Mena was thirteen years old she moved to live with her musician father. She sang and wrote lyrics as a form of therapy for her feelings and frustrations. Not all the stories in her diary became songs, but "My Lullaby" was one of them, expressing her pain from her parents' divorce. After pleading with her father to make a demo, he contacted some industry experts to record Maria's songs in the studio. Then he presented his daughter's demo to the music industry. Sony Music signed Maria Mena to their label.
In March 2002, Mena's single "My Lullaby" reached number five in the Norwegian charts. The young singer quickly gained fans and soon earned her first platinum record. 2005 saw the release of Apparently Unaffected, including singles "Miss You Love" and "Just Hold Me". A significant success in Norway, the album gained three Spellemann nominations: best female artist, best hit, and best music video.
In September 2008 Mena's fifth studio album was released, Cause and Effect.
The Art of Forgiveness
Maria Mena Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For miles around me
Around anything that hurt
Any sensitive category
Kept love at an arm's-length
It was natural to me
You did not agree
And I took on the task
Of changing my pattern
All you did was ask
And the walls all came crashing
At a welcoming speed
I was convinced you'd never hurt me
And I used to cling to the back of your mind
But I must have let go
At the moment in time
When she offered careless physical joy
Both bouncing my heart around
Like a cheap rubber toy
And after countless
Hours
Of crying
Trying to forgive you
Believe you
Grow a spine and leave you
Grieve you
I've come to this conclusion,
No one prepares you when choosing to stay
How to dare share a bed again
Keep demons at bay
She took something precious
That was just meant for me
Not for her eyes to see
And I used to cling to the back of your mind
But you must have let go
At the moment in time
When she offered careless physical joy
Both bouncing my heart around
Like a cheap rubber toy
And after countless
Hours
Of crying
Trying to forgive you
Believe you
Grow a spine and leave you
Grieve you
And after countless
Hours
Of crying
Trying to forgive you
Believe you
Grow a spine and leave you
Grieve you
I've come to this conclusion,
After all the years you invested in me
All the love, tears, and possibilities
I realize that if the tables were turned around
You wouldn't leave me now...
The lyrics to Maria Mena's song The Art of Forgiveness speak to the complexities and difficulties that come with love and forgiveness. The opening lines describe the natural inclination to protect oneself by building emotional walls around anything that might cause pain or hurt. However, the singer's partner challenges her to change her pattern, to open herself up to vulnerability and the possibility of being hurt. The walls that were built to protect her come crashing down, and as a result, the singer finds herself hurt and betrayed when her partner cheats on her with someone else. The lyrics describe the pain of trying to forgive, believe, leave, and ultimately grieve the loss of the relationship.
The song highlights the fact that forgiving someone who has wronged you is not an easy process. It requires time, effort, and a willingness to be vulnerable. The lyrics also touch on the idea that forgiveness is not always possible or the right choice given the situation. In this case, the betrayal was too great, and the singer is unable to continue the relationship even though she acknowledges that her partner has invested years of love and effort into the relationship.
Overall, The Art of Forgiveness is a poignant exploration of the ups and downs of love and forgiveness. It speaks to the complexity of emotions and the struggle to navigate them in a loving relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I would build walls
I protected myself from getting hurt by avoiding vulnerability
For miles around me
I put up major defenses that spanned vast distances
Around anything that hurt
I barricaded myself from any source of emotional pain
Any sensitive category
I blocked off any areas of my life that had the potential to cause pain
Kept love at an arm's-length
I kept my heart at a safe distance from anyone, preventing me from truly loving
It was natural to me
This behavior came intuitively to me as a defense mechanism
You did not agree
You challenged my defensive walls and disagreed with my methods
You said things like "unhealthy"
You pointed out that my walls and defenses were not healthy for me
And I took on the task
I decided to take responsibility for my emotional well-being and work on changing
Of changing my pattern
I made an effort to break my habit of self-protection
All you did was ask
You requested that I make a change but did not force me
And the walls all came crashing
My defenses fell apart when I became vulnerable with you
At a welcoming speed
I felt safe enough to let my walls down when I was with you
I was convinced you'd never hurt me
I trusted you enough to let my guard down completely
And I used to cling to the back of your mind
I held onto a special place in your heart and thoughts
But I must have let go
I let go of that special place due to feeling hurt and betrayed
At the moment in time
At one specific point in our relationship
When she offered careless physical joy
The other woman offered you physical pleasure without emotional attachment or care
Both bouncing my heart around
My heart was affected by both the betrayal and the physical pleasure
Like a cheap rubber toy
My heart felt used and insignificant to you
After countless hours of crying
I spent endless hours grieving and feeling emotional pain
Trying to forgive you
I attempted to move past the pain and forgive you for what you did
Believe you
I struggled to trust you again after being betrayed
Grow a spine and leave you
I considered leaving you but struggled with feeling strong enough to do so
Grieve you
I grieved the love and trust that was lost in our relationship
No one prepares you when choosing to stay
There is no instruction or guidance for how to move forward in a relationship after a betrayal
How to dare share a bed again
It is difficult to feel comfortable enough to be physically intimate again
Keep demons at bay
I struggle with keeping negative emotions and memories from sabotaging our relationship
She took something precious
The other woman took something valuable and intimate away from me
That was just meant for me
Physical intimacy in our relationship was meant to be kept exclusive between us
Not for her eyes to see
She did not have the right to take part in our intimate moments
After all the years you invested in me
You put a lot of time and love into our relationship
All the love, tears, and possibilities
Our relationship had a lot of depth and potential, but was tainted by betrayal
I realize that if the tables were turned around
I understand that if the situation were reversed, you may not have left me
You wouldn't leave me now...
You would have forgiven me and worked through the betrayal for the sake of our relationship
Contributed by Eli Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.