The Want Of A Nail
Company Lyrics


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I've been wrong, I had plans so big
But the devil's in the details
I left out one thing no one to love me
No one to love me, no one to love

For the want of a nail, the world was lost
For the want of a nail, the world was lost, yeah
World was lost, world was lost

Yeah, for the want of a nail, the shoe was lost
For the want of a shoe, the horse was lost
For the want of a horse, the rider was lost
For the want of a rider, the message was lost

For the want of a nail, the world was lost
For the want of a nail, the world was lost
World was lost, world was lost

For the want of a rider, the message was lost
For the want of a message, the battle was lost
For the want of a battle, the war was lost
For the want of a war, the kingdom was lost

For the want of a nail, the world was lost
For the want of a nail, the world was lost
World was lost, world was lost

I've been wrong, I had plans so big
But the devil?s in the details
I left out one thing, no one to love me
No one to love me, no one, no one to love me
I said no one to love

You're askin', "What's all this talk about horses and war?"
Put yourself in the place of the man at the forge
Day after day you live a life without love
'Til the morning you can't take it anymore and you don't get up

Multiply it a billion times spread it all 'round the world
Put the curse of loneliness on every boy and every girl
Until everybody's kicking, everybody's scratching
Everything seems to fail and it was all for the want of a nail

Tell me what else could the answer be, oh yeah
Don't hold back now
For the want of a nail, the world was lost

World was lost




World was lost
World was lost

Overall Meaning

"The Want Of A Nail" by Company is a poignant and deeply reflective song about the consequences of neglecting or overlooking a seemingly small detail that turns out to have far-reaching and devastating effects. The lyrics speak to the idea that even the smallest of things can have a huge impact on the course of one's life and the world at large. The singer of the song laments making huge plans and striving for success but failing to recognize the importance of having someone to love and be loved by. This is what proves to be their undoing, leading them to feel lost and alone.


The chorus is a repetition of the line "for want of a nail, the world was lost," which is a reference to the old proverb: "For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the message was lost. For want of a message, the battle was lost. For want of a battle, the war was lost. For want of a war, the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail."


The lyrics of the song suggest that neglecting something small can lead to a series of events that spin out of control and create disastrous consequences not just for the individual but the wider society. This is why the song ends with repeated refrains of "world was lost" to emphasize the enormity of the ramifications.


Line by Line Meaning

I've been wrong, I had plans so big
I made big plans but I was wrong.


But the devil's in the details
But I overlooked some important details that I shouldn't have.


I left out one thing no one to love me
I forgot one important thing - no one to love me.


No one to love me, no one to love
Nobody was there to love me.


For the want of a nail, the world was lost
A small thing like a nail can have a huge impact on the world.


For the want of a nail, the world was lost, yeah
Because of a missing nail, the world was lost.


World was lost, world was lost
The world was lost due to something small like a nail.


Yeah, for the want of a nail, the shoe was lost
Because of a missing nail, a shoe was lost.


For the want of a shoe, the horse was lost
Because of a missing shoe, a horse was lost.


For the want of a horse, the rider was lost
Because of a missing horse, a rider was lost.


For the want of a rider, the message was lost
Because of a missing rider, a message couldn't be delivered.


For the want of a nail, the world was lost
A small, insignificant thing like a nail can have huge consequences on the world.


For the want of a rider, the message was lost
Because a rider was missing, a message was lost.


For the want of a message, the battle was lost
Because of a missing message, a battle couldn't be won.


For the want of a battle, the war was lost
Because of a lost battle, the war couldn't be won.


For the want of a war, the kingdom was lost
Because of a lost war, the kingdom was lost.


For the want of a nail, the world was lost
Even the smallest thing like a nail can have a massive impact on the world.


For the want of a nail, the world was lost
Because a small thing was missing, the whole world was lost.


World was lost, world was lost
The whole world was lost because of something small.


I've been wrong, I had plans so big
I had big plans, but I was wrong.


But the devil?s in the details
I failed to pay attention to crucial details.


I left out one thing, no one to love me
I forgot that I needed someone to love me.


No one to love me, no one, no one to love me
I was alone and unloved by anyone.


I said no one to love
I had no one to love me.


You're askin', "What's all this talk about horses and war?"
You might wonder why I'm talking about horses and war.


Put yourself in the place of the man at the forge
Imagine yourself as the man at the forge.


Day after day you live a life without love
You live your life without love every day.


'Til the morning you can't take it anymore and you don't get up
Until you reach a breaking point and can't continue.


Multiply it a billion times spread it all 'round the world
Imagine millions of people going through the same thing all across the world.


Put the curse of loneliness on every boy and every girl
Create a world where every boy and girl is cursed with loneliness.


Until everybody's kicking, everybody's scratching
Until everyone is fighting for survival and struggling to get by.


Everything seems to fail and it was all for the want of a nail
Everything went wrong and it was all because of something small like a nail.


Tell me what else could the answer be, oh yeah
What else could be the reason for everything going wrong?


Don't hold back now
Don't hesitate to speak your mind now.


For the want of a nail, the world was lost
The world was lost because of a small missing thing like a nail.


World was lost
The whole world was lost.


World was lost
The world was lost because of a small thing like a nail.




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TODD RUNDGREN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

LindaLibbyKava

drummer made it look easy after stating how difficult it was going to be.......and Todd with his deeper and matured voice still being able to scream it out in perfect synchronicity with Daryl........ahhhhhhh I just love this....all the musicians are wonderful!!!!!

Cinders Cinders

One of my favorites. Anything Todd Rundgren does is incredible.

Rebecca Munn

This session was simply amazing! Between the unbelievable drumming, the tight arrangement of the band, and the blissful tones coming from Todd and Daryl, this was perfection. Thanks for posting it.

KPUT-TV / KPUT Radio

Todd Rundgren is too good for the Rock and Roll hall of Fame.

Michael

@Mike do 0

alanparsonsfan

WAAYYY too good for the rrhof...

Joe Cesarano

Way ahead of his time...

John Winger

Spot on

DONNA hankins

True dat

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Todd Norris

Drummer Shawn Pelton blows me away in this performance and is a big reason why everyone is having so much fun throughout.  Such a deep, soulful, hard hitting sound that is controlled and varied and perfect, even in its wildest abandon.  Favorite moment:  6:15 - 6:19...Shawn matches the intensity of Todd's "ALLLLLL for the want of a nail" to awesome perfection.  Can't get enough.

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