Beating of Hearts
Andy Partridge/XTC Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every morning from your bed
A-coming from the farthest hillside
A-coming from inside your head
You have heard
You have heard the loudest sound
In this and every world you can think of
[Chorus:]
Louder than tanks on the highway
Louder than bombers in flight
Louder than noises of hatred
Dancing us from darkest night is the rhythm of love
Powered on the the beating of hearts
And did you know you had this power?
Drumming on it always stays
Never try to use it badly
Tunes of good are all it plays
You have heard
You have heard the loudest sound
In this and every world you can visit
[Chorus]
For a heart without love is a song with no words
And a tune to which no-one is listening
So your heart must give love and you'll find that
You shine like rain on the leaves you'll be glistening
You have heard
You have heard the loudest sound
In this and every world you can think of
Louder than thoughts of dictators
Louder than rattling swords
Louder than loading of rifles
Louder than screaming warlords
[Chorus]
The song begins by asking the listener if they are aware of the noise that wakes them up every morning from the farthest hillside, but actually comes from inside their head. This noise turns out to be the beating of their heart, which is described as the loudest sound in every world one can think of. The chorus emphasizes the power of the rhythm of love and the beating of hearts, which is louder than even the most violent and destructive forces, such as tanks on the highway, bombers in flight, and the noises of hatred dancing us from the darkest night. The power of love is said to be powered on the beating of hearts.
The second verse encourages the listener to use this power only for good, as their heart is always drumming on and tunes of good are all it plays. The chorus is repeated, with an additional verse emphasizing the importance of love in one's life. A heart without love is described as a song with no words and a tune to which no one is listening. Only when one's heart gives love, will they shine like rain on the leaves and be glistening. The final verse declares that the beating of hearts and rhythm of love are louder than dictators' thoughts, rattling swords, loading rifles, and even the screaming warlords.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you know what noise awakes you
Are you aware of the sound that wakes you up every morning?
Every morning from your bed
The sound is coming from outside yet feels like it's inside your head while you are still in bed.
A-coming from the farthest hillside
The sound comes from a distant place.
A-coming from inside your head
But it feels like it was always there, inside your head.
You have heard
This isn't new, you have heard the loudest sound.
You have heard the loudest sound
It's the most powerful sound you could think of or hear in any world, depicted with metaphors of loud, hostile objects.
In this and every world you can think of
This sound is so powerful that it transcends worlds and is a universal experience.
Louder than tanks on the highway
The sound is even louder than the tanks on a highway.
Louder than bombers in flight
It's louder than fighter planes flying overhead or dropping bombs.
Louder than noises of hatred
The sound drowns out the noise of hate speech that spreads negativity.
Dancing us from darkest night is the rhythm of love
This powerful, universal beat is a rhythm of love that has the ability to keep our spirits high and push us beyond our gloomiest times.
Powered on the the beating of hearts
The rhythm of love is powered by the beating of hearts, which is a symbol of life and vitality.
And did you know you had this power?
Do you ever realize that you have this immense power inside of you?
Drumming on it always stays
This power connects with your heart's rhythm and stays with you always.
Never try to use it badly
Don't ever misuse this power, instead channel it positively.
Tunes of good are all it plays
Let the rhythm of love play only the tunes of goodness, kindness, and compassion by your actions and words.
For a heart without love is a song with no words
A heart devoid of love is like a quiet song with no lyrics that is just a mere sound of silence.
And a tune to which no-one is listening
The sound of silence that is your life without love falls on deaf ears.
So your heart must give love and you'll find that
Make your heart dispense love and witness how effortlessly you shine and glow.
You shine like rain on the leaves you'll be glistening
Your love is like the rain on the leaves, making everything around you glisten with a new life and hope.
Louder than thoughts of dictators
The rhythm of love silences even the most powerful, evil thoughts of oppressive people.
Louder than rattling swords
It's even stronger than the sound of warriors' swords that they unsheathe in times of war.
Louder than loading of rifles
It drowns out the sound of loading rifles and prepares for killing people.
Louder than screaming warlords
For the warlords who scream their authority, the rhythm of love is louder than their screams.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the powerful, transformative message of love's rhythm.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANDY PARTRIDGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind