Cover art for One Life by James Bay

One Life

James Bay
Track 5 on Leap 
May. 13, 20221 viewer8K views

One Life Lyrics

[Verse 1]
All I wanna be
Is with you, in your arms
In our room, living small in a big house
I've been having dreams
Have you had them too?
I see me and you
By the door, rushing in from the rain at the back of the garden
Do you see that too?

[Pre-Chorus]
Forever ain’t forever if we're not together
I don't wanna put a lot of pressure on you
I just wanna tell you, I just wanna tell you
Without you I don’t know what I'd do

[Chorus]
I've only got one life and I want you in it (Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh)
Tell me that you'll never let me go
Oh, bury my body or send it down the river (Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh)
I could never do it on my own

[Verse 2]
Sometimes I get sad
At the front, at the back
In the middle of the happiest moments
'Cause good things can go bad, easily
So I don't wanna slow down
Wanna jump, wanna fly, wanna fall
I wanna hit the ground running
Do you wanna marry me?
[Chorus]
I've only got one life and I want you in it (Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh)
Tell me that you'll never let me go (Never let me go)
Oh, bury my body or send it down the river (Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh)
I could never do it on my own (Do it on my own)

[Post-Chorus]
No, life ain’t a life, ain’t a life, ain't a life without you
No, life ain’t a life, ain't a life, ain't a life alone

[Pre-Chorus]
Forever ain't forever if we’re not together
I don't wanna put a lot of pressure on you
I just wanna tell you, I just wanna tell you
Without you, I don't know what I'd do

[Bridge]
We only get one try
I don't wanna miss it (Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh)
Tell me that you'll never let me go (I've only got one life)

[Chorus]
I've only got one life
And I want you in it (Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh, I don't wanna miss it)
Tell me that you'll never let me go (I don't wanna do it without you, no)
Oh bury my body or send it down the river (Or send it down the river, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh)
I could never do this on my own ('Cause I could never do this on my own)
[Post-Chorus]
No, life ain't a life, ain't a life, ain't a life without you
No, life ain't a life, ain't a life, ain't a life alone (Woah, oh)
Life ain't a life, ain't a life, ain't a life without you (Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh)
I could never do this on my own

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Translations
Genius Answer
What did James Bay say about "One Life"?
Genius Answer

‘One Life’ is a song I wrote about the most precious and private part of my life, my relationship with Lucy. I didn’t know if I’d be able to sum it all up in one song, I’m still not sure I ever will, but this one feels like it got close. It’s about the realisation that for all the somethings I chase after, it’s actually just a someone that I really need. Lucy has been next to me every step of the way, I feel extremely lucky that I get to say that.

—via Instagram

Official Lyric Video
Genius Answer

Behind The Scenes Video
Live Performances
Credits
Percussion
Background Vocals
Electric Guitar
Keyboards
Mixing Engineer
Assistant Mixing Engineer
Wurlitzer
Recording Engineer
Assistant Recording Engineer
Mastering Engineer
Release Date
May 13, 2022
One Life Interpolations
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