In 2001, the band regrouped, with guitarist James Valentine added to the line-up, and pursued a new direction under the name: Maroon 5. At this point, Jesse Carmichael switched to playing the keyboards and this has become his main instrument in the band (although he also plays rhythm guitar to this day). After these changes, Maroon 5 signed with Octone Records and released their debut album, "Songs About Jane", in June 2002. The album's lead single "Harder to Breathe", received heavy airplay, which helped the album to debut at number six on the Billboard 200 chart. The band won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2005. For the next few years, the band toured extensively worldwide in support of Songs About Jane and produced two live recordings: 2004's "1.22.03.Acoustic" and 2005's "Live Friday the 13th". In 2006, Ryan Dusick officially left the band after suffering from serious wrist and shoulder injuries and was replaced by Matt Flynn. The band recorded their second album, "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" and released it in May 2007. The album reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and the lead single, "Makes Me Wonder", became the band's first number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100.
On September 21, 2010, the band released their third studio album entitled "Hands All Over". It was re-released in 2011 to include the single "Moves like Jagger" (featuring Christina Aguilera). While the original version of the album received mixed reviews, "Moves like Jagger" reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band released their next album, "Overexposed", on June 26, 2012. All four singles of the album were really successful on the charts - for example, the second single from Overexposed, "One More Night" (released on June 19, 2012), reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2014, the band signed with Interscope Records and released their fifth studio album, "V", with the very-first line-up of six official band members, as keyboardist and backing vocalist PJ Morton became an official member in 2012. The album debuted at top of the weekly Billboard 200 chart. Since its debut in 2002, the band has sold more than 15 million albums in the United States and over 100 million singles and 27 million albums worldwide.
Better That We Break
Maroon 5 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard you speak, and now it kills me
Just to hear you say the simple things
Now waking up is hard to do
And sleeping's impossible, too
Everything is reminding me of you
What can I do?
Say the word that you say
Maybe we're better off this way
I'm not fine, I'm in pain
It's harder everyday
Maybe we're better off this way
It's better that we break
A fool to let you slip away
I chase you just to hear you say
You're scared and that you think that I'm insane
The city looks so nice from here
Pity, I can't see it clearly
While you're standing there, it disappears
It disappears
It's not right, not okay
Say the word that you say
Maybe we're better off this way
I'm not fine, I'm in pain
It's harder everyday
Maybe we're better off this way
It's better that we break
Saw you sitting all alone
You're fragile, and you're cold
But that's all right
Life these days is getting rough
They've knocked you down and beat you up
But it's just a roller coaster anyway, yeah
It's not right, not okay
Say the word that you say
Maybe we're better off this way
I'm not fine, I'm in pain
It's harder everyday
Maybe we're better off this way
I'm not fine, not okay
Say the word that you say
Maybe we're better off this way
I'm not fine, and I'm in pain
It's harder everyday
Maybe we're better off this way
It's better that we break, baby
In "Better That We Break," Maroon 5 is reflecting on the end of a relationship that was once perfect but has since fallen apart. The opening lines reveal the singer's admiration for their partner, describing them as the embodiment of perfection and acknowledging the pain caused by hearing them say even the simplest of things. As the song continues, it becomes clear that the couple has reached a point of no return, where waking up and sleeping are both impossible due to the pain caused by the separation.
The chorus repeats the idea that "maybe we're better off this way," suggesting that the relationship has become unhealthy or unsustainable. However, the singer is struggling with this decision and is not "fine" or "okay" with the outcome. They acknowledge that they are in pain and that each day is harder than the last, but still question whether the separation is for the best.
As the song draws to a close, the singer describes seeing their former partner in a vulnerable state and acknowledges that life has been tough on them lately. The final chorus repeats the idea that maybe they're better off apart, but the song ends with the lingering question of whether the breakup truly is "better that we break."
Line by Line Meaning
I never knew perfection till
I had never experienced anything perfect until I met you
I heard you speak, and now it kills me
Your absence and the inability to hear you now is painful
Just to hear you say the simple things
Even hearing the smallest things from you meant so much to me
Now waking up is hard to do
Waking up without you is difficult
And sleeping's impossible, too
I can't sleep without you either
Everything is reminding me of you
Everything around me is reminding me of you
What can I do?
I don't know what to do
It's not right, not okay
The situation is not good or okay
Say the word that you say
Did you really mean what you said?
Maybe we're better off this way
Perhaps it's better to end things like this
I'm not fine, I'm in pain
I'm not okay, it hurts me
It's harder everyday
It's getting more difficult every day
A fool to let you slip away
I was foolish to let you go
I chase you just to hear you say
I try to talk to you in hopes that you'll say something to me
You're scared and that you think that I'm insane
You're afraid of something and believe that I'm crazy
The city looks so nice from here
The view of the city from here is beautiful
Pity, I can't see it clearly
Unfortunately, I can't see it as clearly as I'd like to
While you're standing there, it disappears
When you're with me, everything else fades away
Saw you sitting all alone
I saw you sitting by yourself
You're fragile, and you're cold
You seem emotionally and physically vulnerable
But that's all right
But it's okay
Life these days is getting rough
Life has been difficult lately
They've knocked you down and beat you up
Life has dealt you some tough blows
But it's just a roller coaster anyway, yeah
Life has its ups and downs, but that's just the way it is
It's better that we break, baby
Breaking up is the best thing for both of us, my love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Noah Levine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Teresa Dillard
on Maps
ain't nothing left to do