Lyrics

(dance chorus) The first time you see her, no bolt from the blue
(Piggy) Just something so quiet that’s waiting for you
(dance chorus) With no one to tell you where you’ve got to go
(Piggy) The first time it happens, you know

(Kermit) The first time you see her, no magical change
No angels appearing, no dreams to arrange
(dance chorus) Just warmer and colder than springtime or snow
(Kermit) The first time it happens, you know

(dance chorus) And so you fall, and how complete it is
And for each moment that it lasts, how sweet it is

(Kermit and Piggy) The first time together, how simple, how rare
(Piggy) And just when you thought you’d forgot how to care
(Kermit) And though you feel much more than you dare to show
(Kermit and Piggy) The first time it happens, you know

(They spin together, then break apart)
(Kermit, spoken to Fozzie) Wow, she’s fantastic!
(Piggy continues dancing with the people on the dance floor, who repeat the second verse)

The first time you see her, no magical change
No angels appearing, no dreams to arrange
Just warmer and colder than springtime or snow
The first time it happens, you know
(Kermit, spoken to the camera) What a great number!

[spoken interlude]
(Lady Holiday) Nicky, that’s my new receptionist dancing out there.
(Nicky Holiday) Which one?
(Lady Holiday) The pig.
(Nicky Holiday) She’s sensational.
(Lady Holiday) Forty-five words a minute, about average.

(dance chorus) And just when you thought you’d forgot how to care
For the first time, for the first time

The first time it happens, the moment it happens
And suddenly there’s a whole new world
The first time it happens, the first time it happens
The first time it happens, you know

Music and lyrics by Joe Raposo

I blame this song for contributing for my romantic notions about soulmates—notions which adulthood is slowly but steadily eroding. My sister, of course—happily married for almost ten years to the man she’s been with for almost eighteen years—claims this song is true. No bells and whistles going off, you just know.

I truly like the idea behind this. Even though this song is happening against a backdrop of strangers bursting into a big musical number, the lyrics speak of a quiet knowing. You meet someone, and the feeling isn’t a choir of angels but rather, “Oh, there you are. I’m so happy you’re here.”

I’m not sure what I’d call this feeling, since I don’t know if I believe in soulmates anymore, but I do think this quiet knowing can and does happen. It’s not always romantic, since I’ve had this feeling when meeting new friends. And it doesn’t indicate that the relationship will last forever, since very few relationships do. And it might not even happen for everyone.

But sometimes your path crosses someone else’s, and you know that—for a while, at least—you’re supposed to walk together and learn from each other.