The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Slipping Through My Fingers" by "Abba".
In the song "Slipping Through My Fingers" by ABBA, the lyrical heroine, a mother, sadly reflects on the transience of time and the growing up of her daughter. She feels like the child is moving away, building his own life, in which the mother has less and less space.
From the very first lines – "She leaves home earlyin the morning witha school bag inher hand" – the imageof a grown-up daughter is created, who needs less and less maternal care. The feeling of sadness and some kind of loss is intensified in the lines "I feel like I'm losing her forever, without really knowing her world." The mother realizes that the daughter has her own path, her own thoughts and aspirations, which she may no longer fully understand.
The heroine regrets the missed opportunities – "Whereare those wonderful adventures? I wantedto visit a lotof places with her." She understands that time cannotbe turned back, and all that remains isto keep precious memories ofher daughter's childhood.
The recurring phrase "She constantly eludes me" emphasizes the inevitability of a child growing up anda natural distance fromhis parents.The mother's heart struggles with this inevitability, wanting to "stop these moments and save them fromthe usual tricksof time."
The song is filled with light sadness and nostalgia. She reminds us ofthe valueof every moment spent with lovedones, and how important it is to appreciate time, whichis so fleeting.
ABBA Slipping Through My Fingers (Live Vocals, Dick Cavett Show 1981)
"Slipping Through My Fingers"
Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile
I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I'm losing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl
Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake, I let precious time go by
Then when she's gone there's that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I can't deny
What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
(Slipping through my fingers all the time)
Well, some of that we did but most we didn't
And why I just don't know
Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time
Slipping through my fingers
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Schoolbag in hand she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile