'Elephant', the lead single taken from Alexandra's forthcoming second album… Read Full Bio ↴'Elephant', the lead single taken from Alexandra's forthcoming second album, looked set to become her 7th UK hit on release in March 2012. The dancefloor vibe is provided by the legendary Colombian/American house DJ Erick Morillo, best known for his massive international hit 'I Like To Move It'.

Elephant
Alexandra Burke Lyrics

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You wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it,
Wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it,
Eh, eh, eh
You wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it,
Wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it,
Eh, eh, eh

How you doing? How was your day?

Small talk, small talk, you wanna play?
You getting further, further away,
No kiss No hug Just blank

And I just can't figure out,
How it all turned upside down
And when I look at you right now, it's strange 'cause

I know something's going on
That's going on with you
I think you should tell me
You got nothing left to lose

Ah, there's an elephant, standing in the room
Ah, though we're all alone,
It's not just me and you

You wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it
Wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it (eh, eh, eh)
You wanna talk, you wanna talk about it
There's an elephant in the room

Oh, you wanna, wanna explain
Well your talk is cheap cheap just saying
You say you're sorry, say you're to blame,
And you're promising, you swear you'll change

And I just can't figure out,
How it all turned upside down
And when I look at you right now, it's strange 'cause

I know something's going on
That's going on with you
I think you should tell me
You got nothing left to lose

Ah, there's an elephant standing in the room
Ah, though we're all alone,
It's not just me and you

You wanna talk, you wanna talk about it
Wanna talk, you wanna talk about it (eh, eh, eh)
You wanna talk, you wanna talk about it
There's an elephant in the room

And it's crushing me, there's no room to breathe
Got me backed against the wall, like that
And I just can't see, 'cause it's blinding me
Coming closer, I can't relax

(oh, ah)

You wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it
Wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it (eh, eh, eh)
You wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it

Wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it (eh, eh, eh)
There's an elephant in the room

Overall Meaning

The song "Elephant" by Alexandra Burke is about a complicated relationship. The lyrics describe a situation where there's an unspoken issue between two people, represented by the metaphorical "elephant in the room." The singer is trying to get the other person to open up and talk about what's going on, but they're being evasive and distant. The lyrics suggest that this avoidance is causing the singer stress and anxiety, which is illustrated through the lines "And it's crushing me, there's no room to breathe, Got me backed against the wall, like that, And I just can't see, 'cause it's blinding me, Coming closer, I can't relax."

The use of the elephant metaphor is powerful because it conveys the idea that the issue is too large and too obvious to ignore, yet it remains unaddressed. The song is ultimately about the difficulty of confrontation and the fear of being vulnerable with another person. In this case, the elephant in the room is the unspoken conflict that the two people are struggling with, and the singer is urging the other person to acknowledge it and talk about it in order to move forward.

Line by Line Meaning

You wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it,
Would you like to discuss the issue at hand?

Wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it,
Are you willing to communicate openly?

Eh, eh, eh

How you doing? How was your day?
How are you feeling and how was your day?

Small talk, small talk, you wanna play?
Superficial conversation, would you like to engage in it?

You getting further, further away,
You're becoming more distant.

No kiss No hug Just blank
You're being cold and distant with no affection.

And I just can't figure out,
I can't understand why things have changed.

How it all turned upside down
How it all took an unexpected turn.

And when I look at you right now, it's strange 'cause
It's strange to look at you now because something seems off.

I know something's going on
I sense that something is happening.

That's going on with you
That is related to you.

I think you should tell me
I believe you should confide in me about it.

You got nothing left to lose
You have nothing to lose by opening up to me.

Ah, there's an elephant, standing in the room
There's an important issue that nobody wants to talk about.

Ah, though we're all alone,
Although we're alone together.

It's not just me and you
There are other factors at play.

Oh, you wanna, wanna explain
You want to explain yourself.

Well your talk is cheap cheap just saying
Your words are insincere, you're just saying what I want to hear.

You say you're sorry, say you're to blame,
You apologize and take responsibility.

And you're promising, you swear you'll change
You're making a promise to change your behavior.

And it's crushing me, there's no room to breathe
The situation is overwhelming, and I feel suffocated.

Got me backed against the wall, like that
I feel cornered like a trapped animal.

And I just can't see, 'cause it's blinding me
I'm unable to see the whole picture because of this issue.

Coming closer, I can't relax
The issue is getting closer and more urgent, and I can't calm down.

There's an elephant in the room
There's a significant problem that is being ignored.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRITTANY MARIE BURTON, ERICK A. MORILLO, HARRY ROMERO, JOSE NUNEZ, JOSH WILKINSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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