Unravel
Bjork Lyrics


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While you are away
My heart comes undone
Slowly unravels
In a ball of yarn

The devil collects it
With a grin
Our love
In a ball of yarn

He'll never return it
So when you come back
We'll have to make new love

He'll never return it
When you come back
We'll have to make new love

While you are away
My heart comes undone
Slowly unravels
In a ball of yarn

The devil collects it
With a grin
Our love, our love
In a ball of yarn

He'll never return it
When you come back
We'll have to make new love

He'll never return it
When you come back
We'll have to make new love

Oh he'll, he'll never return it
When you come back
Encapsulate a little thing
We'll have to make new love
He'll never return it




When you come back
We'll have to make new love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Unravel" by Björk explore the concept of a love that has been taken away and replaced with something else entirely. The song describes how the singer's heart comes undone while her loved one is away, and slowly unravels like a ball of yarn being pulled apart. In her absence, the devil collects their "love" in this ball of yarn, suggesting that their connection has been twisted and distorted by outside forces.


Björk's use of metaphor is powerful in this song. The ball of yarn becomes a symbol for their love, which has been tangled up and kept by an evil force. The devil collects it with a grin, almost enjoying their heartbreak and pain. His possession of their love means that they will have to start again, and create new love when they are finally reunited. The repetition of this final phrase emphasizes the enormity of what they have lost, and the challenge of starting again from scratch.


Overall, "Unravel" is a powerful meditation on the fragility of love, and the way that it can be taken away by circumstances beyond our control. The song reflects on the pain of losing someone we care deeply about, and the challenge of starting over when we are used to something familiar and comforting.


Line by Line Meaning

While you are away
During your absence


My heart comes undone
My emotions become unsettled


Slowly unravels
Gradually falls apart


In a ball of yarn
Like a tangled mess of thread


The devil collects it
Negative forces take control


With a grin
Happily


Our love
The connection between us


He'll never return it
It's gone forever


So when you come back
In the future


We'll have to make new love
We will need to start fresh


Oh he'll, he'll never return it
It's lost forever


Encapsulate a little thing
We will need to rebuild something small


We'll have to make new love
We will need to start over again




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Guy Sigsworth, Bjork Gudmundsdottir

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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