Slipping Through My Fingers

ABBA · Thank You for the Music [1994]

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

Slipping Through My Fingers

ABBA's "Slipping Through My Fingers" is a poignant ballad from their 1994 compilation album, "Thank You for the Music." Released decades after the group's initial success, the track reflects on the transient nature of relationships and the inevitability of loss. The song features the band's signature harmonies and a melancholic melody that resonates with themes of regret and moving on. As part of their extensive discography, this recording stands as a testament to the group's ability to explore emotional depth across different eras, maintaining their distinctive pop sound while addressing mature subject matter.