The Penguin: Lyric Interpretations: All Over Again

All Over Again

Written by Christine McVie and Eddy Quintela.

Contributors to this interpretation included: Ali Filipowicz, Joanne, Christine, Mary Liz, Alexa, and Rick.

"All Over Again" is one of Christine McVie's 5 songs from Fleetwood Mac's 1995 release, Time. This song is considered by many to be on of Christine's best but due to poor sales, it has gone unnoticed.

The main theme of this song is separation. In this case, Christine's separation from Fleetwood Mac after 25 years. The other 4 songs of hers on Time also reflect her desire to let it all go. But this song, most of all, is her farewell lullaby. Fleetwood Mac has become an enigma of what it formerly was and she has decided that she can not go on with it any longer. Her life is heading in a different direction (as did Lindsey's and Stevie's) and she wants to devote more of her time and energy to her husband, family and roots in England.
This is a very beautiful, yet solemn song that displays all of Christine's talents while giving a profound meaning to the listener.

Well it's time to say good night
And finally turn out the light
How do I say in some simple way
How much you have been on my mind
Christine is finally saying her official goodbye to Fleetwood Mac. It has been a long and sometimes bumpy ride that Christine will never forget and will look back on lovingly with a smile. She's been thinking about her departure for some time and is finally going through with it.

But I have to let you go
It's time to move on don't you know
But you can rely on a love that won't die
For haven't I told you so
Christine has just made a very difficult decision for herself but she knows it was the right one. She needs to start a new chapter in her life and leave Fleetwood Mac behind. She's telling the band (probably specifically John and Mick) that she'll always love them and be there for them but that she must go on with her life outside Fleetwood Mac. This part of the song also reflects her finally leaving John. They may have broken up in 1976 but they were still in a band together until now. Again, she'll never forget and always love Fleetwood Mac and everything about it but she MUST move on.

So let's stop before it's too late
And leave it all up to the fates
Cause in spite of the heartache
And troubles in love
I'd do it all over
Do it all over again
Christine is saying that she must end it now. She is quitting while she's ahead. The band is not what it used to be and Christine barely has a part in it anymore. Fate may bring them back together (like last year). But it may not. Even though she went through SO much with Fleetwood Mac (the drugs, the fighting, the romance, etc.), she wouldn't do it any other way if she had to do it over again. That is one of the sweetest parts of the song because she's accepted what her life has given her and doesn't regret a thing.

Each of us and everyone
Carries a burden of love
But as far as I go in my heart I know
It's you I'll be thinking of
There is a burden that comes with the Fleetwood Mac package. For the most part, a burden of love. Christine's burden of love is John (just like Stevie and Lindsey's burden of love is each other and Mick's burden of love is probably Jenny). Even though she's moving on and everyone else has gone their separate ways, she'll always think about and love those special people in her life.

So what is there left to say
As I see us drifting away
You can always depend on a love that won't end
Won't you think of me, think of me that way
For Christine, there's nothing left to say. She has made her decision and that's it. Everyone has drifted away and the state of the band is in disarray. There is nothing really left to Fleetwood Mac and everyone knows it. Even though she's making her exit, she is again reinstating the fact that she'll always love them and she wants them to remember her for the (great) person she is.

So let's stop before it's too late
And leave it all up to the fates
In spite of the heartaches
And troubles in love
I'd do it all over again
She is repeating that now is the time for her to leave the band but she's implying that fate may sometime bring them back together ;-). Again, she has gone through so much with Fleetwood Mac but if she had the chance, she'd do it all over again.

Well it's time to move on to the rain
And finally break the chain.
In spite of the heartaches
And troubles in love
I'd do it all over (do it all over)
Do it all over again
Stop before it's too late
It's time for Christine to move on to the rains of England and for her to break that chain that binds her to Fleetwood Mac. To follow the philosophy of "Never break the chain." , we'd like to think that she was only "denting" the chain but at this point in the band, it is pretty sure that she is breaking the chain. But even though she's "breaking the chain", she still wants to reassure everyone that she'd do it all over again in a heartbeat but she must go now.

Cause in spite of the heartaches
And troubles in love
I'd do it all over again (do it all over)
I'd do it all over again
The end has come. As she walks away from Fleetwood Mac, she reassures them in her simple, lovingly way that she didn't regret a thing and would do it all over again no matter what.

What a powerful song. She may be leaving Fleetwood Mac but she'll always remember and love the people and moments she's had with them. And the fact that the chain has since mended makes this song even more special.

Transcribed to HTML by Marty Adelson.