Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. was born in 1939 to Marvin Gay, Sr. and Alberta Gay in Washington, D.C.. Gaye began his career in Motown in 1958, and soon became Motown's top solo male artist. He scored numerous hits during the 1960s, among them "Ain't That Peculiar", "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", as well as several hit duets with Tammi Terrell, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"" and "You're All I Need to Get By", before moving on to his own form of musical self-expression.
Along with Stevie Wonder, Gaye is notable for fighting the hit-making—but creatively restrictive—Motown record-making process, in which performers, songwriters and record producers were generally kept in separate camps. Gaye forced Motown to release his 1971 album What's Going On, which is today hailed as one of the best albums of all time. Subsequent releases proved that Gaye, who had been a part-time songwriter for Motown artists during his early years with the label, could write and produce his own singles without having to rely on the Motown system. This achievement would pave the way for the successes of later self-sufficient singer-songwriter-producers in African American music, such as Luther Vandross and Babyface.
During the 1970s, Gaye would release several other notable albums, including Let's Get It On and I Want You, and released several successful singles such as "Come Get to This", "Got to Give It Up" and "Sexual Healing". By the time of his shooting death in 1984, at the hands of his clergyman father, Gaye had become one of the most influential artists of the soul music era.
One More Heartache
Marvin Gaye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My heart is carrying such a heavy load
One more ache would break it
Just like a camel with a heavy pack
One last straw was added
Said it broke the camel's back
Aaah, aaah (aah, aah)
I can't take it
One more heartache
It would turn me right around
First you build my hopes up high
And then let me down
Like the house you built with toothpicks
Stacked upon the kitchen table
One more toothpick tore it down
The foundation was not able
Aaah, aaah (aah, aah)
I can't stand it
No, baby
Oh, believe me
One more heartache
Is too much load
I'm fed up with the heartache
One more and I'll explode
Like a toy balloon that's filled
With as much air as it can take
One more puff of air and that balloon has got to break
Aaah, aaah (aah, aah)
I can't stand it
I can't take it
Oh, baby
Don't do it
Oh, honey, ooh, baby
In Marvin Gaye's song One More Heartache, the singer is expressing his frustration over yet another heartbreak. He sings of the heaviness on his heart already and how one more heartache would be the breaking point. The lyrics are filled with imagery, such as comparing his heart to a camel carrying a heavy pack, with one last straw added to break it. He then compares the situation to a house built with toothpicks, where one more toothpick could tear it down, highlighting the fragility of his emotional state.
The metaphor of a toy balloon that's filled with air as much as it can take, but with one more puff of air is bound to break serves as a warning to his love interest to not break his heart again. The repetition of the phrase 'aaah, aaah' throughout the song highlights his pain and frustration. As a listener, we can feel the raw emotions pouring out of the singer and empathize with his heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, one more heartache, I can't take it
My heart is already carrying a heavy load and one more heartache would break it
One more ache would break it
My heart is fragile and cannot handle any more pain
Just like a camel with a heavy pack
My heart is like a camel carrying a heavy pack of emotions
One last straw was added
One more heartache was the last straw that broke me
Said it broke the camel's back
That one last heartache was all it took to break me down completely
One more heartache
One more heartache would be the tipping point for me
It would turn me right around
It would cause me to give up completely
First you build my hopes up high
You give me hope and I start to feel optimistic
And then let me down
But then you disappoint me and crush my hopes
Like the house you built with toothpicks
My heart is like a fragile house built with toothpicks
Stacked upon the kitchen table
My heart is vulnerable and exposed, like a house on a table
One more toothpick tore it down
One more disappointment would completely destroy my fragile heart
The foundation was not able
My heart's foundation is weak and cannot withstand any more heartache
One more heartache is too much load
One more heartache would be too much for me to bear
I'm fed up with the heartache
I'm tired of feeling hurt and disappointed
One more and I'll explode
One more heartache would cause me to completely fall apart
Like a toy balloon that's filled
My heart is like a balloon that can only take so much pressure
With as much air as it can take
My heart can only handle so much before it bursts
One more puff of air and that balloon has got to break
One more heartache would be the final straw that causes my heart to break completely
Oh, believe me
Please understand the weight of my emotions and the fragility of my heart
No, baby
I can't handle any more heartache
Don't do it
Please don't hurt me anymore
Oh, honey, ooh, baby
I am hurting and need your love and support
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARVIN TARPLIN, ROBERT ROGERS, RONALD WHITE, SMOKEY ROBINSON, WARREN MOORE, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind