Broken-Hearted
Eric Clapton feat. John Mayer Lyrics


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When the wind blows down this hard,
Many a bond is broken.
See the water lie on the ground
From where the heavens opened.

[Chorus:]
Lord, how will you get through this night
With your dreams departed?
And who alone will comfort you?
Only the broken hearted.

So you've gone beyond your means,
Every wound is open,
Your best laid plans are out of reach,
And all your fears unspoken.

[Chorus]

Sweet revenge is spoken then;
In the twilight it is gone.
To living lies with no escape,
Lord, I would rather be alone.

I press my fingers to the wood
To tell you of my dreaming,
To sing you songs from olden times,
To keep the love light gleaming.

'Cause there's a place where we can go,
Where we will not be parted.
And who alone will enter there?
Only the broken hearted.





Only the broken, broken hearted [Repeat: x4]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Broken Hearted" by Eric Clapton feat. John Mayer seem to be describing the aftermath of a storm, both literally and metaphorically. The first verse paints a picture of the aftermath of a storm with water lying on the ground from where the heavens opened. The second verse seems to talk about a person who has gone beyond their means, with every wound open and their fears unspoken. They are left alone with their broken dreams and best-laid plans that are out of reach.


The chorus asks how the person will get through the night with their dreams gone and who will comfort them. The answer to this question, according to the lyrics, is that only the broken-hearted can truly understand and offer comfort. The song then takes a turn towards the idea of sweet revenge being spoken, but it is ephemeral and ultimately leads to living a life of lies with no escape. Clapton seems to be expressing that he would rather be alone than live a life based on lies.


The lyrics then turn towards a sense of hope, with the singer pressing his fingers to the wood to tell the person of his dreams and keep the love light gleaming. He then mentions a place they can go where they will not be parted, and again, only the broken-hearted can enter there.


Overall, the lyrics seem to be about finding comfort and hope amidst difficult times, and that the only ones who can truly understand are those who have also experienced heartache and pain.


Line by Line Meaning

When the wind blows down this hard,
When life gets really tough,


Many a bond is broken.
Relationships often fall apart in these times.


See the water lie on the ground
Notice the tears and pain all around.


From where the heavens opened.
From the source of our suffering and hardship.


Lord, how will you get through this night
Asking for guidance and strength to make it through.


With your dreams departed?
Even when our hopes and plans have been destroyed.


And who alone will comfort you?
Wondering who can truly provide solace.


Only the broken hearted.
Those who have suffered, and understand.


So you've gone beyond your means,
You've reached your limit.


Every wound is open,
Every hurt is raw and exposed.


Your best laid plans are out of reach,
The things you were counting on aren't possible anymore.


And all your fears unspoken.
You're holding onto worries you can't express.


Sweet revenge is spoken then;
Sometimes we lash out in anger.


In the twilight it is gone.
But that emotion fades away.


To living lies with no escape,
It's easy to start lying to ourselves, with no real way out.


Lord, I would rather be alone.
Feeling so hurt that you'd rather not be close to anyone.


I press my fingers to the wood
Placing hands on a guitar, conveying emotion.


To tell you of my dreaming,
Trying to express inner thoughts and hopes.


To sing you songs from olden times,
Using music as a way to connect.


To keep the love light gleaming.
Trying to hold onto the spark of love, even when it's difficult.


'Cause there's a place where we can go,
There is hope and a safe space for the hurting.


Where we will not be parted.
Where we can be united and whole again.


And who alone will enter there?
Wondering who is worthy of that safe space.


Only the broken hearted.
It's the ones who have felt deep pain who can truly understand.


Only the broken, broken hearted
Repeating the message that only those who have suffered can appreciate.




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ERIC PATRICK CLAPTON, GREGORY PHILLINGANES, GREGORY ARTHUR PHILLINGANES

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@theophiluseligius1199

When the wind blows down this hard,
Many a bond is broken.
See the water lie on the ground
From where the heavens opened.
Lord, how will you get through this night
With your dreams departed?
And who alone will comfort you?
Only the broken hearted.
So you've gone beyond your means,
Every wound is open,
Your best laid plans are out of reach,
And all your fears unspoken.
Lord, how will you get through this night
With your dreams departed?
And who alone will comfort you?
Only the broken hearted.
Sweet revenge is spoken then;
In the twilight it is gone.
To living lies with no escape,
Lord, I would rather be alone.
I press my fingers to the wood
To tell you of my dreaming,
To sing you songs from olden times,
To keep the love light gleaming.
'Cause there's a place where we can go,
Where we will not be parted.
And who alone will enter there?
Only the broken hearted.
Only the broken, broken hearted [Repeat: x4]



All comments from YouTube:

@LeonLush

I read this comment and was like "well put", and low and behold it was good old johnny stewart. Keep up the good work on the songs man, like the vids and you playing with your pops.

@A.M......

Imagine seeing you here....

@nellyb1594

Huh.......hey Leon. Love your channel bunches!

@gabrielsc871

There's something about that JM solo. Flawless.

@chiragprajapati7159

its called "mayer's maze".... and we all are blessed to happily stuck in that maze.. 😅🙅‍♂️🎼

@humblebee2

Perfection is rare and it's nice to see you praise it

@davidbrown5152

Eric Clapton once said referring to John Mayer’s guitar playing, “I don’t think John knows how good he is.” A serious compliment!

@twittertwice

In that same statement Clapton said Mayer was a “Master Guitarist”...even better than just “ I don’t think he knows how good he is.”

@nellyb1594

Yeah he's had serval quotes float around about John Mayer that were more than favorable.
He kinda says those kinda things about all of his musical peers, though. Clapton's just a class act in terms of how he carries himself and talks about others. Just a good dude.

Though, John is, objectively speaking, one of the best ever. Seriously. He's criminally underrated by some of the general public cause of the, admittedly very douchey, image he gave to the press and public back when he first got really big and men in the early 2000's were jealous of his talent and looks.
But to the music lovers AND those in the music industry itself, he's held up as up there with the best. I mean, he was in the top 10 of Rolling Stones' 'Top 100' list like 8, maybe 9 years ago. So there you go. That's really all you need as they have been the true arbiters of those type of lists since forever.

If anyone needs proof, just tell them to ask ANY random guitarist if John Mayer is one of the best. Guarantee you they'll say yes. If they don't, they've never listened to him and DAMN sure never tried to play any of his songs. His songs are.....definitely not for beginners. I'll say that. Hah.

@dusty8026

John has a fairly confident and comfortable ego....I think he knows how good he is...

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