Lately
Massive Attack Lyrics


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Summertime always gives me the blues
Thinking about the things we used to do
Watching lovers in the park making love so free
And now I realize there's only me

Lately baby where, where did we go wrong
Lately baby where, where did we go wrong
You been acting like a cat on a hot tin roof
Something's on your mind that you can't share
You never used to hide your feelings from me
Keeping secrets I don't understand

Lately baby where, where did we go wrong
Lately baby where, where did we go wrong

I used to synchronize it with your body
Making it so tight never letting go

I used to synchronize it with your body
Making it so tight never letting go

Lately baby where, where did we go wrong
Lately, lately, lately, lately
Lately baby, where did we go wrong




Where did we go wrong
Missed your touch, missed your touch

Overall Meaning

The first stanza of the song "Lately" by Massive Attack conveys a feeling of melancholy when the summertime is celebrated and people are enjoying their time in the parks. The persona of the song feels the blues since he/she is thinking about things he/she used to do with someone he/she used to love. The persona watches other lovers in the park making love so freely while realizing that he/she is alone. The second stanza emphasizes confusion and mystery in the persona’s current relationship. The persona’s lover has been acting like a cat on a hot tin roof, which means that he/she is nervous and agitated, but his/her companion does not know the cause of this behavior. The persona recalls that the lover never used to hide his or her feelings, and now he/she wonders why the person is keeping secrets. The chorus of the song repeats these lyrics, wondering about the point where they may have gone wrong.


Line by Line Meaning

Summertime always gives me the blues
During the summer, I feel sad and melancholic.


Thinking about the things we used to do
I reminisce about the past and the memories we shared.


Watching lovers in the park making love so free
Observing happy couples in the park reminds me of how free and uninhibited love used to be.


And now I realize there's only me
I now understand that I am alone and without my former lover.


You been acting like a cat on a hot tin roof
You've been behaving in an anxious, tense manner that suggests you are hiding something or are worried about something.


Something's on your mind that you can't share
There is something troubling you that you refuse to discuss with me.


You never used to hide your feelings from me
In the past, you were always open and honest with me about your emotions.


Keeping secrets I don't understand
You are keeping secrets from me, and I am confused and unsure why.


I used to synchronize it with your body
I used to connect with you physically and emotionally, making love in a way that was intense and synchronized.


Making it so tight never letting go
I would hold on tightly to you, never wanting to let you slip away.


Lately baby where, where did we go wrong
Recently, I have been questioning where we went off track and why our relationship has turned sour.


Missed your touch, missed your touch
I yearn for your physical touch and feel its absence.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robert Del Naja, Grantley Marshall, Andrew Lee Isaac Vowles, Shara Nelson, Gus Redmond, Jeffery Allen Simon, Fred E. Simon, Larry Brownlee

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@amannvig

Summertime always gives me the blues
Thinking about the things we used to do
Watching lovers in the park making love so free
And now I realize there's only me

Lately baby where, where did we go wrong
Lately baby where, where did we go wrong

You been acting like a cat on a hot tin roof
Something's on your mind that you can't share
You never used to hide your feelings from me
Keeping secrets I don't understand

Lately baby where, where did we go wrong
Lately baby where, where did we go wrong

I used to synchronize it with your body
Making it so tight never letting go

I used to synchronize it with your body
Making it so tight never letting go

Lately baby where, where did we go wrong
Lately, lately, lately, lately
Lately baby, where did we go wrong
Where did we go wrong
Missed your touch, missed your touch



All comments from YouTube:

@gergatronic

some masterful beat matching going on here... remember this is 1991, everything done by hand.

@DaveKovalComedy

i mean they probably still used MPC's and programmed it

@stephane9544

Cubase has been released in 89.

@DJBFAD

I worked in a record shop in London 1994, everyone working there had completely different musical tastes. A raver, a ska boy, a hippie, a pop princess, a Brit Popper. Blue Lines was the ONLY record we could all agree on - must have listened to it hundreds of times in that shop...

@jeremygauer7883

😁 👍👍

@TheSlighty

Mate I hear you, this album is genius. It has something for everyone... A sensational piece of work.

Devastating that it is 32 years old mate.. what the actual ...!! Life is brilliant but too quick !!

@jimmybreeze00

which shop?

@macacoosnofa

this is one of the most underrated songs when it comes to mood and vibe. this song, a joint and a girl and you're all set, just go for it

@marianoruiz7000

Totally, what more could you ask for?

@gavincook4684

The whole album!

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