I'M A RUIN
MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS | Lyrics


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I know that I can't have it all
But without you I am afraid I'll fall
I know I'm playing with your heart
And I could treat you better but I'm not that smart

When it comes to love, you're an easy fight
A flower in a gun, a bird in flight
It isn't fair and it isn't right
To lead you on like it's all alright

I played with your heart
And I could treat you better but I'm not that smart
You still mean everything to me
To me
But I wanna be free

I'll ruin, yeah, I'll ruin you (I'll ruin you)
I've been doing things I shouldn't do (Things I shouldn't do)

Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah
Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah

It's difficult to move on
When nothing was right and nothing's wrong
You still can't look me in the eye
'Cause you've been bitten once and now you're twice as shy

I've had my share of beautiful men
But I'm still young and I wanna love again
It's difficult to say goodbye
And easier to live a lover's lie

And I've tried to say
Babe, I'm gonna ruin you if you let me stay
You still mean everything to me,
To me
But I wanna be free

I'll ruin, yeah, I'll ruin you (I'll ruin you)
I've been doing things I shouldn't do (Things I shouldn't do)

Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah
Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah

It doesn't feel right and it doesn't feel fair
When I'm planning to move on and you're still standing there
Don't wanna keep a secret but I don't know how to keep it fair, yeah

I'll ruin, yeah, I'll ruin you (I'll ruin you)
I've been doing things I shouldn't do (Things I shouldn't do)

But I don't wanna say goodbye
But, baby, I don't wanna lie
To lie, to lie to you
I'm a ruin

Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah




Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah
Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of “I’m a Ruin” by Marina and the Diamonds are a reflection on the complexity of love and relationships. The singer acknowledges that she cannot have everything she wants and fears that without her lover she will falter. However, she also realizes that she is not treating her lover well and wishes she could be smarter about it.


The singer explains that her lover is an easy fight when it comes to love, but at the same time it is not fair nor right to lead them on as if everything is okay. The line “I’ll ruin you” is repeated throughout the song like a warning or a promise the singer knows she will keep. She confesses to having done things she shouldn't have and to have played with her lover’s heart, yet it is hard for her to completely let go since her lover still means everything to her.


The song ends on a somber note with the singer admitting that even though she has beautiful men in her life, she still wants to fall in love again because it is difficult to say goodbye and easier to live a lover's lie. The final lines of the song repeat the singer’s being “a ruin,” emphasizing the regretful nature of the song's subject matter.


Line by Line Meaning

I know that I can't have it all
I understand that I cannot have everything I desire


But without you I am afraid I'll fall
I am concerned that without you, I will fail and be vulnerable


I know I'm playing with your heart
I am aware that I am toying with your emotions


And I could treat you better but I'm not that smart
I could treat you kindly, but I lack the intelligence to understand how


When it comes to love, you're an easy fight
You are easily won over when it comes to matters of love


A flower in a gun, a bird in flight
You are a beautiful, delicate being at risk of harm


It isn't fair and it isn't right
My actions towards you are unjust and unethical


To lead you on like it's all alright
To deceive you into thinking everything is okay is wrong


I played with your heart
I took advantage of your emotions


You still mean everything to me
You are still valuable and important to me


But I wanna be free
I desire to be unburdened and independent


I'll ruin, yeah, I'll ruin you (I'll ruin you)
I will destroy you and any positive relationship we have


I've been doing things I shouldn't do (Things I shouldn't do)
I have engaged in behaviors that are inappropriate and harmful


It's difficult to move on
It is a challenge to begin anew


When nothing was right and nothing's wrong
The relationship was neither good nor bad, just stagnant


You still can't look me in the eye
You have lost trust in me and cannot bear to face me


'Cause you've been bitten once and now you're twice as shy
You have experienced pain and are now more cautious as a result


I've had my share of beautiful men
I have been with attractive partners in the past


But I'm still young and I wanna love again
Despite past relationships, I still desire to experience love once more


It's difficult to say goodbye
Saying goodbye is a challenging and emotional task


And easier to live a lover's lie
It is simpler to continue a facade of a loving relationship


I've tried to say Babe, I'm gonna ruin you if you let me stay
I have attempted to warn you that I will cause harm if you remain with me


But I don't wanna say goodbye
Despite everything, I do not want to depart from you


But, baby, I don't wanna lie
However, I also do not want to deceive or mislead you


To lie, to lie to you
I do not want to be dishonest with you


I'm a ruin
I am a person who causes destruction and harm




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARINA LAMBRINI DIAMANDIS

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

@mairivalvi3439

L Y R I C S :
I know that I can't have it all
But without you I am afraid I'll fall
I know I'm playing with your heart
And I could treat you better but I'm not that smart

When it comes to love, you're an easy fight
A flower in a gun, a bird in flight
It isn't fair and it isn't right
To lead you on like it's all alright

