Ditto came to wider public attention in November 2006 when she was selected by NME as the coolest person in rock - placing at number one in the magazine's annual Cool List. The magazine cited her 'non-conformity' as the reason for her selection - she is a lesbian, an outspoken advocate of gay rights, and a punk.
Her debut release was the self-titled EP, "Beth Ditto", in 2011.
In 2017, her newest album "Fake Sugar" came out.
I Wrote the Book
Beth Ditto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell you secrets I never tell
We pretend, it's all okay
But there's one thing we never say
The world is full of good intentions
Paradise is hard to find
Say they love you but they don't mention
Who they were with again last night
Forgive, forget, I wrote the book
Keeping secrets, I wrote the book on it don't test me
Heartbreak and then some, tell me where is a friend when you need one
Before you take a second look, remember I know every trick in the book
It never stops around the clock
When I'm there, you speak so soft
The runaround will wear you out
You break it off, I'll break you down
The world is full of good intentions
Paradise is full of lies
Tell you they love you but fail to mention
Who they were with again last night
Cheating, sneaking, I wrote the book
Begging, pleading, I wrote the book
Lying, crying, I wrote the book on it don't test me
Heartbreak and there's some, tell me where is a friend when you need one
Before you take a second look, remember I know every trick in the book
Heartbreak and there's some, tell me where is a friend when you need one
Before you take a second look, remember I know every trick in the book
I wrote the book, I wrote the book, I wrote the book on it don't test me
I wrote the book on it don't test me now
I wrote the book on it.
The song "I Wrote the Book" by Beth Ditto is about a person who knows their partner's every move and every trick in the book. The song starts with the singer admitting to putting their partner on a pedestal and treating them well, but they both pretend everything is okay without addressing the fact that their partner cheats on them. The chorus talks about how the world is full of good intentions but paradise (a happy relationship) is hard to find because people cheat and keep secrets. The singer then asserts that they wrote the book on revenge, regret, keeping secrets, and every other aspect of a failed relationship.
The second verse warns the cheating partner that they should not test the singer because they know every trick in the book. Additionally, the singer explains that their partner speaks very softly when they are together, but they would wear them out with the runaround. The chorus repeats the message that the singer knows every trick in the book and asks where friends are when heartbreak happens.
Overall, the song is a warning to a cheating partner that the singer is aware of their tricks and won't hesitate to use their knowledge against them. It's a powerful message about taking control of a situation and protecting oneself from heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
I put you up, I treat you well
I had high expectations for you and I put in effort to make sure you were taken care of
Tell you secrets I never tell
I trusted you enough to tell you things I normally wouldn't tell anyone else
We pretend, it's all okay
We act like everything is fine when there are really issues that we're avoiding
But there's one thing we never say
There's one important topic that we never discuss or acknowledge
The world is full of good intentions
People often have good intentions but it doesn't always translate into actions
Paradise is hard to find
True happiness and contentment can be difficult to achieve
Say they love you but they don't mention
People can claim to love you but not be truthful about their actions
Who they were with again last night
They may be cheating or secretly seeing someone else
Revenge, regret, I wrote the book
I have a lot of experience with seeking revenge and feeling regretful and have written about it extensively
Forgive, forget, I wrote the book
I've also written about the importance of forgiveness and letting go of grudges
Keeping secrets, I wrote the book on it don't test me
I am an expert at keeping secrets and should not be tested or tempted to reveal anything confidential
Heartbreak and then some, tell me where is a friend when you need one
Experiencing heartbreak and other difficult situations can make you feel lonely and wonder where your friends are
Before you take a second look, remember I know every trick in the book
Think twice before trying to deceive me or use any tricks, as I am wise to all of them
The runaround will wear you out
Being given the runaround, or being constantly misled or distracted, can be exhausting
