Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

Fair
Ben Folds Five Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

He shouted out his last word
And he stumbled through the yard
And she shattered her last china plate
And spun off in the car
When he lunged onto the hood
She stopped to tell him she'd been wrong
He was thrown head over heels
Into the traffic coming on

But then
All is fair in love
Did you get my other letters
Sometimes I think I oughta call
Cause you know I often
Wonder if you open them at all
Every couple nights or so
You know you pop into my dreams
I just can't get rid of you
Like you got rid of me

Oh but I send my best
Cause God knows you've seen my worst
But then all is fair in love
All this breathing in never breathing out
I guess she made her way
Through the mob too late to hear him say
That he'd gotten all he'd wanted
A crowd to watch him bear the pain
He'd been keeping in
So what
All is fair in love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ben Folds Five's song Fair are about a tumultuous and complicated relationship. The first verse describes a violent fight between a couple which ends tragically when the man is hit by oncoming traffic. Despite the violence and heartbreak, the chorus repeats the refrain that "all is fair in love," implying that the struggles of love justify any actions taken in the name of it.


The following verses delve deeper into the emotional turmoil of the couple. The singer reveals that they have been writing letters to their ex-lover, wondering if they are being read. They also confess that their former partner still haunts their dreams, unable to let go of the relationship even though they have been left behind.


The lyrics of Fair touch on the universal themes of love, loss, and heartbreak. It portrays a raw and honest view of the ups and downs of relationships, and how difficult it can be to truly move on from them.


Line by Line Meaning

He shouted out his last word
The man yelled something as his life came to an end


And he stumbled through the yard
The man was moving unsteadily through an open space outside


And she shattered her last china plate
The woman broke her last piece of delicate dishware


And spun off in the car
She drove away quickly in a chaotic manner


When he lunged onto the hood
The man jumped on top of her car


She stopped to tell him she'd been wrong
She hit the brakes so he could catch up to her and confess


He was thrown head over heels
He was violently propelled over the top of her car


Into the traffic coming on
He landed in the middle of the road as vehicles approached him


But then
Yet despite all this chaos


All is fair in love
Anything goes when it comes to love and attraction


Did you get my other letters
The singer has been writing to the person they love


Sometimes I think I oughta call
The artist is contemplating making a phone call


Cause you know I often
The singer has made attempts to reach out before


Wonder if you open them at all
The singer is unsure if their love interest even reads the letters


Every couple nights or so
The singer has thoughts about their love interest frequently


You know you pop into my dreams
Their love interest makes an appearance in their dreams


I just can't get rid of you
The love interest is constantly on the artist's mind


Like you got rid of me
Their love interest has moved on from the relationship while the singer hasn't


Oh but I send my best
The singer wishes their love interest well


Cause God knows you've seen my worst
The artist has shown their darkest side to their love interest


All this breathing in never breathing out
The artist feels like they are always taking in more than they are giving out


I guess she made her way
The woman made it to her destination


Through the mob too late to hear him say
The crowd around him was too loud for him to communicate properly


That he'd gotten all he'd wanted
Despite the tragedy, he had accomplished everything he had set out to do


A crowd to watch him bear the pain
He was satisfied that others were able to witness his anguish


He'd been keeping in
He had been suppressing his pain and emotions


So what
In the end, what does it really matter?


All is fair in love
In matters of the heart, anything goes




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BEN FOLDS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@hand-heldmisfortune

He shouted out his last word
And he stumbled through
the yard
And she shattered her last
china plate
And spun off in the car
When he lunged onto the hood
She stopped to tell him she'd
been wrong
HE was thrown head over heels
Into the traffic coming on
But then
All is fair in love

Did you get my other letters
Sometimes I think I oughta call
Cause you know I often
Wonder if you open them at all
Every couple nights or so
You know you pop into my
dreams
I just can't get rid of you
Like you got rid of me
Ohh but I send my best
Cause God knows you've seen
my worst
But then all is fair in love
All this breathing in never
breathing out
I guess she made her way
Through the mob too late to
hear him say

That he'd gotten all he'd
wanted
A crowd to watch him bear the pain
He'd been keeping in
so what
All is fair in love



All comments from YouTube:

@joslinnick

One of the most underrated groups of the last 25 years.

@jonthemachine1970

Amen shrouded by glam and lost.

@thatguybob6088

Facts

@dylanmason1103

The line "I'm lonely and I'm right" really hits hard wtf

@roba1899

I'm 50 now but the point of Ben's music is that it had the spirit of the '70s .. they just don't come close today.

@KhalDrogo76

My friends and I were lucky enough to be around at the right time when BFF was coming into their own. We would go see them at Club Babyhead in Providence RI we would literally be leaning on Bens piano...Robert would stage dive on us. The energy of their show and their musicianship and their songs and their vocals...can’t be described unless you experienced it live. I cherish those days

@jonthemachine1970

These guys Made great Fucking Songs period. The harmonies the piano work. So underrated.

@ezrac704

The bass really makes this song.

@christophercabral5449

Stellar song.  I'm lonely and I'm right...

@zd829

WORD

More Comments

More Versions