The Winner Takes It All
Лучшая новогодняя музыка - ABBA Lyrics
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About things we've gone through
Though it's hurting me
Now it's history
I've played all my cards
And that's what you've done too
Nothing more to say
No more ace to play
The winner takes it all
The loser's standing small
Beside the victory
That's her destiny
I was in your arms
Thinking I belonged there
I figured it made sense
Building me a fence
Building me a home
Thinking I'd be strong there
But I was a fool
Playing by the rules
The gods may throw the dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear
The winner takes it all (takes it all)
The loser has to fall (has to fall)
It's simple and it's plain (it seems plain)
Why should I complain? (Why complain)
But tell me, does she kiss
Like I used to kiss you?
Does it feel the same
When she calls your name?
Somewhere deep inside
You must know I miss you
But what can I say?
Rules must be obeyed
The judges will decide
The likes of me abide
Spectators of the show
Always staying low
The game is on again
A lover or a friend
A big thing or a small
The winner takes it all
I don't wanna talk
If it makes you feel sad
And I understand
You've come to shake my hand
I apologize
If it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense
No self-confidence
But you see
The winner takes it all
The winner takes it all
So the winner takes it all
And the loser has to fall
Throw the dice, cold as ice
Way down here, someone dear
Takes it all, has to fall
It seems plain, why complain?
The lyrics to ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All" are a poignant exploration of a failed relationship, with the perspective coming from the person who feels they have lost. The first verse sets the scene - the singer doesn't want to talk about the past, as it's too painful, but acknowledges that it's now history. They've played all their cards and lost, and so has the other person - there's nothing more to say, no more aces left to play. This sets up the metaphor that dominates the song - that of a game being played, where one person wins and one person loses.
In the chorus, the singer acknowledges that in this game, the winner takes it all, and the loser stands small next to the victor. They use the feminine pronoun "her" to describe the winner's destiny, which could be interpreted as either the new love interest of the singer's former partner or as the larger forces of fate or life. In the second verse, the singer talks about how they had hoped to build a stronger relationship, but now realizes they were playing by the wrong rules.
The bridge introduces a new angle to the metaphor - that of the gods rolling dice and people losing loved ones. The implication is that life is a game of chance, and sometimes people win and sometimes they lose. The chorus repeats to drive home the point that the winner takes it all, but the final verse turns inward. The singer asks their former partner if their new lover makes them feel the same way they did, and admits to missing them deep down, but ultimately acknowledges that the rules must be obeyed. The judges will decide and the game will go on.
Overall, "The Winner Takes It All" is a haunting examination of a relationship that has ended in heartbreak. Its use of the game metaphor is effective in conveying the mixture of choice and randomness that goes into any relationship. The song's beautifully melancholy melody and powerful vocals from Agnetha Fältskog make it a classic of the ABBA repertoire.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to talk
I don't want to discuss our past relationship
About the things we've gone through
I don't want to talk about our shared experiences anymore
Though it's hurting me
But talking about it is painful for me
Now it's history
Let's leave the past in the past
I've played all my cards
I've tried everything I could
And that's what you've done too
And you've done the same
Nothing more to say
We have nothing left to say
No more ace to play
We have no more tricks up our sleeves
The winner takes it all
The person who comes out on top gets everything
The loser standing small
The person who loses feels defeated and insignificant
Beside the victory
In comparison to the winner
That's her destiny
That's just how it goes
I was in your arms
I felt safe and loved being with you
Thinking I belonged there
Thinking being with you was where I was meant to be
I figured it made sense
I believed it was logical and reasonable
Building me a fence
Building a boundary or barrier around myself
Building me a home
Trying to make a home with you
Thinking I'd be strong there
Believing that being with you would make me stronger
But I was a fool
But I was wrong
Playing by the rules
I did everything right
The gods may throw a dice
Life is unpredictable
Their minds as cold as ice
Life doesn't care about your feelings
And someone way down here
Someone insignificant like me
Loses someone dear
Loses someone they love
The winner takes it all
The person who wins gets everything
The loser has to fall
The person who loses deserves to fall
It's simple and it's plain
It's straightforward
Why should I complain
There's no point in complaining
But tell me does she kiss
But I want to know
Like I used to kiss you?
If she kisses you like I did
Does it feel the same
Do you feel the same way with her?
When she calls your name?
