You made your, made your overtures
When you were a chauven'd over-toned mutt
And I was still a dewy petal
Rather than a moribund slut

My love wrecked you
You're back to twirl your skirt at the palace
It hurt more than it ought to hurt
I went to work to cultivate a callous

And now I'm hot, too hot and oh
I don't cry when I'm sad anymore, no no
Tears calcify in my tummy
Fears go inside the bottle
How can I ask anyone to love me
When all I do is beg to be left alone

Oh and I tried to love
And I can love the same man and the same bed and the same city
But not in the same room it's a pity but oh
It never bothered me before
Not 'til this guy
What a guy
Oh, God, what a good guy
And I can't even enjoy him
'Cause I'm hard, too hard to know

I don't cry when I'm sad anymore, no no
Tears calcify in my tummy
Fears go inside the bottle
How can I ask anyone to love me
When all I do is beg to be left
When all I do is beg to be left
When all I do is beg to be left
Alone
Alone
Alone

My ills are articulate
My woes are granular
The ants weigh more than the elephants
Nothing, nothing is manageable
So couldn't we skip the valedictories
I can see your door there
Shut it and forget my number
'Cause I'm hard, too hard to know

Oh I don't cry when I'm sad anymore, no no
Tears calcify in my tummy
Fears go inside the bottle
How can I ask anyone to love me
When all I do is beg to be left
When all I do is beg to be left
When all I do is beg to be left alone

Overall Meaning

The song "Left Alone" by Fiona Apple talks about a person who has gone through a rough patch in love and has become distant as a result. The lyrics depict a character who was once innocent and naive but has now become hardened after a failed relationship. The singer speaks of how her love has wrecked the person she previously loved, and now that she is approached by someone else who is also great, she is no longer able to open up and enjoy the moment.

The song details the emotional turmoil that the character goes through, conveying how the person has learned to suppress her emotions, calcifying her tears in her stomach and storing her fears in a bottle. Fiona Apple draws a parallel between the person and the insects, saying that her ills are articulate and her woes are granular, implying that she feels burdened by the small things, just like how ants weigh more than elephants.

The song is a melancholic ballad that is both introspective and deeply emotional. It speaks of the challenges that people face in relationships, and the guardedness that arises as a result of heartbreak. It portrays Fiona Apple's exquisite talent for writing expressive lyrics that touch on themes of love, loss, and self-identity.

Line by Line Meaning

You made your, made your overtures
You made your advances, your attempts to win me over

When you were a chauven'd over-toned mutt
When you were an obnoxious, entitled jerk

And I was still a dewy petal
And I was still young and innocent

Rather than a moribund slut
Rather than a lifeless, promiscuous woman

My love wrecked you
My love destroyed you emotionally

You're back to twirl your skirt at the palace
You're back to your old ways of flirting and chasing after me

It hurt more than it ought to hurt
It hurt more than it should have

I went to work to cultivate a callous
I hardened myself emotionally to protect myself from getting hurt again

And now I'm hot, too hot and oh
And now I'm feeling intense emotions

Tears calcify in my tummy
My tears don't flow anymore, they stay stuck within me

Fears go inside the bottle
My fears are bottled up inside me

How can I ask anyone to love me
How can I expect anyone to love me

When all I do is beg to be left alone
When all I really want is to be left alone

And I tried to love
And I tried to open myself up to love again

And I can love the same man and the same bed and the same city
I can have feelings for the same person and the same surroundings

But not in the same room it's a pity but oh
But not in the same space, which is unfortunate

It never bothered me before
It never used to affect me

Not 'til this guy
Not until this particular person

What a guy
What a remarkable person

Oh, God, what a good guy
Oh, God, what a wonderful person

And I can't even enjoy him
And I can't even fully appreciate him

'Cause I'm hard, too hard to know
Because I'm closed off emotionally and hard to understand

My ills are articulate
My troubles are well-spoken

My woes are granular
My problems are small but numerous

The ants weigh more than the elephants
The small issues are more burdensome than the big ones

Nothing, nothing is manageable
Nothing feels within my control

So couldn't we skip the valedictories
So why don't we skip the formal goodbyes

I can see your door there
I can see that you're ready to leave

Shut it and forget my number
Leave and never contact me again

'Cause I'm hard, too hard to know
Because I'm emotionally distant and difficult to understand

When all I do is beg to be left alone
When all I really want is to be left alone

Alone
Alone

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