Babel feat. Martina Topley-Bird
Massive Attack Lyrics


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Say it was her Babel
Said it was my Babel
It was my Babel
Tell all people

Now you know it's over, rolling off her shoulder
You can take a ladder to the shadows and forget
Was it how she kissed you and then dismissed you?
Was it purposeful and was it just to hook you in?

Hallucinating, chasing, changing, racing
Breaking, hating 'til you lost it all
Well, you lost your girlfriend, she was not knowing
Where you were going, you were on your own

He was quick to burning
He was slow to learning
Though his eyes were misted
He still kissed her when she cried
You did your best to replace her
You didn't up and leave her
You befriended the harsh way it ended, now sleep tight

Hallucinating, chasing, changing, pacing
Bracing, breaking, if you lost it all
Was it all your good?
Reachin' into it?
That lead you to me
I would have craved the love

I wanna be the one that should've said, "You do not dare"
I'm running so far out of my head
This rain of heart that ripples my day




Can never say what was thinking, wait
Mhm

Overall Meaning

The song Babel by Massive Attack explores the complex emotions and thoughts that arise when a relationship ends. The repeating phrase "Say it was her Babel, said it was my Babel, it was my Babel, tell all people" is a reference to the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, where people spoke different languages and could no longer communicate effectively with each other. In the song, the Babel represents the breakdown in communication that occurred within the relationship, and the inability to understand each other's feelings and motivations.


Throughout the song, the lyrics describe the different ways that the two people involved in the relationship are coping with the breakup. One person is "hallucinating, chasing, changing, racing, breaking, hating" as they try to deal with the loss of the relationship. The other person is described as "quick to burning" and "slow to learning," suggesting that they may have been the one to end the relationship or that they struggled to communicate effectively with their partner.


Overall, the song paints a picture of two people who are struggling to come to terms with the end of their relationship and the difficult emotions that arise as a result. The lyrics are open to interpretation and could be seen as a commentary on the breakdown of communication within romantic relationships or on the universal human experience of loss and heartbreak.


Line by Line Meaning

Say it was her Babel
She was the one who built us up but also caused our downfall


Said it was my Babel
I claimed that I was responsible for our ruin and demise


It was my Babel
I admit that it was me who caused our separation and destroyed the relationship


Tell all people
I want everyone to know the truth about what happened between us


Now you know it's over, rolling off her shoulder
She's already moved on from our past relationship, and now it's time for me to do the same


You can take a ladder to the shadows and forget
You can escape from the memories of our past and find peace and serenity


Was it how she kissed you and then dismissed you?
Did she kiss you and then walk away, ignoring you?


Was it purposeful and was it just to hook you in?
Did she purposefully lead you on and then leave you hanging just for her own amusement?


Hallucinating, chasing, changing, racing
Losing touch with reality, running after something that keeps changing and is impossible to catch


Breaking, hating 'til you lost it all
Being cruel and destructive until everything valuable is destroyed beyond repair


Well, you lost your girlfriend, she was not knowing
You lost your girlfriend because she was unaware of what was going on and didn't understand how you were feeling


Where you were going, you were on your own
You were alone and aimlessly wandering around without any direction or guidance


He was quick to burning
He was easily ignited and prone to destructive behavior


He was slow to learning
He didn't learn from past mistakes or experiences and made the same errors repeatedly


Though his eyes were misted
Despite his eyes being misty from crying or emotional distress


He still kissed her when she cried
He still showed affection and comfort to her during emotional moments


You did your best to replace her
You tried to move on by finding someone else to replace her in your heart


You didn't up and leave her
You didn't simply abandon her, but you tried to stay and make things work


You befriended the harsh way it ended, now sleep tight
You've made peace with the cruel way things ended, so now you can rest easy


Bracing, breaking, if you lost it all
Expecting the worst and being prepared for everything to fall apart


Was it all your good?
Was everything you did the right choice or did it all result in disaster?


Reachin' into it?
Are you trying to dig deep to find the root of the problem?


That lead you to me
The connection between us is a result of that disastrous event in your past


I would have craved the love
I would have wished for you to love me instead of the one who caused your downfall


I wanna be the one that should've said, "You do not dare"
I wish I had been brave enough to tell you not to go down the same path again


I'm running so far out of my head
I'm trying to forget about everything that happened in the past, but it's difficult and overwhelming


This rain of heart that ripples my day
This sadness that's been following me around since our separation has affected every aspect of my life


Can never say what was thinking, wait
I regret not being honest with you about my feelings and thoughts, but it's too late to say them now




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Grantley Evan Marshall, Martina Topley-Bird, Neil Davidge, Robert Del Naja

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@t____93

Amo ❤️

@notfounderror_404

esta tema es una obra maestra por donde se le escuche.

@antonblancocasas9374

amazing song, i love it

@ninayoyoyo

so fun to sing to.

@ElmismisimoPurpura

Martina tocó lo cabello en el Metropólitan!!!!
Hace ya 6-7 años de eso

@SDEvent

Wow. Nice song

@fynne225

Fedt

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