘thrill of the first kiss’ that ‘blows right to you’ only to drift away with time.
The Memorable Lines That Speak Volumes – ‘The Rose We Remember’
‘The rose we remember, the thorns we forget’—this line is a masterful summation of selective memory at play. The narrative gently chides the listener for the tendency to edit history, to recall the beauty of the rose while overlooking the pain of its thorns.
It is an observation on how people often deal with past relationships and moments of joy—glorifying the good, diminishing the bad, and perhaps causing themselves to feel disillusioned when attempting to recreate those highs.
Lessons on Love, Loss, and the Tapestry of Time
Sade’s musings on love and its transient nature lead to a profound understanding that love is both complex and simple, elating and sorrowful. The line ‘we’d love and leave, we never spend a minute on regret’ touches on the courage it takes to walk away from the past without being tethered to what could have been.
This lyric embodies a freeing perspective, championing emotional resilience and the ability to move on without regrets—recognizing that sometimes the most powerful love isn’t the kind that tries to recapture magic but the kind that appreciates the magic of the moment.
Why ‘Never As Good As the First Time’ Resonates Across Generations
Sade’s song has remained relevant over the decades because it taps into a timeless emotion—the nostos, or voyage home, that each heart undertakes when it revisits slices of its past. There is a universal recognition in the idea that the ‘second time won’t live up to the dream,’ a gentle reminder that some dreams are not meant to be chased.
As new listeners discover the song, they find a piece of themselves in its narrative, recognizing the pain and beauty of growth and the human condition’s struggle against the ephemeral tide of experience. Ultimately, the listener is left reflecting upon their own ‘first times’ and the intricate dance between memory, reality, and the beating of the human heart.
