Machine Heart
A country-pop singer and songwriter out of Knoxville, Tennessee, Kelsea Bal… Read Full Bio ↴A country-pop singer and songwriter out of Knoxville, Tennessee, Kelsea Ballerini started writing songs when she was 13 years old, began learning guitar a year later, and moved to Nashville at 15 to pursue her dream of being a professional singer and songwriter. Four years later in 2013, when she was 19, Ballerini signed a publishing deal with Black River Publishing and a recording deal with Black River Entertainment later that same year. A debut single, "Love Me Like You Mean It," appeared from the label in 2014; the single slowly became a big hit, reaching number five on the Billboard country singles charts and number one on its country airplay charts. A digital EP, simply titled Kelsea Ballerini, was released in November 2014, and as word about Ballerini spread, she was named one of 2014's Next Women of Country by CMT and appeared on the Grand Ol' Opry for the first time on February 13, 2015. In May 2015, Black River released Ballerini's first full-length album, The First Time; it debuted at four on Billboard's U.S. country charts and 31 on the Billboard Top 200, eventually going gold. In June 2017, Ballerini released "Legends," the first single from her follow-up LP Unapologetically, which appeared in November.

Machine Heart
Kelsea Ballerini Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I pushed and pulled it
I let you do it too
Like it was metal
Like it was bulletproof
I forgot to cry when I was sad
I forgot to fight when I was mad
I made the moves that others would approve
But it ain't calculated
It ain't by the rules
And you can hate it baby
But it's gonna do what it's gonna do yeah

I don't have a machine heart
Can't tell it to stop, no burden to push the sky
You'll see it break, you'll see it fall apart
'Cause I don't have, I don't have
A machine heart, no
A machine heart

I kept it quite
But now you'll hear it scream
'Cause good or bad or right or wrong
It's finally found its bait

But it ain't calculated
It ain't by the rules
And you can hate it baby
But it's gonna do what it's gonna do yeah

I don't have a machine heart
Can't tell it to stop, no burden to push the sky
You'll see it break, you'll see it fall apart
'Cause I don't have, I don't have
A machine heart (a machine heart)
A machine heart (a machine heart)
A machine heart (a machine heart)
A machine heart (a machine heart)

I won't always get it right
But hey ain't that just life?
At least you're gettin' something real
I won't always get it right
But hey ain't that just life?
I wanna find, wanna feel

'Cause I don't have a machine heart
Can't tell it to stop, no burden to push the sky
You'll see it break, you'll see it fall apart
'Cause I don't have, no I don't have
A machine heart (a machine heart)
A machine heart (a machine heart)

I pushed and pulled it
I let you do it too
I let you do it too
I pushed and pulled it
I let you do it too
I let you do it too





I don't have a machine heart
No, I don't have a machine heart

Overall Meaning

In "Machine Heart," Kelsea Ballerini reflects on her past experiences of being in a relationship where she allowed herself to be molded by her partner's expectations. She compares the way she acted within the relationship to that of a machine. She pushed and pulled, and let him do the same, without expressing her true emotions or standing up for herself. She made moves that would satisfy the other person and gain approval from those around her, but failed to be true to herself. She admits that she wasn't always happy, but instead of crying or fighting, she suppressed her emotions and acted like a machine.


However, the chorus reveals that Kelsea is not, in fact, a machine. She is an individual with a heart that cannot be controlled or contained. She uses the metaphor of a machine heart to describe how she acted in the past, but now she realizes that she wants to be genuine and vulnerable, even if it means making mistakes. She states that her heart cannot be commanded to stop, and that it will break and fall apart because it is real, not machine-like.


Overall, "Machine Heart" is a song about self-discovery and learning to be authentic in your relationships with others. It encourages listeners to embrace their emotions and not be afraid to be vulnerable, even if it means not conforming to expectations. It is an empowering message that promotes true individuality and self-love.


