Once upon another time

This song always seems some kind of regretful to me... as if Christine and Erik would regret the way their story ended. She regrets that she left him in 'Final lair scene' and he regrets that he disappeared in the middle of the night they sang about in 'Beneath a moonless sky'.

Christine

Once upon another time our story had only begun

'It began with you supporting my career and finally taking me to your domain after the gala evening. It didn't have to end with that, why couldn't you hide your faults and your brutality for the time I was with you? Why did you have to scare me and kill that stagehand?'

You choose to turn the page and I made choices, too

'You destroyed our unique relation. You kidnapped me, threatened Raoul and sent me away in the end. It was your choice, your own fault. In addition, you left me in that night when I finally had decided to stay with you forever and swear my love to you. You were just gone.'

Once upon that other time we did what we thought must be done

And now we have no choice, we do what we must do

'Before, we were different people... lighthearted, free and easygoing. We just did what came straight to our minds. Now we grew up, our independence and our liberty of thoughts has been taken from us. I'm not allowed to feel anything for you because I'm married to Raoul. I can't just go wherever I want to go and sing or sing not if I don't want to, we have many debts and we need the money I can earn right here with that one song.'

We love, we live, we give what we can give

'And in spite of all of the prohibitions there is something in my heart, something that burns for you. I do what I can to hurt neither my marriage nor our unique bunch. Nobody understands how hard and complicated it is to love to men at the same time.'

And take what little we deserve

'At the same time I have to worry about the money that we need so urgently. I will never be able to earn here everything we need, I will have to give concerts later, too - if people still want to see me, my reputation has gone downhill together with the one of my man.'

Erik

Once upon another time I knew how our story would end

'I thought I knew how everything would turn out. I thought you would marry me if I threatened your fiancé. I wasn't very happy with it because I never wanted to hurt you and didn't want to force you to this marriage, but I was sure that it was meant to be. I am so sorry, Christine.'

And maybe I was wrong but now the moment's gone

'We both know that I was mistaken. Your pity was everything I ever wanted; I should never have expected anything else of you. Your kiss and your tears have convinced me that I couldn't hurt you, I would never have been able to. I love you too much to harm you physically or emotionally. So I let you go - both of you - and now it is over, I have no power over you and no right to force you to anything.'

Were it still that other time, I'd make time itself somehow bent

'In that time at Paris, I could have shown you anything I wanted in my illusion. I could even have stopped time for you. In that times when you were with me, nothing mattered except for you and I and our music.'

But now I'm not that strong and time keeps moving on'

'But time has changed even me, I am tired, Christine. I don't want to pretend anymore, I can't pretend anymore. You know that I'm neither a Phantom nor an angel, I am only a man who gets older like every man does.'

We love, we live, we give what we can give

'And even now that I tell you all of that, even when I know that I'm not allowed to love you, I still feel for you just as I did ten years ago. The love in my heart consumes me literally. Even if you often don't understand, I always try to show you as much of my love as possible.'

And take what little we deserve

'I'm happy about every little sign of sympathy you show me, every time you touch me my heart warms. Every little sign of love, even when it is that little, lights my whole world. You are my reason to live, my muse and my angel.'

Both

Once upon another time

'But all that should be long gone.'