Born in Skewen, South Wales, Tyler rose to prominence with her first hit single "Lost in France" in 1976. She signed a management deal with British songwriters Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, who wrote and co-produced Tyler's first four studio albums between 1977 and 1981. "It's a Heartache" became Tyler's first US hit, with worldwide sales in excess of 6 million.
In 1982, Tyler signed with CBS/Columbia and began working with producer-songwriter Jim Steinman. He wrote her biggest career hit, "Total Eclipse of the Heart", and produced its parent album, "Faster Than the Speed of Night" (1983), and the follow-up, "Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire" (1986). Both albums were noted for their bombastic pop-rock production and melodramatic lyrics. Tyler's next album, "Hide Your Heart" (1988), was produced by Desmond Child and included several tracks that later became hits for other artists, including "The Best" for Tina Turner and "Save Up All Your Tears" for Cher.
Tyler leaned further into a commercial pop sound in the 1990s. She signed with Hansa Records and recorded her next album, "Bitterblue" (1991), with an assortment of producers including Giorgio Moroder, Roy Bittan and Dieter Bohlen. Her subsequent albums "Angel Heart" (1992)" and "Silhouette in Red" (1993) were recorded almost exclusively with Bohlen.
Towards the end of the 90s, Tyler moved to East West Records and recorded the albums "Free Spirit" (1995) and "All in One Voice" (1998). She continued to experiment with cross-genre sounds in the 2000s, recording the covers album "Heart Strings" (2003) with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2004, Tyler began recording in Paris with producer Jean Lahcène, beginning with a re-recording of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" which topped the charts in France and Belgium. Tyler promoted her subsequent albums "Simply Believe" (2004) and "Wings" (2005) with a world tour and the release of her first concert film Bonnie on Tour.
Tyler spent the following eight years concentrating on her live work before returning to the studio for "Rocks and Honey" (2013). The album includes her UK Eurovision entry "Believe in Me". In 2018, Tyler reunited with David Mackay, who produced Tyler's first two albums in the 1970s, for her latest releases "Between the Earth and the Stars" (2019) and "The Best Is Yet to Come" (2021).
Tyler has contributed to several film soundtracks. Her most notable recording is "Holding Out for a Hero" which featured in Footloose, and has since become synonymous with action sequences, having later appeared in Shrek 2, Loki, and in numerous movie trailers. In 1984, Tyler sang the track "Here She Comes" for Giorgio Moroder's restoration of Fritz Lange's Metropolis, a recording which led to Tyler's third Grammy nomination.
Save Up All Your Tears
Bonnie Tyler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But a heart must be the one thing you were born without
I've been wasting my time
I don't know where I'll sleep tonight
You say that you can do without me
Go ahead now try and live without me
Baby save up all your tears
When the tears start to fall
I won't wipe them away
When you cry in the night
For the love that you need
Baby, save up your tears
'Cause you'll be crying over me
(Oh oh)
You got used to my touch
I got used to not, not feeling much
Winter set in your eyes
Time will melt your castle of ice
You think that you won't feel the pain now
Your eyes will be crying like the rain now
Baby save up all your tears
You might need them someday
When the tears start to fall
I won't wipe them away
When you cry in the night
For the love that you need
Baby, save up your tears
'Cause you'll be crying over me
You'll be crying
You'll be crying over me
You don't know it now
You don't know it now
You don't know it now
You don't know it now
You don't know it now
But some wounds get deeper with time
You don't feel it now
Till the need burns, a knife turns
Your heart bleeds like mine
Baby save up all your tears
You might need them someday
When the tears start to fall
I won't wipe them away
When you cry in the night
For the love that you need
Baby, save up your tears
'Cause you'll be crying over me
The lyrics of Bonnie Tyler's "Save Up All Your Tears" tell the story of a relationship that has ended and the pain that the singer foresees the ex-lover will feel when they realize what they've lost. The singer has come to terms with the fact that the relationship is over, but the ex-lover hasn't yet fully comprehended the situation. The lines "I can't figure you out/But a heart must be the one thing you were born without" suggest that the ex-lover is cold and heartless, unable to feel anything for the relationship or the singer.
The chorus "Baby, save up all your tears, you might need them someday" is a warning to the ex-lover that they will eventually feel the pain they've caused and regret their actions. And when they do, the singer won't be there to comfort them. The lines "When the tears start to fall, I won't wipe them away/When you cry in the night for the love that you need" emphasize this point. The final verse repeats this idea, spelling out the wounds that don't heal immediately but fester and deepen over time. The last lines, "Baby, save up your tears/'Cause you'll be crying over me" drive home the dramatic irony: the ex-lover will regret the relationship and miss the singer, but by then, it will be too late.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't figure you out
I am unable to understand you
But a heart must be the one thing you were born without
You lack the ability to empathize with others' emotions.
I've been wasting my time
I've invested a lot of energy into our relationship with no result.
I don't know where I'll sleep tonight
I don't have a clear plan for tonight.
You say that you can do without me
You claim that you can manage without me.
Go ahead now try and live without me
You can give it a try to live your life without me.
Baby save up all your tears
Please stash all your tears somewhere securely.
You might need them someday
There might come a day when you will need to cry a lot.
When the tears start to fall
When you experience uncontrollable crying
I won't wipe them away
I will not be around to provide comfort when you cry.
When you cry in the night
When you are inconsolable, and emotions are overpowering you.
For the love that you need
For the affection that you lack.
Baby, save up your tears
Save them up so that you have adequate tears to cry.
'Cause you'll be crying over me
Because my departure will cause you to weep.
You got used to my touch
You got accustomed to my physical presence.
I got used to not, not feeling much
I'm accustomed to not feeling any strong emotions.
Winter set in your eyes
Your eyes turned cold and distant.
Time will melt your castle of ice
With time, you will become more emotionally available.
You think that you won't feel the pain now
You believe that breaking up with me won't affect you now.
Your eyes will be crying like the rain now
You will cry uncontrollably after we break up.
But some wounds get deeper with time
Emotional scars take a long time to heal and can lead to depression.
You don't feel it now
You're not sensing the psychological injury right now.
Till the need burns, a knife turns
Until the sadness reaches a breaking point.
Your heart bleeds like mine
You will feel intense emotional pain, just like I do now.
You'll be crying
You will be weeping openly.
You'll be crying over me
Your tears will be a result of our separation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Realsongs
Written by: DESMOND CHILD, DIANE EVE WARREN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Straight From The Heart
Yet another excellent Bonnie Tyler song.
Philip Kassabian
on Holding Out for a Hero
A great and fantastic song by Bonnie Tyler.