Gladys Knight, born on May 28, 1944, developed her singing style while singing with her family at Baptist church functions. Though the group first released recordings in 1958, their career really got started when Motown founder Berry Gordy witnessed them perform at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in 1966 and felt very impressed. With a career following spanning decade after decade, featuring many hits, the group has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
Every Little Bit Hurts
Gladys Knight & The Pips Lyrics
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Every little bit hurts
Every night I cry
Every night I die
Every night I wonder why
You treat me cold
Yet you won't let me go
Every little hurt does
To you I am a toy
And you're the girl
Who has the say
Why I should play
Yeah you hurt me
Desert me I just can't take
The loneliness you give me
I just can't go
Another night this way
Come back to me
Darlin' you'll see
I can give you all the things
You wanted me for
If you will stay with me
Every little bit hurts
Every little bit hurts
Every night I cry
Every night I die
Every night I wonder why
You treat me cold
Yet you won't let me go
Come back to me
Darlin' you'll see
I can give you all the things
That you wanted me for
If you will stay with me
Every little bit hurts
Every little bit hurts
Every little bit hurts
In Gladys Knight & The Pips's song Every Little Bit Hurts, the lyrics express a painful longing for a relationship that is failing. The song conveys the heartache of a person who is holding on to a love that is not reciprocated. The repetition of the phrase "every little bit hurts" emphasizes the idea that even the smallest of hurts can add up to great pain. Every night, the singer cries and wonders why their partner treats them so coldly, yet won't let them go. The singer feels like a toy to their partner and wishes for a deeper, more fulfilling relationship. They believe that if their partner would come back to them, they could provide all the things that were once wanted. The final repetition of "every little bit hurts" leaves the listener with a feeling of sadness and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Every little bit hurts
Every small hurt causes pain
Every night I cry
I cry every night because of the pain you cause me
Every night I die
I feel like a part of me dies every night because of the pain you cause me
Every night I wonder why
I constantly question why you treat me so coldly
You treat me cold
You treat me with no warmth or compassion
Yet you won't let me go
Even though you treat me so poorly, you won't allow me to leave
Every little hurt does
Even small hurtful actions cause pain and heartache
To you I am a toy
To you, I am just an object to be used and played with
And you're the girl
Who has the say
You hold all the power in this relationship
Why I should play
I am unsure why I should continue to subject myself to your mistreatment
Yeah you hurt me
Desert me I just can't take
Your actions hurt me deeply and I cannot handle being abandoned by you
The loneliness you give me
I just can't go
The isolation and loneliness you cause me is unbearable
Another night this way
I cannot bear another night feeling this way
Come back to me
Darlin' you'll see
I can give you all the things
You wanted me for
If you return to me, I can provide all the things you desired from our relationship
If you will stay with me
If you decide to stay with me, I promise to make it worth it and give you all you need
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Iricom US Ltd
Written by: Ed Cobb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind