Deborah Ann Gibson, also credited as Debbie Gibson (born August 31, 1970 in… Read Full Bio ↴Deborah Ann Gibson, also credited as Debbie Gibson (born August 31, 1970 in Brooklyn, NY, United States), is an American singer-songwriter, and record producer who was initially a teen idol appearing repeatedly on the cover of such teen magazines as Tiger Beat. In contrast to the prevalence of the name Debbie in her teen-idol phase, by 1997, she showed a preference for “Deborah” even then, and her fans had, long before before the release of "Naked", signalled a departure from that image by using this name to refer to her. Deborah's ninth album, "Ms. Vocalist" was released in late 2010. The albums' lead single "I Love You" shot to #1 on Japan after the single was released.
See Debbie Gibson for complete artist biography.

Jaded
Deborah Gibson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Verse 1:]
When you hurt that deep
When the knives that sharp
When the arrow's aimed right for your heart
When you trust enough to let him in
Then the games begin
When the stakes are just a bit too high
And danger is waiting to take away your innocence

It's not you, It's me
It's just

[Chorus:]
I'm jaded enough to keep up my defenses
I never thought it could happen to me
I'm a cynical girl
Seeing life through the lenses so I don't get hurt again
Jaded I am

[Verse 2:]
I'm talking to myself how could this be
No one's ever made a fool of me
No one's had the power, held the key to open up that door
Then slam it in a blink, in a fatal twist
Turned inside out I live with this
Day in, Day out
I must begin again
But

[Chorus 2X]

[Bridge:]
Trusting in no one is no way to go on
I know, I know, I know
Someone tell my heart that bleeds on and on
How could I ever take a lover into my trembling arms
oh

[Chorus 2X]

Overall Meaning

The song Jaded by Deborah Gibson tells the story of a person who has been hurt deeply in the past and is now guarded and cautious in any future romantic relationships. The lyrics describe the feeling of vulnerability and the fear of being hurt again as the stakes are high in love. The song also highlights the internal dialogue of the person as they struggle to reconcile their desire to love and connect with others while also protecting themselves.

The lyrics in the chorus express the idea that the person is jaded enough to keep up their defenses and see life through a cynical lens in order to avoid being hurt again. The phrase "jaded I am" is repeated several times to emphasize the emotional state of the person. The person acknowledges that trusting no one is not a healthy way to go on, but they cannot seem to help themselves.

The second verse reveals that the person has never been made a fool of before until a recent encounter where someone had the power to open up the door to their heart but then slammed it shut. The person is now living with the pain of rejection and trying to move on.

Overall, the song Jaded is a powerful depiction of the emotional struggle of someone who has been hurt before in love but still desires to connect with others.

Line by Line Meaning

When you hurt that deep
When your pain is so profound

When the knives that sharp
When the emotional pain cuts deeply

When the arrow's aimed right for your heart
When you're vulnerable to being hurt deeply

When you trust enough to let him in
When you let yourself become emotionally intimate

Then the games begin
Then the complexity of relationships and emotions start

When the stakes are just a bit too high
When the emotional risk is difficult to bear

And danger is waiting to take away your innocence
And the potential for harm is lurking

It's not you, It's me
It's not about the other person, it's about me

I'm jaded enough to keep up my defenses
I'm emotionally exhausted enough to keep my guard up

I never thought it could happen to me
I never thought I would become so disillusioned

I'm a cynical girl
I've become distrustful and negative

Seeing life through the lenses so I don't get hurt again
Viewing life with a pessimistic outlook to avoid future emotional pain

Jaded I am
I am emotionally exhausted and disillusioned

I'm talking to myself how could this be
I'm questioning how I could let myself be hurt

No one's ever made a fool of me
I've never allowed myself to become vulnerable enough to be played for a fool

No one's had the power, held the key to open up that door
No one has been able to emotionally penetrate my defenses

Then slam it in a blink, in a fatal twist
Then quickly and decisively shut me out, causing emotional harm

Turned inside out I live with this
I feel emotionally exposed and vulnerable

Day in, Day out
Every day

I must begin again
I must start anew, emotionally and romantically

Trusting in no one is no way to go on
Living without emotional trust is not sustainable

Someone tell my heart that bleeds on and on
Someone help me stop the emotional pain from continuously hurting me

How could I ever take a lover into my trembling arms
How could I ever trust and be intimate with someone again given my emotional exhaustion and cynicism

Oh
Expressing emotional anguish and hurt

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARTI FREDERIKSEN, STEVEN TYLER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS