Bruised
Ben Folds Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh no, love just leaves you bruised
If you want to know,find something to lose
The world won't turn until something breaks
Who will make the first last mistake?
They say that good things come to those who wait

Into the spiral,your world and my world,it's never final
Love just leaves you bruised

I went because you said you'd be there
A box of candy,smoke in your hair
I didn't know,I didn't care
But now I know
bah bah bah bah bah bah
bah bah bah bah bah bah
bah bah bah bah bah
Love just leaves you bruised

Oh no,did love just leave you screwed?
You gotta go slow
Cause love just leaves you bruised

Into the spiral,your world or my world,it's never final
Love just leaves you bruised

I went because you said you'd be there
A box of candy,smoke in your hair
When I didn't know,I didn't care
But now I know
bah bah bah bah bah (x2)
Now I know
bah bah bah bah bah (x3)
Love just leaves you bruised
And I've got the scares to prove

I went because you said you'd be there
A box of candy,smoke in your hair
Explain it to me again and again
Like I care
Bah bah bah bah baahhh
Bah bah bah bah bah bah
Like I care
bah bah bah bah bah bah (x2)
Love just leaves you..
Bah bah bah bah bah

The world won't turn until something breaks
Who will make the first last mistake?
Good things come to those who wait
Well I can't wait

(Bah bah bah bah bah)
I went because you said you'd be there (Bah bah bah bah bah)
A box of candy smoke in your hair (Bah bah bah bah bah)
I didn't know,I didn't care (Bah bah bah bah bah)
But now I know





Bah bah bah bah bah. (x5)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ben Folds's song "Bruised" seem to be discussing the aftermath of a relationship that has ended or gone wrong. The lines "Oh no, love just leaves you bruised/If you want to know, find something to lose" suggest that the singer is speaking from a place of experience, cautioning others about the pain that comes with loving someone deeply. The phrase "find something to lose" implies that a person can only truly understand love's potential to hurt when they've invested something valuable in it and lost it.


The line "The world won't turn until something breaks" could be interpreted as a statement about the inevitability of change and the need for destruction to create something new. The lyrics "Who will make the first last mistake?/They say that good things come to those who wait" suggest that the singer is questioning who will be the one to end the relationship and wondering if it will be worth it in the end. The idea of waiting for good things to come may be a way of coping with the pain of lost love, but the singer seems to reject it in the final verse with the line "Well, I can't wait."


There is a sense of inevitability to the lyrics, as if the singer knows that love will always be painful but is unable to resist its power. The repetition of the phrase "Love just leaves you bruised" emphasizes this idea, as if the singer is trying to convince themselves as much as anyone else. The chorus, with its descending melody and mournful chords, reinforces the feeling of sadness and heartbreak.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh no, love just leaves you bruised
Being in love can often lead to getting hurt emotionally


If you want to know,find something to lose
To truly understand the consequences of love, one must first lose something in order to gain perspective


The world won't turn until something breaks
The world and people in it often need something to go wrong in order to provoke change or progress


Who will make the first last mistake?
In a relationship, it can be hard to determine who will be the first one to make a mistake that ultimately leads to the end of the relationship


They say that good things come to those who wait
Patience is key when it comes to waiting for good things in life


Into the spiral,your world and my world,it's never final
The path of a relationship is never a straight line and there will be ups and downs along the way


I went because you said you'd be there
The singer went to meet someone because they promised they would be there


A box of candy,smoke in your hair
The artist describes their encounter with the person they were supposed to meet, noting that they had candy and smoke in their hair


I didn't know,I didn't care
At the time, the artist did not know or care about the consequences of what happened next


But now I know
The artist has gained perspective since the event took place


Love just leaves you bruised
Love can be difficult and often leads to emotional hurt and pain


Oh no,did love just leave you screwed?
The artist questions whether or not the other person was also hurt by the situation


You gotta go slow
The singer suggests taking things slowly in love to avoid getting too hurt


Into the spiral,your world or my world,it's never final
The path of love is unpredictable and can lead to a spiral of events that are hard to control


And I've got the scares to prove
The scars on the singer's heart prove the emotional pain they have gone through as a result of love


Explain it to me again and again / Like I care
The artist is asking the other person to explain what happened, but deep down they don't really care


The world won't turn until something breaks / Who will make the first last mistake? / Good things come to those who wait / Well I can't wait
The artist laments the fact that sometimes it takes something to go wrong for things to move forward, but they can't wait for something to happen


Bah bah bah bah bah (x5)
The refrain of the song that serves as a reminder of the emotional pain that comes with love




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Stephanie Meijer

Wow 2 years ago was the last time someone commented on this song. It's a shame Ben Folds is so unpopular. He's so good at making songs that actually MEAN something instead of the standard pop-songs nowadays.

Pablo Fingers

one of the best songwriters of all time. imhop.

Fluent Blasphemy

Wow 1 years ago was the last time someone commented on this song. It's a shame Ben Folds is so unpopular. He's so good at making songs that actually MEAN something instead of the standard pop-songs nowadays.

;D

(Timeless comment bro)

B

Jos Meijer I so agree!!!!

Donald Halas

You can't say Ben Folds is unpopular, he's not. Perhaps he isn't a superstar but there are people world wide that love his music and respect the man and the musician. I believe he's at a place he's happy with. He sells out most performances albeit he's not the featured artist at stadiums. His audience is as devoted and involved. The music he creates and performs is the music he wants. Yes, I agree sometimes I'm blown away the people who don't recognize the name, but to those that do...

Mary Tansey

2 years later than you. Hella sad. This song is timeless. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

2 More Replies...

bonzaboy

Most people don't know this, but Ben Lee actually wrote this song. I loved their collaboration as The Bens. :)

DD Bauer

One of my favorite songwriters. I don't follow as much as I should...Knocks it out of the park on this one

Hatless

This song is really nostalgic for me.

d. neujahr

not just one of Ben Folds best-one of the best songs period..

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