Line by Line Meaning

I pushed and pulled it
I manipulated situations to get what I wanted


I let you do it too
I allowed others to manipulate me as well


Like it was metal
I treated everything as if it were strong and indestructible


Like it was bulletproof
I thought everything could withstand any obstacle


I forgot to cry when I was sad
I suppressed my emotions when I was feeling down


I forgot to fight when I was mad
I didn't stand up for myself when I was angry


I made the moves that others would approve
I acted in ways that would make other people happy, even if it wasn't for my benefit


But it ain't calculated
But it wasn't a carefully thought-out plan


It ain't by the rules
It didn't follow any conventional methods or guidelines


And you can hate it baby
And you might not agree with it, but that's okay


But it's gonna do what it's gonna do yeah
But I'm going to do what I feel is right


I don't have a machine heart
I don't have an emotionless, unfeeling heart


Can't tell it to stop, no burden to push the sky
I can't control my heart, but it's not a burden to have emotions


You'll see it break, you'll see it fall apart
My heart might break, but that's part of being human


'Cause I don't have, I don't have
Because I'm not like a machine, I'm a human with feelings


A machine heart, no
I don't have a heart like a machine


I kept it quite
I kept quiet about how I really felt


But now you'll hear it scream
But now I'm going to express myself and show my true emotions


'Cause good or bad or right or wrong
Because I'm going to be myself regardless of what others think


It's finally found its bait
My heart has finally found a reason to show itself


I won't always get it right
I know I won't make the correct decisions all the time


But hey ain't that just life?
But isn't that just part of being human?


At least you're gettin' something real
At least I'm being true to myself and showing my real emotions


I wanna find, wanna feel
I want to experience life and all that comes with it


No, I don't have a machine heart
Again, I don't have an emotionless heart like a machine




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES JOHN ABRAHART JR., KELSEA NICOLE BALLERINI, WILLIAM GREGORY WELLS

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

Lorenzo Barrios

I pushed and pulled it
I let you do it too
Like it was metal
Like it was bulletproof
I forgot to cry when I was sad
I forgot to fight when I was mad
I made the moves that others would approve
But it ain't calculated
It ain't by the rules
And you can hate it, baby
But it's gonna do what it's gonna do, yeah

I don't have a machine heart
Can't tell it to stop
No button to push to start
You'll see it break
You'll see it fall apart
Cause I don't have, I don't have a machine heart
No, a machine heart

I kept it quiet
But know you'll hear it scream
Cause good or bad or right or wrong
Its finally found its beat
And it ain't calculated
It ain't bother rules
And you can hate it, baby
But it's gonna do what it's gonna do, yeah

I don't have a machine heart
Can't tell it to stop
No button to push to start
You'll see it break
You'll see it fall apart
Cause I don't have, I don't have a machine heart (a machine heart)
A machine heart (a machine heart)
A machine heart (a machine heart)
A machine heart (a machine heart)

I want always get it right
But hey it matches life
At least you're getting something real
I want always get it right
But hey ain't that just life?
I want it back, wanna feel

And cause I don't have a machine heart
Can't tell it to stop
No button to push to start
You'll see it break
You'll see it fall apart
Cause I don't have, no I don't have a machine heart (a machine heart)
A machine heart (a machine heart)

I pushed and pulled it
I let you do it too
I let you do it too
I pushed and pulled it
I let you do it too
I let you do it too

But I don't have a machine heart
No I don't have a machine heart



All comments from YouTube:

Isabella Botto

1 year later and I still love this song, this album ❤

Literal Fandom Trash No, Seriously.

Wait wait wait. OH MY GOSH HOW HAS IT ALREADY BEEN A WHILE YEAR?!

thegreenweirdo210

Absolute favourite
It's been on repeat since Friday!!

Natalia Stornello

I’m so glad she made this song! So many people can relate

Mikayla Tipton

there’s literally not a single song on this album i don’t like. you are the definition of a modern day Dolly.

Jackie DiNofrio

Omg love all these songs so far!! Great job Kels!!💙💕

Fiona PB

I love this album!

Dana Khuatay

"Cause good or bad or right or wrong
Its finally found it's beat" part really hit the feelings.

Kelsea Ballerini Fan (Enough Said)

love it!

Kelsea Ballerini Fan (Enough Said)

This is one of my favorites!!!

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