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You Keep It All In
Beautiful South And The Housemartins Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

You know your problem
You keep it all in
You know your problem
You keep it all in

That's right
The conversation we had last night
When all I wanted to do was knife you in the heart
I kept it all in

You know your problem
You keep it all in
You know your problem
You keep it all in

Midnight, a husband getting ready to fight
A daughter sleeps alone with the light turned on, she hears
But keeps it all in

Just like that murder in '73
Just like that robbery in '62
With all these things that have happened to me
I've kept them all in
So why do you keep on telling me now?

You know your problem
You keep it all in
You know your problem
You keep it all in

That's sweet
That conversation we had last week
When you gagged and bound me up to my seat
You're right, I do
I keep it all in

Just like that murder in '73
Just like that robbery in '62
With all these things that have happened to me
I've kept them all in, I kept it all in
I kept it all in (ba badaba ba)
I kept it all in (ba badaba ba)
I kept it all in (ba badaba ba)
I kept it all in (ba badaba ba)
I kept it all in, now, now, now, people (ba badaba ba)
I kept it all in (ba badaba ba)
I kept it all in, now, now, now, people (ba badaba ba)
I kept it all in, alright (ba badaba ba)

Overall Meaning

The song "You Keep It All In" by the Beautiful South and The Housemartins delves into the theme of hidden emotions and the consequences of not expressing oneself. The opening lines, "You know your problem, You keep it all in", directly refer to a person who is keeping all their emotions bottled up inside. The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the significance of the problem, and the tone of the song indicates that it is a serious issue.


The following lines describe a conversation that the singer had with someone who he/she wanted to hurt 'Knife you in the heart', but chose not to express those feelings outwardly 'I kept it all in'. The song's theme is reiterated in the next verse where a scenario of a husband preparing to fight his wife and daughter dealing with it by suppressing her emotions is described. The song then refers to several real-life incidents of murders and robberies and how the singer has kept it all in like others.


Through the lyrics, the song highlights the unhealthy impact of suppressing emotions and the danger of not communicating one's feelings. Ultimately, the song is a reminder of the imperative need to open up and share feelings, rather than keeping everything inside and suffering in silence.


Line by Line Meaning

You know your problem
You are aware of your problem


You keep it all in
You don't express your feelings or emotions


That's right
Acknowledgement of a fact


The conversation we had last night
Referring to the previous discussion


When all I wanted to do was
Describing a different intent


Knife you in the heart
Metaphor for expressing anger


I kept it all in
I didn't speak out my anger or frustration


Midnight, a husband getting ready to fight
Narrating a scene where a husband is angry


A daughter sleeps alone with the light
Painting a picture of a scared daughter


Turned on, she bears but
She tries to deal with her fear


Keeps it all in
She doesn't speak out about her fear


Just like that murder in '73
Reference to an old murder case


Just like that robbery in '62
Reference to an old robbery case


With all there things that have happened to me
Narrating past events that affected the singer


I kept it all in
The singer didn't express their emotions about the past events


Why do you keep on telling me now
Questioning why the person is bringing this up now


That's sweet
Sarcastic response


That conversation we had last week
Referring to a previous conversation


When you gagged and bound me up to my seat
Describing a violent event


You're right, I do
Agreeing to a statement


I keep it all in
The artist doesn't express their emotions or feelings




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Dave Rotheray, Paul David Heaton

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@patrycjabanaszak5820

You know your problem
You keep it all in
You know your problem
You keep it all in
That's right
The conversation we had last night
When all I wanted to do was
Knife you in the heart
I kept it all in
You know your problem
You keep it all in
You know your problem
You keep it all in
Midnight, a husband getting ready to fight
A daughter sleeps alone with the light
Turned on, she bears but
Keeps it all in
Just like that murder in '73
Just like that robbery in '62
With all there things that have happened to me
I kept it all in
Why do you keep on telling me now
You know your problem
You keep it all in
You know your problem
You keep it all in
That's sweet
That conversation we had last week
When you gagged and bound me up to my seat
You're right, I do
I keep it all in



All comments from YouTube:

@Donna.M

Still listening to this brilliant track in 2023 we drive everywhere blasting carry on up the charts out. They don't make music like this anymore would love to have seen them live. If they ever made a come back one last tour I would be there. ❤

@LHC-mx6ru

The South do a good job now, just saw them at Rewind

@Donna.M

@LHC-mx6ru  yeah I found out last minute Paul Heaton was performing at Newcastle arena they were brilliant got a pal to get me some videos. Gutted I missed the show.

@mattsearle1

Saw (a version of) them at Glastonbury 2022 and they were unbelievable. Billed as Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbot, but yeah they just played all the Beautiful South bangers with a couple of Housemartin's tunes thrown in. They cancelled the kids due to Jacquie's health, but if they do it again look out for it.

@timvoridis1120

The lyrics of their songs are as sharp as a razor blade. An unforgettable, joyful and playful tune of the late '80s-early '90s.

@williamveres2737

Sharper !

@nickcytacki2178

Good old bit of English Wit throughout

@jacksingh4033

Music hold no barriers my favourite song

@carolinejones9687

Nnbbp

@charlesmcwilliam5785

Well said my friend xx

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