Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Bob Crosby and His Orchestra Lyrics
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You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
I forgive you, 'cause I can't forget you
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
I ought to cross you off my list
But when you come a-knocking at my door
Fate seems to give my heart a twist
I should hate you, but I guess I love you
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
The devil and the deep blue sea
In Bob Crosby and His Orchestra's song "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," the singer expresses conflicted emotions about a past relationship. The singer claims to not want their love interest anymore, but also can't bear the thought of losing them. They feel trapped in their emotions, saying that they are in between the devil and the deep blue sea, a metaphor for being stuck in a difficult situation with no easy way out. The singer forgives their love interest for whatever hurt they caused in the past, but they also can't forget what happened.
Despite wanting to move on from their love interest, the singer can't help but feel pulled back into their orbit whenever they come around. They acknowledge that they should hate their love interest, but they can't help but love them. The overall sentiment of the song is that of being stuck in a difficult and complex emotional situation.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want you, but I'd hate to lose you
I don't really have romantic feelings for you, but I don't want to lose you as a friend either.
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
You've made me feel trapped in a difficult situation with no easy way out.
I forgive you, 'cause I can't forget you
Even though you've hurt me, I can't seem to let go of my feelings for you.
I ought to cross you off my list
I should remove you completely from my life.
But when you come a-knocking at my door
But when you come back into my life.
Fate seems to give my heart a twist
It seems like destiny is making things complicated in my love life.
And I come running back for more
And I always end up coming back to you, no matter how much it hurts.
I should hate you, but I guess I love you
I know I should hate you for hurting me, but I still have feelings for you.
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
You're making me feel like I have to choose between two difficult options.
The devil and the deep blue sea
A metaphor for being trapped between two difficult choices or situations.
Writer(s): Arlen Harold, Koehler Ted
Contributed by Madelyn T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.