You break it off, I'll break you down
If you try to end things, I will use my knowledge and experience to make you feel bad and regret your decision
Paradise is full of lies
The idea of paradise, whether in relationships or other aspects of life, can be misleading and untrue
Cheating, sneaking, I wrote the book
I am very familiar with the topics of cheating and sneaking around and have written about them at length
Begging, pleading, I wrote the book
I have also written about begging and pleading, either from personal experience or observations of others
Lying, crying, I wrote the book on it don't test me
I am knowledgeable about lying and the emotions that come with it, and should not be tested or challenged on this topic
I wrote the book, I wrote the book, I wrote the book on it don't test me
I am an expert on these topics and should not be underestimated or challenged
I wrote the book on it don't test me now
I am confident in my knowledge and experience and don't want to be tempted to prove it
I wrote the book on it
I have extensive knowledge and experience in these areas
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BETH DITTO, JAMES ANTHONY SHAW, JAMES ELLIS FORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Cabal
I put you up, I treat you well
Tell you secrets I never tell
We pretend, it's all okay
But there's one thing we never say
The world is full of good intentions
Paradise is hard to find
Say they love you but they don't mention
Who they were with again last night
Revenge, regret, I wrote the book
Forgive, forget, I wrote the book
Keeping secrets, I wrote the book on it don't test me
Heartbreak and then some, tell me where is a friend when you need one
Before you take a second look, remember I know every trick in the book
It never stops around the clock
When I'm there, you speak so soft
The runaround will wear you out
You break it off, I'll break you down
The world is full of good intentions
Paradise is full of lies
Tell you they love you but fail to mention
Who they were with again last night
Cheating, sneaking, I wrote the book
Begging, pleading, I wrote the book
Lying, crying, I wrote the book on it don't test me
Heartbreak and there's some, tell me where is a friend when you need one
Before you take a second look, remember I know every trick in the book
Heartbreak and there's some, tell me where is a friend when you need one
Before you take a second look, remember I know every trick in the book
I wrote the book, I wrote the book, I wrote the book on it don't test me
I wrote the book on it don't test me now
I wrote the book on it.
Rudy Hooghoff
Beth Ditto - I Wrote The Book
I put you up, I treat you well
Tell you secrets, I never tell
We pretend, it's all ok
But there's one thing we never say
The world is full of good intentions
Paradise is hard to find
Say they love you, but they don't mention
Who they were with again last night
Revenge, regret, I wrote the book
Forgive, forget, I wrote the book
Keeping secrets, I wrote the book
Only don't test me
Heartbreak and then some
Tell me where is a friend when you need one
Before you take a second look
Remember I know every trick in the book
It never stops, around the clock
When I'm there, you speak so soft
The run around, will wear you out
You break it off, I'll break you down
The world is full of good intentions
Paradise is full of lies
Tell you they love you, but fail to mention
Who they were with again last night
Cheating, sneaking, I wrote the book
Begging, pleading, I wrote the book
Lying, crying, I wrote the book
Only don't test me
Heartbreak and then some
Tell me where is a friend when you need one
Before you take a second look
Remember I know every trick in the book
Heartbreak and then some
Tell me where is a friend when you need one
Before you take a second look
Remember I know every trick in the book
I wrote the book, I wrote the book
I wrote the book, only protest me
I wrote the book, only protest me now
I wrote the book, only
Willy Nilly
I’ll never understand why this wasn’t a massive hit
Vex
It has 4'9 milions views
Willy Nilly
@Vex Views do not equal a hit song
Anthony BabyBlue
It was at shopping malls
NukaKoala
...because she's not beyonce I guess xD
go ѕĸaтe
it was, all over europe...
Jeffrey Panko
Great tribute to Madonna, obviously stated, and well delivered. Awesome song. This is how you pay homage to the queen while artistically being yourself. A lot of other current artists could learn something here.
Ryan N
This shit was so ahead of its time while still paying homage to iconic artists from the 90’s. What a masterpiece. Top notch production too.
Alys Marcus
heck - artists of the late 70's , early 80's too, depending on your crowd
LohengrinTh
this girl resonates positiveness and rhythm, she is fabulous