When she says your name
Somewhere deep inside
Deep down
You must know I miss you
You should know I still have feelings for you
But what can I say
But there's nothing else for me to say
Rules must be obeyed
I understand we can't change what happened
The judges will decide
Life will be the judge
The likes of me abide
People like me have to accept the outcome
Spectators of the show
We are observers of life
Always staying low
We stay out of the spotlight
The game is on again
Life goes on
A lover or a friend
Whether we are lovers or just friends
A big thing or a small
Whether it's a big deal or not
The winner takes it all
The person who comes out on top gets everything
I don't want to talk
I don't want to talk about it anymore
If it makes you feel sad
If talking about it makes you sad
And I understand
I understand how you feel
You've come to shake my hand
You've come to say goodbye
I apologize
I'm sorry
If it makes you feel bad
If you feel bad about it
Seeing me so tense
Seeing me so stressed out
No self-confidence
I don't have much confidence right now
But you see
But the reality is
The winner takes it all
The person who comes out on top gets everything
The winner takes it all
The person who comes out on top gets everything
So the winner takes it all
So the person who comes out on top gets everything
And the the loser has to fall
And the person who loses has to deal with the consequences
Throw a dice, cold as ice
Take your chances in life
Way down here, someone dear
Someone close to me
Takes it all, has to fall
The person who wins gets everything, and the person who loses has to deal with the consequences
It seems plain to me
It's clear to me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Benny Goran Bror Andersson, Bjoern K Ulvaeus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
On The Tools Canada
To this day, I've never heard someone sing it better.
She has such a raw power and emotion through the whole song.
And yes... I know the ENTIRE backstory.
My parents were hardcore Abba fans and I can't tell you how many road trips took place with the ABBA gold album in the CD player in the Safari. This will always be beautiful music.
FULL STOP
E. Davi
Ahhh magnífica Agnetha.
Que música, que emoção...
Tenho menos de 40 anos, não acompanhei o sucesso de vocês na integra mas sempre ouvi suas músicas.
E hoje em pleno 2023 sua canção vem em meu coração como se uma flecha perfurante fosse.
😢😢😢
Que emoção você passa.
Que momento em que você estava passando em sua vida particular...
😢😢😢😢
Hallnet Lan
The Winner Takes It All Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I don't wanna talk
About things we've gone through
Though it's hurting me, now it's history
I've played all my cards
And that's what you've done, too
Nothing more to say, no more ace to play
[Chorus]
The winner takes it all
The loser's standing small
Beside the victory
That's her destiny
[Verse 2]
I was in your arms
Thinking I belonged there
I figured it made sense, building me a fence
Building me a home
Thinking I'd be strong there
But I was a fool playing by the rules
[Chorus]
The gods may throw a dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear
The winner takes it all (Takes it all)
The loser has to fall (Has to fall)
It's simple and it's plain (It seems plain)
Why should I complain? (Why complain)
[Verse 3]
But tell me, does she kiss
Like I used to kiss you?
Does it feel the same when she calls your name?
Somewhere deep inside
You must know I miss you
But what can I say? Rules must be obeyed
[Chorus]
The judges will decide (They decide)
The likes of me abide (We abide)
Spectators of the show (Of the show)
Always staying low (Staying low)
The game is on again (On again)
A lover or a friend (Or a friend)
A big thing or a small (Big or small)
The winner takes it all (Takes it all)
[Verse 4]
I don't wanna talk
If it makes you feel sad
And I understand, you've come to shake my hand
I apologize
If it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense, no self-confidence
[Bridge]
But you see, the winner takes it all
The winner takes it all
[Outro]
(So the winner)
(Takes it all)
(And the loser)
(Has to fall)
(Throw a dice)
(Cold as ice)
(Way down here)
(Someone dear)
(Takes it all)
(Has to fall)
(It seems plain)
(Why complain)
Hermano Kevin
I was 17 when "The Winner Takes It All" was released, at the same time that I got my teenage heart broken. I think I wore out my cassette tape drowning in my melancholy. Years later my girlfriend and I reunited and we're happily married. I still love the song and appreciate the brilliance of ABBA now more than ever.
Danish Mapper
Beautiful story
Hick Hunter
Congrats....sounds like a fairy tale.
Gabriele B.
Congratulazioni
Syed Kazim Rizvi
You were the winner cause you took it all.
Robert Filg
Que momento mágico do Abba e aqui estamos em 2023 curtindo e revivendo o instante feliz que passamos.
André Kiko
Essa é mágica pra mim...está entre as melhores músicas que ouvi em minha vida...👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
George Parkin
Yes!!!!
Robert Filg
@George Parkin best so far
Robert Filg
@André Kiko beatfull