All of the members aside from McKee and Hedgecock left the band in 1985, and they replaced them with Shane Fontayne (guitar), Greg Sutton (bass), Rudy Richman (drums) and Bruce Brody (keyboards) for the recording of "Shelter". The band split in 1987, with McKee going onto a solo career.
Ways To Be Wicked
Lone Justice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you see me hurt so bad
Tell me what I did to you babe
That would make you act like that
Yes I've been your fool before babe
And I probably will again
You ain't afraid to let me have it
You ain't afraid to stick it in
You know so many
Ways to be wicked
But you don't know one little thing
About love
Yeah I can take a little pain
Yeah I can hold it pretty well
I can watch your little eyes light up
While you're walking me through hell
Yes I've been your fool before babe
And I probably will again
You ain't afraid to let me have it
You ain't afraid to stick it in
You know so many
Ways to be wicked
But you don't know one little thing
About love
Those cobra eyes
Lie with a smile
Honey you take pride
In the devil down deep inside
Well I can take a little pain
Yeah I can hold it pretty well
I can watch you little eyes light up
While you're walking me through hell
Yeah I've been your fool before babe
And I probably will again
You ain't afraid to let me have it
You ain't afraid to stick it in
You know so many
Ways to be wicked
But you don't know one little thing
About love
You know so many
Ways to be wicked
But you don't know one little thing
About love
The song "Ways to Be Wicked" by Lone Justice is about an abusive relationship where the singer is willing to endure pain and mistreatment from their partner who knows ways to hurt them, but doesn't understand the concept of love. The lyrics showcase the sadomasochistic dynamics of a relationship, where one partner enjoys inflicting pain and the other endures it for love or for the idea of a relationship. The singer questions their partner's motives, wondering why they smile when they see them hurt so bad and what they did to deserve this treatment.
The lines "You know so many ways to be wicked, but you don't know one little thing about love" emphasize that love is not about hurting others, and being cruel to someone else only shows a lack of understanding of what love truly is. Despite being mistreated, the singer seems to be in denial about their partner's behavior and is resigned to being hurt again in the future. The song's lyrics also suggest that the partner's cruelty may stem from their own inner demons, as they take pride in the "devil down deep inside."
Overall, "Ways to Be Wicked" portrays a complex and painful scenario where the singer is trapped in a destructive relationship with a partner who revels in causing pain. The song shows the importance of recognizing that cruelty and abuse have no place in a loving relationship and that it's essential to walk away from any relationship that doesn't bring joy, respect, and care.
Line by Line Meaning
Honey tell me why you smile
Asking the person why they are smiling when they can see the pain it causes.
When you see me hurt so bad
Expressing how much the person is hurting.
Tell me what I did to you babe
Questioning what caused this person to act this way.
That would make you act like that
Trying to understand what led this person to behave in a cruel manner.
Yes I've been your fool before babe
Acknowledging the past experiences of being misled and manipulated by this person.
And I probably will again
Admitting the likelihood of being deceived in the future.
You ain't afraid to let me have it
Not feeling any fear in causing pain to this person.
You ain't afraid to stick it in
Not afraid to hurt and cause damage to this person.
You know so many Ways to be wicked
This person has many ways of causing harm and distress to others.
But you don't know one little thing About love
Despite having various ways of inflicting pain, this person does not know anything about love.
Yeah I can take a little pain
Acknowledging that while there will be pain, they think they can handle it.
Yeah I can hold it pretty well
The artist feels they have a high threshold for pain and are capable of handling it.
I can watch your little eyes light up
The person takes pleasure in watching the other person derive pleasure from causing pain.
While you're walking me through hell
Describing the agony of being led through a terrible ordeal.
Those cobra eyes
Comparing the person's eyes to the dangerous cobra, hinting at their malicious intent.
Lie with a smile
The person is able to deceive with a convincing smile.
Honey you take pride
Suggesting that this person takes pleasure or joy in causing pain.
In the devil down deep inside
Implying that the person has evil and cruel tendencies deep within them.
You don't know one little thing About love
Despite feeling confident in their ability to cause pain, this person does not understand or know anything about love.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: MICHAEL W. CAMPBELL, TOM PETTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Darrin67
Her voice is so good it gives me goosebumps. Right up there with Aretha, Whitney, Chaka Khan and Celine Deion as my all time favorite female vocalists.
@garygilmore2050
Right up there with Carmel (Bad Day) my all time favorite
@QuirkyGirl10
I remember one reviewer remarked that she had "truly spectacular pipes" - indeed! Great phrasing too.
@TheyCallMePeters
So many memories just came flooding back. Who needs a drink? I do.
@lulu_g8445
🙋🏻♀️
@lulu_g8445
This was one of my late ex-husband‘s favorite songs to sing back in the day, in the early years of our marriage. It was so ironic that he didn’t see that the jerk described in the song was just like him. But I loved that fool anyway. Eventually we divorced. And just a coupleof weeks ago, I found out he died last month, of alcoholism. Listening to this song is helping me to process the grief—the unexpected, hard-hitting grief, the shock, the disbelief that he actually died.
@davidmclintock7581
I got this 38 years ago, still don't understand why so many don't get it. Incredible band, incredible songwriter, incredible voice.
Love her, but I suspect she's a little mad, so. She is a wonder to music.
@lucianodifrancesco6887
me too!!! Lp bought.
@Don-md6wn
She's not the writer of this song. Tom Petty wrote it.
@meggymorello
@@Don-md6wnTom Petty was probably an even more underrated songwriter. I won’t back down only made no 28 in the UK charts in 1989