The Scientist
Johnette Napolitano Lyrics


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Come up to meet you,
Tell you I'm sorry,
You don't know how lovely you are,
I had to find you,
Tell you I need you,
Tell you I set you apart,
Tell me your secrets,
And ask me your questions,
Ah let's go back to the start,
Running in circles,
Calling tails, heads on a silence apart.

Nobody said it was easy,
It's such a shame for us to part,
Nobody said it was easy,
No one ever said it would be this hard,
Oh take me back to the start.

I was just guessing,
At numbers and fingers,
Pulling the puzzles apart,
Questions of science,
Science and progress,
Did not speak as loud as my heart,
Tell me you love me,
Come back and haunt me,
I want to rush to the start,
Running in circles,
Chasing tails,
Coming back as we are.

Nobody said it was easy,
Oh it's such a shame for us to part,
Nobody said it was easy,




No one ever said it would be so hard,
I'm going back to the start.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Johnette Napolitano's "The Scientist" tells a story of a person who wants to reconcile with their lover after a tough break-up. They are apologizing for hurting them and expressing how much they still care about them, even going as far as admitting to feeling lost without them. The imagery of running in circles and calling tails or heads emphasizes the feeling of being stuck and not making progress. The chorus acknowledges the reality of how difficult it is to end a relationship, even though some might think it's easy.


The verses showcase the singer's thought process, how they used to prioritize science and progress but now they realize that love mattered more. They feel remorse for not realizing it earlier and want their lover to hold nothing back, wanting to know all their secrets, and answer any questions. The song ends with the singer asking for a second chance, hoping to go back to the start and make things right again.


Overall, the song is an emotional plea for reconciliation, with the metaphor of science and progress juxtaposed against the raw intensity of love. The lyrics bring out the complexities of human emotions and relationships.


Line by Line Meaning

Come up to meet you,
I want to meet you


Tell you I'm sorry,
I apologize for something


You don't know how lovely you are,
You are beautiful, but you may not realize it


I had to find you,
I searched for you


Tell you I need you,
I tell you that I require you


Tell you I set you apart,
I separate you from others and value you


Tell me your secrets,
I want you to confide in me


And ask me your questions,
I encourage you to ask me anything


Ah let's go back to the start,
Let's go back to the beginning of our relationship


Running in circles,
We keep going around in circles


Calling tails, heads on a silence apart.
We make decisions by chance and don't communicate effectively


Nobody said it was easy,
No one said it would be simple


It's such a shame for us to part,
It's unfortunate that we have to separate


No one ever said it would be this hard,
No one predicted it would be this difficult


Oh take me back to the start.
I want to return to the beginning of our relationship


I was just guessing,
I was making assumptions without any real evidence


At numbers and fingers,
I was trying to solve problems in every possible way


Pulling the puzzles apart,
I was trying to break down the issues we were facing


Questions of science,
Science-based inquiries


Science and progress,
Advancements made through science


Did not speak as loud as my heart,
My emotions overpowered everything else


Tell me you love me,
Profess your love to me


Come back and haunt me,
Return to me with a strong presence


I want to rush to the start,
I want to go back to the beginning as quickly as possible


Running in circles,
We keep repeating the same mistakes


Chasing tails,
We are pursuing the unattainable


Coming back as we are.
We are returning to our previous state


Nobody said it was easy,
No one said it would be simple


Oh it's such a shame for us to part,
It's unfortunate that we have to separate


No one ever said it would be so hard,
No one predicted it would be this difficult


I'm going back to the start.
I'm returning to the beginning of our relationship




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Christopher Anthony John Martin, Guy Rupert Berryman, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@kangfesher

Johnette just has one of the most gorgeous, powerful and distinctive voices in rock. Love her so much.

@vanessajensen5470

Isn’t she awesome listen to her version of mother of pearl , totally different from Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music version

@jiljoup9960

When I was about 2-5 my mom would play this on casset on her car radio- I was born in 2007 btw we used cassettes because we were poor and this brings me nostalgia.......on every level.

@cynthiahollars4720

Her vocals just made me fall in love with this song

@leticiaviaro

This is just better than the original. I just spent a good half hour looking for this specific version because i used to have it on my phone years ago. I just can't listen to the original, good work guys.

@floyd2222

this cover is so CRAZY AMAZING.

@jsdouglas83

It's from the Wicker Park soundtrack

@AnthonyWilliams1337

I had a hell of a time finding this version too and I remembered that it was on the Wicker Park soundtrack

@chrisdavis7031

@@AnthonyWilliams1337 that whole soundtrack rocks and tugs at the emotions

@MistyRain7001

i friggin love Johnette....amazing voice...unheralded talent

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