---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She sang that night like - I cannot say…"
description: "\"“She sang that night like - I cannot say like an angel, for her songs were all of champagne suppers and strolling in the Burlington Arcade; perhaps, th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/sarah-waters-2758_angel_she-sang-that-night-like-i-cannot-say-li_2459393.png"
---

#  She sang that night like - I cannot say like an angel, for…

![“She sang that night like - I cannot say like an angel, for her songs were all of champagne suppers and strolling in the Burlington Arcade; perhaps, then, like a fallen angel - or yet again like a falling one: she sang like a falling angel might sing with the bounds of heaven fresh burst behind…” quote by Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/sarah-waters-2758_angel_she-sang-that-night-like-i-cannot-say-li_2459393.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/sarah-waters-2758_angel_she-sang-that-night-like-i-cannot-say-li_2459393.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/sarah-waters-2758_angel_she-sang-that-night-like-i-cannot-say-li_2459393.png)

> ““She sang that night like - I cannot say like an angel, for her songs were all of champagne suppers and strolling in the Burlington Arcade; perhaps, then, like a fallen angel - or yet again like a falling one: she sang like a falling angel might sing with the bounds of heaven fresh burst behind him, and hell still distant and unguessed. And as she did so, I sang with her - not loudly and carelessly like the rest of the crowd, but softly, almost secretly, as if she might hear me the better if I whispered rather than bawled.””

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The narrator describes a transcendent, bittersweet performance that blurs heaven and hell, reflecting deep emotional intimacy and artistic vulnerability.

**In simple terms:** A singer’s voice feels like a fallen angel, mixing heaven and hell.

Key Takeaway

Embrace quiet, heartfelt expression.

Themes

art emotion vulnerability performance dualities

Mood

melancholic introspective

Type

literary poetic

When to use this quote

- concerts
- private gatherings
- poetry readings
- intimate performances

Key Concepts

transcendence contrast intimacy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does vulnerability change your perception of art?
- When do you let your inner voice be heard?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may be overly ornate, obscuring the core feeling.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/) [Angel Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel-like-572993/) [Fallen angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fallen-angel/) [Falling Sang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-sang-637371/) [Lesbian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lesbian/) [Like Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-angel/) [Like Falling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-falling/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Sang Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sang-like-637370/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/)

## Related quotes

> [“You are funny like a kid and awesome like a princess Unseen like an angel, like the morning sunshine… Kindness like a river and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-funny-like-a-kid-and-awesome-like-a-princess-unseen-like-an/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [In reality not everything that looks precious is precious. The point is never trust someone apparently looks like angel appear in human form ……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza/in-reality-not-everything-that-looks-precious-is-precious-the-point/)

[Liza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza/)

> [To me, Garth, he's kind of like my guardian angel. It's like every time I need some help, he's there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ledoux/to-me-garth-he-s-kind-of-like-my-guardian-angel-it-s-like-every-time/)

[Chris LeDoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ledoux/)

> [“I don’t get how an angel like you is friends with a demon like her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soroosh-shahrivar/i-don-t-get-how-an-angel-like-you-is-friends-with-a-demon-like-her/)

[Soroosh Shahrivar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soroosh-shahrivar/)

> [I felt like Dolly and I had one of the finest country duets of all time because we sang like brother and sister. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porter-wagoner/i-felt-like-dolly-and-i-had-one-of-the-finest-country-duets-of-all/)

[Porter Wagoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porter-wagoner/)

> [I must be in love with an angel because there is nothing like her on earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemansmarty/i-must-be-in-love-with-an-angel-because-there-is-nothing-like-her-on/)

[Hemansmarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemansmarty/)

> [ \[Cole Porter\] sang like a hinge. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-merman/cole-porter-sang-like-a-hinge/)

[Ethel Merman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-merman/)

> [Close to my heart is Muddy Waters. I love the way he sang. It was almost like a bark. It was like the bark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rag-n-bone-man/close-to-my-heart-is-muddy-waters-i-love-the-way-he-sang-it-was/)

