Before You Break My Heart
Gene Dunlap Feat. The Ridge Ways Lyrics
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I want to kiss and hold you before you break my heart
body-ah-ta-ta-ta-ta
body-ah-ta-ta
body-ah-de-ah-ta-ta (repeat 1 time)
Feelings like I lost you heaven heard to me
baby can it be (baby can it be)that you no longer need my loving
It's time for us to express farewell
All the redwoods have stopped shinning shinning
Yes they've lost their glow the magic that was all around us
Where did it go (where did it go) baby don't you know (I love you so)
They told me that this rainbow had no pot of gold but fools like me will never realize people go and people come into our lives
but tomorrow brings another rain
Please let me get to know (let me get to know you) you before you break my heart, I want to kiss and hold you before you break my heart
Searching for that feeling I held you close to me
But obviously your flame for me was over now
Guess I'll have to give you back your promises so good they were (so good they were) ooh baby it's gonna hurt
Memories I'll always cherish (cherish) since we had great times and my minds still hanging on it baby
Are they really gone baby what went wrong ohh it seemed so strong
They told me that this rainbow had no pot of gold but fools like me will never never realize (will never realize) people go and people come into our lives but tomorrow brings another rain
Please let me get to know you (let me get to know you) before you break my heart
I want to kiss and hold you before you break my heart
I want to know you kiss and hold you
Gotta give up gotta give up on you before you break my heart cause I need a love that's true (before you break my heart)gotta give up
It's in your eyes my heart can tell It's time for us to say farewell gotta give up
Good-bye baba (before you break my heart---gotta give up----repeat)
The lyrics of "Before You Break My Heart," performed by Gene Dunlap feat. The Ridgeways, deal with the end of a romantic relationship. The singer seems to feel that there were signs that the relationship was coming to an end, but they had ignored them. The song urges the other person to let the singer get to know them better before they break their heart, suggesting that the relationship may be salvageable if they can just communicate more openly. The lyrics are both melancholic and hopeful, hinting at a possible reconciliation while acknowledging the inevitability of moving on.
The song's opening lines, "Please let me get to know you before you break my heart/I want to kiss and hold you before you break my heart" express a desire for emotional intimacy and physical affection that is not yet present in the relationship. The singer highlights the importance of building trust and understanding before any serious commitment can be made, suggesting that they are aware of the vulnerability that comes with opening up to someone. They also express the pain of losing someone they care about, as evidenced by the lines "All the redwoods have stopped shining/Yes they've lost their glow."
The later lines in the song, "Gotta give up on you before you break my heart/Cause I need a love that's true," indicate that the singer has come to the realization that the relationship is not going to work out, despite their earlier hopes. The song offers a poignant message about the end of relationships and the importance of taking the time to get to know someone before fully committing to them.
Line by Line Meaning
Please let me get to know you before you break my heart
I want to take the time to really get to know you before I let myself fall for you, because I don't want my heart to be broken.
I want to kiss and hold you before you break my heart
While I'm trying to get to know you, I also want to enjoy being close to you and sharing physical affection.
body-ah-ta-ta-ta-ta
This is a wordless vocalization that serves as a musical interlude.
body-ah-ta-ta
Another musical interlude without lyrics.
body-ah-de-ah-ta-ta (repeat 1 time)
Another brief musical interlude with vocalizations but no discernible words.
Feelings like I lost you heaven heard to me, baby can it be (baby can it be) that you no longer need my loving
I'm feeling like I've lost you, and I'm wondering if you've lost interest in me and my love.
It's time for us to express farewell, It's been more than swell (It's been more than swell) I can't believe it's ending
We need to say goodbye now, even though the time we've spent together has been more than good—it's been amazing—and it's hard to believe it's over.
All the redwoods have stopped shining shining, Yes they've lost their glow the magic that was all around us Where did it go (where did it go) baby don't you know (I love you so)
Things don't feel as magical and special as they used to between us, and I'm wondering what happened to that spark, even though I still love you very much.
They told me that this rainbow had no pot of gold but fools like me will never realize people go and people come into our lives but tomorrow brings another rain
I know some people say that love doesn't really last and that people come and go all the time, but I want to believe in love and that there's always hope for another chance.
Searching for that feeling I held you close to me, But obviously your flame for me was over now
I've been trying to recapture the feelings we used to share by holding you close, but it's clear that your feelings for me have faded.
Guess I'll have to give you back your promises so good they were (so good they were) ooh baby it's gonna hurt
It looks like I'll need to let go of the promises you made to me that were so wonderful and give them back, even though it's going to be painful for me to do so.
Memories I'll always cherish (cherish) since we had great times and my mind's still hanging on it baby are they really gone baby what went wrong ohh it seemed so strong
I'll always treasure the memories we made together because we had some really wonderful times, and I can't help but wonder what went wrong and why our love didn't last when it felt so strong.
Gotta give up gotta give up on you before you break my heart cause I need a love that's true (before you break my heart)gotta give up
I have to let go of any hope I had that this relationship would work out before you end up hurting me even more, because I need to find a love that's real and true.
It's in your eyes my heart can tell It's time for us to say farewell gotta give up
I can see in your eyes that it's time for us to say goodbye, even though it's hard for me to do so.
Good-bye baba (before you break my heart---gotta give up----repeat)
This is a musical repetition of the idea that it's time to say goodbye and let go of any lingering hope for this relationship to work out.
Contributed by Hailey V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@bigdrmsg
I want to thank all of you for your great comments about"before you break my heart". Your comments have made my day many times when I felt down about my music and my career as a recording artist. Thank You!!! Bless You!!! Gene Dunlap
@kirmetlyons1212
Gene Dunlap thank you for giving us this timeless classic, real music lovers cherish this song.
@akindele13
Gene Dunlap You are welcome and Thank you.
@danieloduntan7654
OMG GENE DUNLAP IS ON YOUTUBE! - Love your music Mr Dunlap and I was born in 1983, truly an inspiration to me and many others, love this album too.
@jupitermusic6181
My lady and I living on the northside of Chicago at the time were listening to music early one morning. I am a musician as well and have a very eclectic taste in music. We were listening to everything from Gladys Knight, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Brenda and the Tabulations, Billy Cobham, Chaka Khan and Gene Dunlap. I remember her asking for me to BBQ something early that morning, had to be 1:00am, so I did. We didin't have a grill but they were building something at our complex and had these big house bricks. I got a few of them and took the grill from our oven and there it was. We sat there on the porch of the building listening to music until sunrise and I recall this song which we both loved. The total sound of it the arrangment, the vocal tones, and the musicainship of yourself and the other players. It stood out in those early morning hours and became one of the priceless moments of our life. That song playing in the background. Thank you brother Dunlap your music did and does do a lot for priceless moments like that. Peace
@LeahHannahSpeaks
Gene! You are absolutely amazing! You have a gift and you are talented you are winning in every way imaginable please keep your head up. Trust me I know how you feel. I try to break into the music business so many times singing and I used to feel down about it too. But at least you made it in. Sometimes God creates a different path than all of us but I still whenever I get a chance. ❤️
@memeexclusive
Beautiful beautiful, like sounds from angels. The ending is as great as any in music history.
@marvintaylor5332
Mr. Dunlap , there are many of us out here that know the good stuff when we hear it ! This sung is one of my favorites of all times! This sung was played quite a bit on wbmx in Chicago when I was a teenager, I recently turned a younger cousin of mine on to this sung weeks ago and he loves it! Great music lives forever and never die sir ! Thank you for creating this timeless hit sir , A fan for life! May God bless you sir 🙏🏾 , M.T.
@brandon2912t
I was still at school when this came out, I was 17 and heard this on Greg Edwards radio show for Capitol Radio in London. I fell in love with it and went out and bought the album with my bestie as we were both fans of jazz funk soul. Listening to this transported me back to that wonderful carefree life of a teenager! I still treasure this album to this day! thank you for sharing!
@trevorlintott598
Robbie Vincent fav,also the jazz freak,Paulette Reeves,days gone buy.