Some of Talan's recurring lyrical motifs include celestial objects, nature, and various historical figures (e.g., Marc Chagall in "Painting By Chagall", Amelia Earhart in "Thinking Amelia", and Vincent van Gogh in "Vincent").
Tenderness
Deb Talan Lyrics
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Some pieces were missing but the puzzle looked fine
One day we looked up from inside a song
Something felt more right
Something was wrong
Shouldn't we regret love like this?
It's not a shame its tenderness
And that is how we'll be remembered here
That is how we'll be remembered here
Months go by you with your wife
It takes time to disassemble a whole life
And I can't ask you for anything I take what I get
Aren't other people and saints more than I deserve
Or maybe it's true I don't deserve you
Should I regret a love like this?
It's not a shame its tenderness
But we made a mess
And that is how we'll be remembered here
That is how we'll be remembered here
It's the end of an era so unexpected
Clear as the line on the palm of your hand
You and I we started stumbling
Into the next dance we didn't plan this
Death of our friends in sand
We can't regret a love like this
It's not a shame its tenderness
But we made a mess
And that is how we'll be remembered here
That is how we'll be remembered here
Deb Talan's "Tenderness" is a melancholic reflection on a past love, tinged with regret and an aching longing. The first verse sets the tone, with a line about not asking how things were defined, suggesting that the relationship was marked by blurred boundaries and unclear expectations from the beginning. Despite this, the singer reassures themselves that the love was not shameful, but fraught with tenderness. A "mess" was made, however, and it seems that this is what looms largest now, as the final lines state that it is how the couple will be remembered in the place where they once were. The second verse examines the aftermath of the relationship's end, with a line about the man having since gotten married. The singer feels powerless in the face of this, recognizing that they deserve nothing more than the small slivers of time and attention that they can scrape together. The chorus repeats, with the singer considering whether or not they should regret the love they once shared. Ultimately, they decide that the tenderness of it was not shameful, but it doesn't change the fact that things didn't end well. In the final verse, the singer laments that the end of the relationship "wasn't planned", and that they were "stumbling", as if they had no control over their feelings or actions. The final line about the death of friends in sand is a cryptic one, but perhaps suggests that even though the relationship is over, it still feels like a heavy weight that the singer must carry.
Line by Line Meaning
We did not ask how things were defined
We never questioned what we had between us
Some pieces were missing but the puzzle looked fine
Even though we knew something was missing, we didn't mind because overall things seemed okay
One day we looked up from inside a song
At some point, we became aware of our feelings for each other
Something felt more right
Our love felt stronger than we initially thought
Something was wrong
But we knew that it wasn't meant to be
Shouldn't we regret love like this?
We may question whether or not we should feel guilty about our love
It's not a shame its tenderness
But really, there's nothing to be ashamed of because our love was pure
But we made a mess
However, our actions weren't the best and caused chaos
And that is how we'll be remembered here
And because of this, this is how we'll go down in history
Months go by you with your wife
Time passes by, and you have moved on to being with someone else
It takes time to disassemble a whole life
It's a difficult process to dismantle the life you've built with someone else
And I can't ask you for anything I take what I get
I can't demand anything from you and have to accept what you're willing to give
Aren't other people and saints more than I deserve
I feel like I don't deserve your love, and others are more deserving of it
Or maybe it's true I don't deserve you
Or maybe I really don't deserve to be with you
It's the end of an era so unexpected
Things have come to a surprising end
Clear as the line on the palm of your hand
It's obvious that our love has ended
You and I we started stumbling
We began unsure of where our relationship was heading
Into the next dance we didn't plan this
We went into the next phase of our lives without any real idea of what was going to happen
Death of our friends in sand
We lost friends along the way and were left with nothing
We can't regret a love like this
Despite everything, we don't regret loving each other
It's not a shame its tenderness
Our love was pure and should never be considered shameful
But we made a mess
Still, we made mistakes that led to chaos
And that is how we'll be remembered here
And unfortunately, that's how we'll be remembered in history
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICK BILLINGHAM, ROGER CHARLERY, DAVID WAKELING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind