Memory [Dennis DeYoung]

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Memory
Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black
Lead Vocals by Dennis DeYoung

Midnight, not a sound from the pavement
Has the moon lost her memory
She is smiling alone
In the lamplight the withered leaves collect at my feet
And the wind begins to moan

Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
I was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again

Every streetlamp seems to beat a fatalistic warning
Someone mutters and a streetlamp shutters
And soon it will be morning

Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin

Burnt-out ends of smoky days
The stale, cold smell of morning
The streetlamp dies
Another night is over
Another day is dawning

Touch me, it's so easy to leave me
All alone with the memory
Of my days in the sun
If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is
Look a new day has begun

Interpretation

In Cats, "Memory" is sung primarily by Grizabella, a one-time "glamour cat" who has fallen on hard times and is now only a shell of her former self. For most of the musical, Grizabella is ostracized by her fellow Jellicle cats. She sings a prelude version of "Memory" at the end of the first act, recalling the time before she became an outcast