I look at your house
I wonder what goes on inside when you have to cry yourself to sleep at night
Your parents fight
You don't know who's wrong or right, have to cry yourself to sleep at night

A broken home, a broken heart
When the two of them will have to part
It's a broken home, broken heart
Now you know just how it feels
To have to cry yourself to sleep at night

I looked at your house
I look through your window, deep inside, how you gonna cry yourself to sleep tonight?
Your parents fight
You don't know who's wrong or right, have to cry yourself to sleep tonight

Broken home, a broken heart
When the two of them will have to part
It's a broken home, broken heart
Now you know just how it feels
Cry yourself to sleep at night

That's rough!

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Hüsker Dü's song "Broken Home Broken Heart" are powerful and emotive, capturing the heartache and pain of a family torn apart by conflict and division. The song opens with the singer looking at someone's house and imagining what might be happening inside. They wonder if the person is crying themselves to sleep at night because of their parents' constant fighting. The singer acknowledges the confusion and difficulty that comes with not knowing who is right or wrong in the situation.

As the song progresses, the chorus repeats the phrases "broken home, broken heart" and "cry yourself to sleep at night," hammering home the message of the pain caused by broken families. The final line of the song is "That's rough!" which serves as a brief acknowledgement of the enormity of the situation.

Overall, "Broken Home Broken Heart" is a poignant and empathetic commentary on the effects of deteriorating family relationships. The lyrics capture the feeling of helplessness that comes with being caught in the middle of a conflict that you can't control, and the pain of having to navigate a world where the people you love the most are tearing each other apart.

Line by Line Meaning

I look at your house
I gaze towards your house

I wonder what goes on inside when you have to cry yourself to sleep at night
I contemplate about what might be happening in your house when you are left alone crying at night

Your parents fight
Your parents engage in quarrels

You don't know who's wrong or right, have to cry yourself to sleep at night
You do not know which side to take, leading you to cry on your own while dozing off to sleep

A broken home, a broken heart
A family with a damaged household and a brokenhearted person

When the two of them will have to part
When both mother and father split ways

It's a broken home, broken heart
The home and the affection within are in pieces

Now you know just how it feels
Now you have a comprehension of how it feels

To have to cry yourself to sleep at night
To be forced to cry oneself to sleep during the night time

I looked at your house
I scanned through your house

I look through your window, deep inside, how you gonna cry yourself to sleep tonight?
I thoroughly observe through your window, wondering how you would cope up while crying at night

Broken home, a broken heart
A family without harmony, leaving a depressed individual behind

Now you know just how it feels
Now you are familiar with the sensation

Cry yourself to sleep at night
Weep alone while you drift off to sleep at night

That's rough!
That must be tough!

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Affirmative response

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