[Rag'n'Bone Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rag-n-bone-man/)

> [That's my only active wish. I think if I sang like Don Henley, this would be a lot more agreeable business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-zevon/that-s-my-only-active-wish-i-think-if-i-sang-like-don-henley-this/)

[Warren Zevon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-zevon/)

> [A few girls would be catty and say that my voice sounded really high, and I sang like a chipmunk, I got a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassadee-pope/a-few-girls-would-be-catty-and-say-that-my-voice-sounded-really-high/)

[Cassadee Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassadee-pope/)

> [Dear my red heart turns blue cause it miss an angel like you!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paperboi/dear-my-red-heart-turns-blue-cause-it-miss-an-angel-like-you/)

[Paperboi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paperboi/)

> [To me ur like an angel someone that was sent to me from the heavens of high, u make heaven wants to sing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa/to-me-ur-like-an-angel-someone-that-was-sent-to-me-from-the-heavens/)

[Melissa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa/)

> [The angels even smell and look like you, but there is no angel or gal like you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/the-angels-even-smell-and-look-like-you-but-there-is-no-angel-or-gal/)

[Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/)

> [He’s so beautiful,” she said wistfully. “He’s like an angel.” “Yep,” I agreed flatly. “The one that fell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/he-s-so-beautiful-she-said-wistfully-he-s-like-an-angel-yep-i-agreed/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“He looked like an angel. But only the fallen would make her feel the sudden violent lust rushing through her veins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-hall/he-looked-like-an-angel-but-only-the-fallen-would-make-her-feel-the/)

[Marie Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-hall/)

## More by Sarah Waters

> [“Now, from the crown of my head to the curve of my toe-nails, there was an unguent for every part of me - oil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/now-from-the-crown-of-my-head-to-the-curve-of-my-toe-nails-there-was/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [“Miss Craven held up a pair she thought would fit me—monstrous great things they were, of course, and I thought she smiled as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/miss-craven-held-up-a-pair-she-thought-would-fit-me-monstrous-great/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [I barely knew I had skin before I met you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/i-barely-knew-i-had-skin-before-i-met-you/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [I suppose I really seemed mad, then; but it was only through the awfulness of having said nothing but the truth, and being thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/i-suppose-i-really-seemed-mad-then-but-it-was-only-through-the/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [My nan was a nursery maid. Most people weren't in big houses. They were maids of all work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/my-nan-was-a-nursery-maid-most-people-weren-t-in-big-houses-they-were/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [Being in love, you know... it's not like having a canary, in a cage. When you lose one sweetheart, you can't just go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/being-in-love-you-know-it-s-not-like-having-a-canary-in-a-cage-when/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [For was that all, she thought bleakly, that love ever was? Something that saved one from loneliness? A sort of insurance policy against not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/for-was-that-all-she-thought-bleakly-that-love-ever-was-something/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [“And yet, I seemed to feel my eyes bound, too, with bands of silk. And at my throat there was a velvet collar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/and-yet-i-seemed-to-feel-my-eyes-bound-too-with-bands-of-silk-and-at/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [“No-one speaks. No-one moves (…). We glide, softly, in silence, into our dark and separate hells”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/no-one-speaks-no-one-moves-we-glide-softly-in-silence-into-our-dark/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [“She loved these walks through London. She seemed, as she made them, to become porous, to soak in detail after detail; or else, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/she-loved-these-walks-through-london-she-seemed-as-she-made-them-to/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [“Oh, for shame! Nancy, have you never seen Florrie's face in a chrysanthemum, or a rose?' 'Never.' I said. 'Though there was a flounder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/oh-for-shame-nancy-have-you-never-seen-florrie-s-face-in-a/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [“My locket hangs in my closet beside the glass, the only shining thing among so many shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/my-locket-hangs-in-my-closet-beside-the-glass-the-only-shining-thing/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [“Mr Bliss looked grave. 'Your brother was very sensible to warn you, Miss Astley - but sadly misinformed. There are no trams in Trafalgur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/mr-bliss-looked-grave-your-brother-was-very-sensible-to-warn-you-miss/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [I knew Id always be a second-rate academic, and I thought, Well, Id rather be a second-rate novelist or even a third-rate one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/i-knew-id-always-be-a-second-rate-academic-and-i-thought-well-id/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

