Her self-titled debut album, Mathilde Santing, came out in 1982 and she gas released well over fifteen studio albums since, most of them sung in English, although she sometimes performs and records in her mother tongue as well. Known for her whispery and vulnerable vocal style, Santing is a prominent gay role model in The Netherlands. She sang at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1998 Gay Games in Amsterdam.
Santing's biggest chart success came in 1999 with the lush ballad 'Wonderful Life', which hit #6 in the Dutch Top 40. The song was taken from the 1999 album To Others To One, which is her highest charting album in her native Netherlands to date, reaching #4 in the Dutch album charts.
Love is a tender trap
Mathilde Santing Lyrics
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And suddenly your sighing sighs
Youre thinking nothings wrong
You string along, boy, then snap!
Those eyes, those sighs, theyre part of the tender trap
Youre hand in hand beneath the trees
Youre acting kind of smart, until your heart just goes wap!
Those trees, that breeze, theyre part of the tender trap
Some starry night, when her kisses make you tingle
Shell hold you tight, and youll hate yourself for being single
And all at once it seems so nice
The folks are throwing shoes and rice
You hurry to a spot, thats just a dot on the map
Youre hooked, youre cooked, youre caught in the tender trap
Some starry night, when her kisses make you tingle
Shell hold you tight, and youll hate yourself for being single
And all at once it seems so nice
The folks are throwing shoes and rice
You hurry to a spot thats just a dot on the map
And then you wonder how it all came about
Its too late now theres no gettin out
You fell in love, and love is the tender trap
The lyrics to Mathilde Santing's song Love is a Tender Trap describe the feeling of falling in love unexpectedly and being so deeply caught up in the feeling that one feels trapped. The singer describes seeing someone with "laughing eyes" and suddenly feeling a rush of emotions, sighing and feeling like nothing is wrong. The use of the phrase "string along, boy, then snap" implies that the singer is not in control of their emotions and is perhaps being led on by the object of their affection. The singer then describes being "hand in hand" with this person and feeling music in the air as they become more and more enamored.
The lyrics take a more cynical tone towards the end, describing how one will hate themselves for being single when they find themselves in the throes of passion on a "starry night." They describe the feeling of wanting to rush to a spot that is "just a dot on the map" to be with this person. The final lines describe the feeling of being "hooked, cooked, caught" in the tender trap of love, wondering how it all came about but ultimately realizing that it is too late to get out.
Overall, the lyrics suggest that love can be both beautiful and dangerous, with the potential to trap people in a situation they cannot control.
Line by Line Meaning
You see a pair of laughing eyes
You come across someone who catches your attention and makes you happy.
And suddenly your sighing sighs
This person makes you feel a longing that you didn't feel before.
Youre thinking nothings wrong
You believe that everything is normal and harmless.
You string along, boy, then snap!
You are leading this person on until you cannot control your emotions anymore.
Those eyes, those sighs, theyre part of the tender trap
These experiences are part of the trap of falling in love easily.
Youre hand in hand beneath the trees
You are experiencing intimate moments with this person in a scenic environment.
And soon theres music in the breeze
You start to feel joyful and euphoric because everything around you seems perfect.
Youre acting kind of smart, until your heart just goes wap!
You are pretending to be clever about the situation, but you are quickly overwhelmed by emotions.
Those trees, that breeze, theyre part of the tender trap
These settings enhance the trap of love and make it hard to resist feeling attached.
Some starry night, when her kisses make you tingle
One night, this person's feelings will become more intense, and their kisses will become more significant.
Shell hold you tight, and youll hate yourself for being single
This person will hold onto you so closely that you will regret ever being single or away from them.
And all at once it seems so nice
You will feel a strong urge to stay with this person for as long as possible, and everything will seem perfect.
The folks are throwing shoes and rice
Other people are celebrating your feelings and making it known that they approve of your relationship.
You hurry to a spot, thats just a dot on the map
You and this person rush to a romantic location where you can express your feelings for each other.
Youre hooked, youre cooked, youre caught in the tender trap
You have fallen deeply in love and are now trapped in the emotional intensity of the relationship.
And then you wonder how it all came about
You will start to question how you got to this point in the relationship.
Its too late now theres no gettin out
You have become so emotionally invested that you cannot imagine leaving this relationship regardless of its outcome.
You fell in love, and love is the tender trap
You fell in love, and unfortunately, love can trap you into experiencing all of its ups and downs.
Contributed by Isabella P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.