Heartless
♫ Kanye West Lyrics


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In the night, I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul to a woman so heartless
How could you be so heartless?
Oh, how could you be so heartless?

How could you be so, cold as the winter wind when it breeze, yo
Just remember that you talkin' to me though
You know need to watch the way you talkin' to me, yo
I mean after all the things that we've been through
I mean after all the things we got into
Hey yo, I know of some things that you ain't told me
Hey yo, I did some things but that's the old me
And now you wanna get me back and you goin' show me
So you walk around like you don't know me
You got a new friend, well I got homies
But in the end it's still so lonely

In the night, I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul to a woman so heartless
How could you be so heartless?
Oh, how could you be so heartless?

How could be so Dr. Evil, you bringin' out a side of me that I don't know
I decided we weren't goin' speak so
Why we up three A.M. on the phone
Why does she be so mad at me for
Homie I don't know, she's hot and cold
I won't stop, I won't mess my groove up
Cause I already know how this thing go
You run and tell your friends that you're leaving me
They say that they don't see what you see in me
You wait a couple months then you gon' see
You'll never find nobody better than me

In the night, I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul to a woman so heartless
How could you be so heartless?
Oh, how could you be so heartless?

Talkin', talkin', talkin', talk
Baby let's just knock it off
They don't know what we been through
They don't know 'bout me and you
So I got something new to see
And you just goin' keep hatin' me
And we just goin' be enemies
I know you can't believe
I could just leave it wrong
And you can't make it right
I'm goin' take off tonight
Into the night

In the night, I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul to a woman so heartless




How could you be so heartless?
Oh, how could you be so heartless?

Overall Meaning

In “Heartless,” Kanye West reflects on his heartbreak from a past relationship. He addresses the pain he felt in losing himself to a woman who was heartless and showed no mercy towards him. He begins by acknowledging the rumors that he hears about his ex-partner talking behind his back, leading into describing the relationship as the coldest story ever told. The repetition of the line “How could you be so heartless?” emphasizes the hurt and confusion he feels towards his former lover.


As the song progresses, Kanye delves further into his emotions, expressing the conflicting feelings he has towards his ex-girlfriend. He mentions the moments they shared, both good and bad, and acknowledges the things that he did which may have contributed to the downfall of the relationship. However, he also recognizes that he has moved on and has heard that his ex-partner has moved on too, making their reconciliation impossible. Toward the end of the song Kanye states that he will leave everything behind and move on.


Overall, “Heartless” explores themes of heartbreak, betrayal, and letting go. Kanye shows his vulnerability through his lyrics, conveying raw emotions of pain and hurt that many listeners can relate to.


Line by Line Meaning

In the night, I hear 'em talk
When everyone else is asleep, I hear rumors and gossip about me.


The coldest story ever told
This is the saddest and most painful story I have ever experienced.


Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul to a woman so heartless
At some point on my journey, I gave my heart to a woman who ended up being cruel and unfeeling.


How could you be so heartless?
I can't believe how cruel and unsympathetic you are.


Oh, how could you be so heartless?
I'm still in shock at how unfeeling and uncompassionate you've been.


How could you be so, cold as the winter wind when it breeze, yo
You're being as emotionally distant and uncaring as the icy winter wind.


Just remember that you talkin' to me though
Don't forget that you're speaking to me directly.


You know need to watch the way you talkin' to me, yo
Be more mindful of how you talk to me.


I mean after all the things that we've been through
Considering how much we've been through together.


I mean after all the things we got into
With all the crazy situations we've been through.


Hey yo, I know of some things that you ain't told me
I'm aware of some things you haven't shared with me.


Hey yo, I did some things but that's the old me
I made some mistakes, but that's not who I am anymore.


And now you wanna get me back and you goin' show me
You're trying to make me jealous and pay for what I've done.


So you walk around like you don't know me
You act like we're strangers and you don't recognize me anymore.


You got a new friend, well I got homies
You may have a new friend, but I have loyal friends who've always been there for me.


But in the end it's still so lonely
Despite having friends, I still feel very alone and hurt from our past relationship.


How could you be so Dr. Evil, you bringin' out a side of me that I don't know
You're making me act like a villain, revealing a new and unpleasant side of me.


I decided we weren't goin' speak so
I thought we had stopped speaking to each other.


Why we up three A.M. on the phone
Why are we still up talking in the middle of the night?


Why does she be so mad at me for
Why is she always so angry with me?


Homie I don't know, she's hot and cold
I don't have the answer, she's unpredictable and inconsistent.


I won't stop, I won't mess my groove up
I won't let this turmoil disrupt my life and happiness.


Cause I already know how this thing go
I'm familiar with how these types of relationships usually end.


You run and tell your friends that you're leaving me
You immediately went and told your friends that you were breaking up with me.


They say that they don't see what you see in me
Your friends don't understand why you were dating me in the first place.


You wait a couple months then you gon' see
After a few months, you'll realize that you won't find someone else as good as me.


You'll never find nobody better than me
You'll never find someone who treats you as well as I did.


Baby let's just knock it off
Let's stop this arguing and bickering.


They don't know what we been through
Other people don't know the hardships and pain we've faced in this relationship.


They don't know 'bout me and you
Only we truly understand the intricacies and nuances of our relationship.


So I got something new to see
I'm moving on to new experiences in my life.


And you just goin' keep hatin' me
You're going to continue hating and holding a grudge against me.


And we just goin' be enemies
We're never going to be able to mend our relationship and will remain enemies.


I know you can't believe
I'm aware that you're struggling to believe this is the end of our relationship.


I could just leave it wrong
I could just leave without repairing our relationship or apologizing.


And you can't make it right
There's nothing you can do to fix our broken relationship at this point.


I'm goin' take off tonight
I'm leaving tonight and moving on from our relationship.


Into the night
I'm leaving under the cover of night, without notice or explanation.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Benjamin Hudson McIldowie, Ernest Dion Wilson, Jeffrey Bhasker, Kanye Omari West, Malik Yusef El Shabazz Jones, Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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