Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American sin… Read Full Bio ↴Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".

Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, made him enormously popular—and controversial.

In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate, just 42 years of age.

Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century. Commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, blues, and gospel, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. He won three competitive Grammys, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.

Bitter They Are Harder They Fall
Elvis Presley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I told her to leave me alone
That's what she's done, just what she's done
And a house built for two, ain't a home
When it's lived in by one, one lonely one

And I can no longer hear footstep
Come right down the hall
Here come the teardrops

Bitter they are, harder they fall

She caught me lying
And she caught a train
And I caught a fever walking home in the rain
Oh yeah

But it's over and I'm done
She left me once and for all (once and for all)
Here come the teardrops
Bitter they are, harder they fall

Here come the teardrops
Bitter they are, harder they fall, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh

Overall Meaning

In the song Bitter They Are Harder They Fall, Elvis Presley sings about heartbreak and the pain that comes with losing someone you love. The first verse talks about the aftermath of a breakup where the person left their shared home, and the house becomes lonely and empty. The pain is further highlighted in the chorus as the singer reminisces about the moments where he can no longer hear the footsteps of his lover and the sound of teardrops falling from his eyes, much like the bitterness of life that becomes harder to swallow.

The second verse tells the story of the reason for the breakup. The singer of the story was caught lying, and that became the last straw for his lover. The pain is demonstrated through the fever that he got when he was walking home in the rain. In the final moments of the song, he accepts the realization that the relationship is over and reflects on it with devastation.

The lyrics of Bitter They Are Harder They Fall are a classic example of Elvis Presley's talent for storytelling and his ability to capture human emotions genuinely and authentically. The song was first recorded in 1974 but was never released until it was included in the posthumous album "From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee" in 1976 after the singer's untimely death.

Line by Line Meaning

I told her to leave me alone
I asked her to leave me and she did exactly that

That's what she's done, just what she's done
She listened to my request and left me alone

And a house built for two, ain't a home
A home meant for two people cannot feel like a home when it's only lived in by one person

When it's lived in by one, one lonely one
Living alone can be a lonely and isolating experience

And I can no longer hear footsteps, come right down the hall
The absence of someone else's presence is deeply felt in the quietness of the home

Here come the teardrops, bitter they are, harder they fall
The arrival of sadness is overwhelming, and it hits hard

She caught me lying, then she caught a train
She discovered my deception and decided to leave me

And I caught a fever walking home in the rain
The sadness and pain I experienced was so intense that it manifested physically

But it's over and I'm done
The relationship has ended and I have accepted that fact

She left me once and for all
Her departure was final and permanent

Here come the teardrops, bitter they are, harder they fall
The sadness still remains and continues to be difficult to deal with