Novocaine
Bon Jovi Lyrics


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You can take back all your secrets
We'll divide up all the lies
Keep all the pictures in their frames
Just cut me out, yeah, I'll be fine
Sell the neighbors all my feelings
Go on give away my pride
It's hard to laugh and cry, live and die every night
Keep your Rolodex of friends
And all the remnants can be mind
I guess there'll be no happy endings
When â??once uponâ?? is doing time
There's a different kind of meaning now
To livin' on a prayer
Some don't seem to notice
And the rest don't seem to care

I tell myself I (feel no pain)
But I'm feeling the pain (walk away)
Can't walk away
I'm hanging on the ropes of hope
It's getting hard to cope you know
When you're the needle running through my veins
I've changed my name to novocaine

You put my favorite belongings in a box in the garage (let's get this straight)
You burned my favorite sweats from high school
Tried to sell my muscle car (that's not OK)
You're mother's gonna visit for a couple months this year
They say you do the crime, you do the time
It's all so clear

I tell my self I (feel no pain)
But I'm feeling the paint (walk away)
Can't walk away
I'm hanging on the ropes of hope
It's getting hard to cope you know
When you're the needle that's running through my veins
I've changed my name to Novocaine (feel no pain)
Novocaine

Well things ain't what they used to be




It's a sleepless, self-help century
I'm up to here with Dr. Phil and the modern man in meâ?¦

Overall Meaning

The song "Novocaine" by Bon Jovi speaks about a heartbreak caused by a betrayal. The singer is asking his former lover to take back all of their shared secrets and lies, as well as all the pictures where they appear together. He tells her to keep his feelings away and to give away his pride. He acknowledges that when a happy ending is not possible, it is painful to live on hope. The singer seems to be in denial about the pain he's feeling, perhaps from the drugs he's using – he mentions he's changed his name to Novocaine. He describes his life as a "sleepless, self-help century", where the only survival is to believe in hope, but it's increasingly becoming hard for him to cope.


The lyrics of this song compare a feeling of betrayal to the numbing sensation of being under anesthesia. The term Novocaine is the name of a painkiller drug used by many dentists to numb the patient's mouth. The song starts with an acknowledgment that the secrets that were shared between the pair were secrets no more. The singer wants all their lies to be divided among them while keeping all the pictures, only cutting him out of them. He shows no concern for any of the objects that were owned mutually. However, the result of the betrayal is the most painful for him. He can barely keep up with the daily struggles of living, and he's hanging on to hope, which is slowly slipping away.


Line by Line Meaning

You can take back all your secrets
You are searching for a way to start fresh and renew your relationship, so I am willing to let go of your past secrets and mistakes.


We'll divide up all the lies
We should openly discuss and acknowledge the falsehoods in our relationship and split the responsibility for them.


Keep all the pictures in their frames
We should maintain the happy memories we once shared and not dwell on the mistakes or conflicts that have arisen.


Just cut me out, yeah, I'll be fine
If ending our relationship is the best course forward, I will try to accept it and move on without you.


Sell the neighbors all my feelings
I am hesitant to open up emotionally anymore, so you might as well give my feelings away to whoever wants them.


Go on give away my pride
I am willing to swallow my pride if it means coming to an understanding with you and finding some common ground.


It's hard to laugh and cry, live and die every night
Our relationship has become a constant emotional struggle and it feels like it is taking a toll on both of our mental wellbeing.


Keep your Rolodex of friends
You can maintain your social connections and support system, but I believe we have grown apart and need to move on from each other.


And all the remnants can be mind
You may have certain materials or belongings that we shared but you can have them all, as long as I can have time to recollect my thoughts.


I guess there'll be no happy endings
We have come too far down this road and faced too many setbacks to expect a fairytale ending.


When â??once uponâ?? is doing time
Even the memory of the good times feels tied up in and tainted by the struggles of our relationship lately.


There's a different kind of meaning now
Our relationship used to feel full of promise and deep emotions, but now it has become shallow and unsatisfying.


To livin' on a prayer
The hope we used to have feels like it is hanging by a thread, but we are still holding onto it as tightly as possible.


Some don't seem to notice
It feels like some people in our lives are oblivious to the struggles we are facing and aren't offering as much support as we hoped.


And the rest don't seem to care
Others might be aware of our difficulties but still don't seem to be too invested in our well-being or building a stronger relationship.


I tell myself I (feel no pain)
I'm trying to convince myself that I do not still feel the hurt and disappointment from our relationship struggles.


But I'm feeling the pain (walk away)
Despite my efforts to ignore it, I am still experiencing emotional pain from our relationship and feeling like drawing away from it all.


Can't walk away
Even though things are difficult, I can't just abandon our relationship entirely without some level of guilt.


I'm hanging on the ropes of hope
I am still holding onto the hope that our relationship could improve or change for the better, even though it seems unlikely.


It's getting hard to cope you know
The struggles of our relationship are making it harder and harder for me to hold onto that hope or to find ways to deal with my negative emotions.


When you're the needle running through my veins
Your influence over my emotions, actions, and thoughts is all-consuming and affects my life in a very profound and powerful way.


I've changed my name to novocaine
Trying to block out my emotions and go through the motions of life without experiencing or addressing the pain and conflict in our relationship.


You put my favorite belongings in a box in the garage (let's get this straight)
The physical belongings we shared are starting to feel like tangible evidence of our relationship's decline and taint the memories of our time together.


You burned my favorite sweats from high school
It feels like you are taking your anger or resentment out on me by destroying possessions that hold emotional meaning to me personally.


Tried to sell my muscle car (that's not okay)
I'm okay with moving on from certain possessions, but this car is a symbol of my identity and something I associate strongly with my sense of self.


You're mother's gonna visit for a couple months this year
Your family or support system might be adding to the challenges we face in our relationship by bringing along additional stress or dynamics.


They say you do the crime, you do the time
We are both responsible for the mistakes or conflicts that have arisen, and it is up to us to find ways to fix or make amends for them.


Well things ain't what they used to be
Our relationship has changed drastically over time and it feels like we are struggling to keep up with that change together.


It's a sleepless, self-help century
There is so much pressure to be constantly self-improving and self-reflecting in this day and age, but it feels like we are stuck in place.


I'm up to here with Dr. Phil and the modern man in meâ?¦
The advice and expectations of modern psychology, self-help culture, and modern-day masculinity are not helping to improve our relationship or our own self-image.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JON BON JOVI

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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