It's Not Your Fault
Mark Heard Lyrics


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I get lonely sometimes

It's not your fault

I'm a man who follows his own tracks until he's lost

I'll keep on going round and round until I'm found

I get wounded sometimes

It's not your fault

I keep on shooting arrows up until they fall

They stall and turn, a narrow miss until I learn

It's not you, I'll be okay, I'm just a jerk is all

It's alright, it's just my foolishness

It's not your fault

I get helpless sometimes

It's not your fault

I just tend to tug on heartstrings til they break

A thug who wins a kiss and misses finer things

I get angry sometimes

It's not your fault

I let the molehill simmer like Vesuvius

And hole up in Pompeii until all hell breaks loose

It's not you, I'll be okay, I'm just a jerk is all





It's alright, it's just my foolishness

It's not your fault

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "It's Not Your Fault" by Mark Heard express a sense of self-awareness and admission of personal faults. The first verse speaks to the artist's tendency to become lost in his own thoughts and to follow his own path until he becomes disoriented. Rather than blaming others for this trait or seeking a scapegoat, he acknowledges his culpability and resolves to keep moving forward until he finds his way.


The second verse references the artist's inclination towards self-sabotage. He recognizes that he can be his own worst enemy, shooting arrows that ultimately fail to hit their mark, but he also understands that these experiences are necessary for personal growth and evolution.


In the latter half of the song, Heard further delves into his personal shortcomings, including his tendency to manipulate or take advantage of others for his own emotional fulfillment, as well as his volatile temper. However, despite these flaws, he refuses to assign blame to anyone else, instead choosing to own up to his behavior and make amends.


Overall, "It's Not Your Fault" is a powerful and introspective song about the complexity of human emotion and the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions and feelings.


Line by Line Meaning

I get lonely sometimes
I feel alone at times


It's not your fault
It's not because of you or anything you did


I'm a man who follows his own tracks until he's lost
I tend to make my own way in life, even if it leads me to getting lost


I'll keep on going round and round until I'm found
I will continue to wander aimlessly until I find my way


I get wounded sometimes
I get hurt emotionally at times


I keep on shooting arrows up until they fall
I take chances and make mistakes, and sometimes things don't work out


They stall and turn, a narrow miss until I learn
I learn from my mistakes, even if it takes a few tries


It's not you, I'll be okay, I'm just a jerk is all
It's not because of you, I am just being difficult


It's alright, it's just my foolishness
It's okay, I am just being foolish


I get helpless sometimes
I feel powerless at times


I just tend to tug on heartstrings til they break
I have a tendency to rely on emotional manipulation, even if it hurts others


A thug who wins a kiss and misses finer things
I may win someone's affection, but I may not appreciate the other good things in life


I get angry sometimes
I get upset at times


I let the molehill simmer like Vesuvius
I let small issues snowball and become huge problems


And hole up in Pompeii until all hell breaks loose
I withdraw completely until things get out of control


It's not you, I'll be okay, I'm just a jerk is all
It's not because of you, I am just being difficult


It's alright, it's just my foolishness
It's okay, I am just being foolish


It's not your fault
It's not because of you or anything you did




Contributed by Xavier M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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