Album version 2:31 English 2000

Liner notes

The memory of a special time with the one you love and a reflection of the loss of that love. Yet it is reminiscence filled with the tenderness of that love, as much as with the saddness of its loss. It is a celebration of that special time, and a lament that it is over.
notes by Roma Ryan
Only Time: The Collection, 2002

Quotes about the song

Enya: "My favourite song on the album is ‘Fallen Embers.’ I knew emotionally it was a very strong piece but especially so when I played it to Roma. As usual she could feel the emotion I was trying to get across musically and when she handed me the lyrics it was so moving to actually sing them." Enya at Ease, World of Hibernia, 2000
enyabookofdays.com

Enya: "Fallen Embers is now a little bit of a favourite with me because it’s a reflection of having had love and lost it — and how it’s wonderful to have experienced it." Are you talking about your personal life? "The theme is very universal — and very personal. It kind of conjures up, too, people who have passed on and whom I loved dearly. It’s very emotional for me."
Stage Beckons Enya, The Press, 2001
enyabookofdays.com

Enya: Actually, "Fallen Embers" is my favorite track on this album. After I had written this piece, Roma came to me to me with the lyrics, and I remember thinking as I read the words that this was exactly how I was feeling when I had written the melody. I find this track the most moving of all, and it was certainly the most emotional track for me to sing. I think a lot of people can relate personally to "Fallen Embers."
The enigmatic Enya, Barnes & Noble, 2000

In the beginning, Enya and her producer Nicky Ryan mixed 50 vocals for ‘Fallen Embers.’ The Team decided that this was too sumptuous, as in the end a single vocal was enough for the song.
Enya: Die Einsamkeit der Märchenfee, Kultur News, 2000, enyabookofdays.com

Lyrics

Once, as my heart remembers
all the stars were fallen embers.
Once, when night seemed forever
           I was with you.

Once, in the care of morning
in the air was all belonging,
Once, when that day was dawning
            I was with you.

How far we are from morning,
how far we are
and the stars
           shining through the darkness,
falling in the air.

Once, as the night was leaving
into us our dreams were weaving.
Once all dreams were worth keeping.
            I was with you.

Once, when our hearts were singing,
            I was with you.

lyrics by Roma Ryan
EMI Music Publishing Ltd, 2000