I played with your heart
And I could treat you better but I'm not that smart
You still mean everything to me
To me
But I wanna be FREE
I'll ruin, yeah, I'll ruin you (I'll ruin you)
I've been doing things I shouldn't do (Things I shouldn't do)

Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah
Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah

It's difficult to move on
When nothing was right and nothing's wrong
You still can't look me in the eye
'Cause you've been bitten once and now you're twice as shy

I've had my share of beautiful men
But I'm still young and I wanna love again
It's difficult to say goodbye
And easier to LIVE a lover's lie

And I've tried to say
Babe, I'm gonna ruin you if you let me stay
You still mean everything to me,
To me
But I wanna be FREE
I'll ruin, yeah, I'll ruin you (I'll ruin you)
I've been doing things I shouldn't do (Things I shouldn't do)

Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah
Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah

It doesn't feel right and it doesn't feel fair
When I'm planning to move on and you're still standing there
Don't wanna keep a secret but I don't know how to keep it fair, yeah

I'll ruin, yeah, I'll ruin you (I'll ruin you)
I've been doing things I shouldn't do (Things I shouldn't do)

But I don't wanna say goodbye
But, baby, I don't wanna lie
To lie, to lie to you
I'm a ruin

Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah
Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah
Yeah, uh huh, ooh, yeah



Read more: Marina And The Diamonds - I'm A Ruin Lyrics



@redfieldson

***** Its not about her clothes...Did I wrote that above? 
She sings pop...of course
we  will see traces of this genre all the time in her videos
and music. In my view, her music plays with the
alternative. The difference is that she protrudes in a 
significant way, even in Electra Heart...that was
her more commercial album and she had not much autonomy
as in Froot. The contrast with mostly of the pop singers
that we see in charts is huge in question of 
significant content. I like Lorde for the same reasons, good 
lyrics, good music...simple. My comment was about people who 
are used to the same videos with stories or  group choreography...an addictive beat with a 
poor lyric, coming here to complain. And I listen top charts music sometimes...Mainstream is not synonymous of sameness and failure, I understand that, thanks...its just not my favorites artists. But of course all of this is a personal opinion ... and well, everyone should listen what is pleasant for their ears right?
 I will not try to convince you that I'm not this hipster poser that you said, since u have 
this power to read people through the Internet...and we are in youtube comments for God's sake...I'm aware of the raging people around the internet, wich makes me rarely post something...but  sometimes is good to have some healthy discussions about things we like. have a good 
life.



All comments from YouTube:

@rightwerk

People who say "why isn't Marina famous" annoy me. She is famous. She has her own little fan base. She's not COMMERCIALLY famous (in the US at least), I'll give you that. But I think you'd be surprised. The other day, I'm A Ruin was #2 on iTunes. That's all of her fans buying the song.

@sandraidk8474

AMEN🙏

@auroraande13

..

@audreyxatomic

Well, I think she was kind of "big" briefly when Electra Heart came out, she attracted a lot of teenage fangirls with that album.. But I don't think she will care that some of them have been weeded out by now. Obviously Marina IS famous, but I like that she's not a mega star. If she wanted to be a huge star, I'm sure she would be.

@CitizenofChromatica

I am just happy that she's underrated. That makes her special and only people who understand the meaning of her songs love her songs.

@audreyxatomic

SupremeHeaux lol plus makes it easier if you want to buy concert tickets XD

118 More Replies...

@tootleturtle1511

People complaining about her 'cheap' 'crappy' videos are totally wrong; instead of creating high budget videos which just look fake, Marina is embracing the visual side of music - the beauty of moving with the beat, lighting that matches the song and silks flowing in time with the song. If you need a scripted video with a story for every song, you can't be appreciating the music fully. All her videos have something to do with their songs - even if they don't 'explain' them in full detail. In the end, its the song that counts, not the video.

@lonniegabbie

People who hate it because they don't get it aren't that smart. +Tootle Turtle

@jahalie9

The reality is that they don't have (or they don't wanna put) money in music videos anymore... You gotta be creative instead!
I agree with people who find old Marina's videos better than the Froot ones, but we haven't seen all of them yet, and I'm glad she's doing videos for almost all of her songs so...

@Sampsonay

I hate those artificial looking, scripted music videos that seem to be every where now a days. Marina does a very good job staying away from falling in that category, but that doesnt mean she is perfect either. I love how she doesnt have to strip down of her clothes or shake her bump to attract people's attention. I love how she can entertain us by just being herself on screen, using her own artistic vision and not the one set by the today's low standard society. But im going to be honest, most of her FROOT music videos have felt like the same thing over and over again. I see her either posing or waving her arms around while singing to the camera. It's pretty to watch and all but i feel like the visuals just are not as rich and unique to the eyes as the sound is to the ears. The music videos for Oh No and Primadonna were just absolutely stunning to watch, they both grabbed my attention within the first few seconds and it stayed that way till the very end. I know making a music video isnt exactly a piece of cake, but i just hope we get another Primadonna or Oh No for this album :D

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