> [“It is a world that is made of love. Did you think there is only the kind of love your sister knows for her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/it-is-a-world-that-is-made-of-love-did-you-think-there-is-only-the/)

[Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

[Explore all 148 Sarah Waters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/)

## More Angel quotes

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [If I wer an angel,i would make all your wishes come true..but I'm only a girl a girl who loves you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix/if-i-wer-an-angel-i-would-make-all-your-wishes-come-true-but-i-m-only/)

[Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix/)

> [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/)

[Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“Behind my eyelids, I saw him dancing in spirals of coloured light, emerald, blue, and brilliant purple, enfolding him like the wings of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/behind-my-eyelids-i-saw-him-dancing-in-spirals-of-coloured-light/)

[Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/)

> [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [I don't think people will ever forget I was an 'Angel,' anymore than they'll forget Sally Field was 'The Flying Nun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-ladd/i-don-t-think-people-will-ever-forget-i-was-an-angel-anymore-than/)

[Cheryl Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-ladd/)

> [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/)

[Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/)

> [I believe in UFOs, I believe in extraterrestrials, and I believe in angels. And maybe they'll protect all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/i-believe-in-ufos-i-believe-in-extraterrestrials-and-i-believe-in/)

[Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/)

> [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/)

[Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/)

> [Flowers are the alphabet of angels, whereby they write on the hills and fields mysterious truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/flowers-are-the-alphabet-of-angels-whereby-they-write-on-the-hills/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [You should never feel lonely, neglected, fearful, or defeated when you remember that there are the shining ones. They are watching with keen interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flower-a-newhouse/you-should-never-feel-lonely-neglected-fearful-or-defeated-when-you/)

[Flower A. Newhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flower-a-newhouse/)

> [Hark the herald angels sing, 'Glory to the new-born king.' Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wesley/hark-the-herald-angels-sing-glory-to-the-new-born-king-peace-on-earth/)

[Charles Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wesley/)

> [Man was created a little lower than the angels and has been getting a little lower ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/man-was-created-a-little-lower-than-the-angels-and-has-been-getting-a/)

[Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/)

> [Mooner was walking around laying his hands on the cars, divining karma. "this is it", he said, standing by a small khaki-colored jeep."this car…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/mooner-was-walking-around-laying-his-hands-on-the-cars-divining-karma/)

[Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/)

[Browse all 4,625 Angel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“She sang that night like - I cannot say like an angel, for her songs were all of champagne suppers and strolling in the Burlington Arcade; perhaps, then, like a fallen angel - or yet again like a falling one: she sang like a falling angel might sing with the bounds of heaven fresh burst behind him, and hell still distant and unguessed. And as she did so, I sang with her - not loudly and carelessly like the rest of the crowd, but softly, almost secretly, as if she might hear me the better if I whispered rather than bawled.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Waters"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/she-sang-that-night-like-i-cannot-say-like-an-angel-for-her-songs/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Angel"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/she-sang-that-night-like-i-cannot-say-like-an-angel-for-her-songs/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/sarah-waters-2758_angel_she-sang-that-night-like-i-cannot-say-li_2459393.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/sarah-waters-2758_angel_she-sang-that-night-like-i-cannot-say-li_2459393.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/sarah-waters-2758_angel_she-sang-that-night-like-i-cannot-say-li_2459393.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“She sang that night like - I cannot say like an angel, for her songs were all of champagne suppers and…” — Sarah Waters",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Sarah Waters",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“She sang that night like -...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/she-sang-that-night-like-i-cannot-say-like-an-angel-for-her-songs/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/she-sang-that-night-like-i-cannot-say-like-an-angel-for-her-songs/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
