I Gave You
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Lyrics
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That's the most that I have to give
I gave you house and you didn't want it
Now where am I supposed to live?
I gave you a tree and you did not embrace it
I gave you a nightmare and you didn't chase it
I'll give you a dream and you'll only wake from it
I gave you a treasure and you only take from it
Look at the hole where jewelry had been
Baby, oh baby why must you escape from it?
This love that we once called our friend
Gave you my body and you had plenty
I gave you ten lives and you wasted twenty
Now im standing empty, hopeless, and bare
Without a morsel left of me to give
And you, you had vanished into the air
The air in which I must live
The lyrics of "I Gave You" by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Matt Sweeney express the feeling of pouring everything into a relationship, only to be left with nothing in the end. The opening lines of the song bring intense emotion when the singer explains he has given everything, even a child and a house, which he thought would be paramount, and yet it went unacknowledged by his partner. The lyrics use repetition throughout the song, as the singer lists the items he gave and was rejected, such as a tree, a nightmare, a treasure, and ten lives. The lyrics show he feels discarded and abandoned.
Additionally, the singer conveys the desire to give his partner everything, even dreams, and reveals that he feels like there's nothing left of him to give. The finale lines of the song give a powerful image of the singer living with nothing left, despite giving everything to the relationship. The song overall displays a message of how love and relationships can consume and devour individuals who give it their all to make it work, but sometimes it's in vain.
Overall, the song portrays a strong and emotional subject matter, referring to the enormous pain and consequences of loving someone who does not love back. The song communicates powerful ideas of complete and utter loss and follows a theme of sadness and hopelessness that runs throughout. It suggests that even after giving everything there's still an emptiness and void that remains, leading to the question of what is left to live for if one gives their everything and still loses.
Line by Line Meaning
I gave you child and you didn't want it
I bestowed upon you the most precious gift of life, yet it held no value to you
That's the most that I have to give
I offered you all that I possess and yet remain with nothing more to provide
I gave you house and you didn't want it
I sacrificed my sanctuary, my shelter, for you, but you rejected it
Now where am I supposed to live?
After submitting every inch of my living space to you, I am now left stranded with no place to call my own
I gave you a tree and you did not embrace it
I presented to you a living, breathing entity of nature's beauty, but you refused to accept it
I gave you a nightmare and you didn't chase it
I granted you the courage to confront your fears but you failed to capitalize on the opportunity
I'll give you a dream and you'll only wake from it
I shall craft the most virtuous aspiration for you yet once you achieve it, your calling shall pass
Now I'll never go to sleep again
My insomnia is the outcome of my melancholic heart which yearns to sleep but fears the dreams that await me
I gave you a treasure and you only take from it
I secured for you a prized possession and you exploited it solely for its superficial monetary value
Look at the hole where jewelry had been
An empty cavity remains where a once valued and adored item existed, denoting the frailty of material possessions
Baby, oh baby why must you escape from it?
Why must you abandon the loving bond we once shared?
This love that we once called our friend
Our relationship which we once cherished and called love is now non-existent
Gave you my body and you had plenty
I willingly shared my physical self with you, yet you consumed it in excess
I gave you ten lives and you wasted twenty
I granted you more vitality than one can possess, but you recklessly squandered it all away
Now I'm standing empty, hopeless, and bare
I am now a shell of a person with nothing left to give, lost in despair and vulnerability
Without a morsel left of me to give
My entire being has been exhausted, and there is nothing left to bestow
And you, you had vanished into the air
You left my life as quickly and easily as the wind that passes by
The air in which I must live
The environment in which I must reside is tainted by your absence and my regret for not realizing your worth before it was too late
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@raspberry481
I gave you a child and you didn't want it
That's the most that I have to give
I gave you a house and you didn't haunt it
Now where am I supposed to live?
I gave you a tree and you did not embrace it
I gave you a nightmare and you didn't chase it
I'd give you a dream and you'd only wake from it
Now I'll never go to sleep again
I'd give you a treasure and you'd only take from it
Look at the hole where jewelry had been
Baby, oh baby, why must you escape from it
This love that we once called our friend?
I gave you my body and you ate a plenty
I gave you ten lives and you wasted twenty
Now I'm standing empty, helpless and bare
Without a morsel left of me to give
And you, you have vanished into the air
The air in which I must live
@eranmenashri7454
I must have heard this track over a hundred times. I still find it hard to breath because of that tear wanting to come out when I'm hearing it again.
This is not a song. It's a kick in the stomach.
@happyplanet6609
When I was like 17 , I used to listen to this song, like, over and over again. Now im 24 (2018) and i do it again. Respect from Germany
@morbidmartin5831
Hast Recht , mega Song.
@manke2968
hoffentlich inzwischen 26/27 und noch immer aufm ohr:)
@markdeamer6812
This song destroys me yet I can not leave it alone
@thetruemusichead
Such a beautiful composition
@JCHaywire
The overdriven instrumentation here--almost brickwalled, for those to whom that term is meaningful--really adds to the inky blackness of this song. Really super duper heavy.
@lobodesertico11
Baby oh baby
Why must you escape from it
This love that we once called our friend.
@Man_Ray78
always earnest and whole. Love him
@TheIkaraCult
in the grand pantheon of Will Oldham songs, this might be the greatest. And thats saying a hell of a alot