Take A Bow
Melissa Totten Lyrics


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Take a bow, the night is over
This masquerade is getting older
Lights are low, the curtains down
There's no one here
(There's no one here, there's no one in the crowd)
Say your lines but do you feel them
Do you mean what you say when there's no one around (no one around)
Watching you, watching me, one lonely star
(One lonely star you don't know who you are)

I've always been in love with you (always with you)
I guess you've always known it's true (you know it's true)
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-bye
Say good-bye (bye bye), say good-bye

Make them laugh, it comes so easy
When you get to the part
Where you're breaking my heart (breaking my heart)
Hide behind your smile, all the world loves a clown
(Just make them smile the whole world loves a clown)
Wish you well, I cannot stay
You deserve an award for the role that you played (role that you played)
No more masquerade, you're one lonely star
(One lonely star and you don't know who you are)

I've always been in love with you (always with you)
I guess you've always known it's true (you know it's true)
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-bye
Say good-bye (bye bye), say good-bye

I've always been in love with you (always with you)
I guess you've always known it's true (you know it's true)
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-bye
Say good-bye (bye bye), say good-bye

All the world is a stage (world is a stage)
And everyone has their part (has their part)
But how was I to know which way the story's go
How was I to know you'd break
(You'd break, you'd break, you'd break)
You'd break my heart
I've always been in love with you
(I've always been in love with you)
Guess you've always known
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-bye

I've always been in love with you (always with you)
I guess you've always known it's true (you know it's true)
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-bye
Say good-bye (bye bye), say good-bye





Say good-bye (bye bye), say good-bye
Say good-bye

Overall Meaning

The song Take A Bow by Melissa Totten seems to be about someone who feels used and unappreciated in a relationship. The first verse suggests that the relationship is a facade, a masquerade that has gone on for too long. The lights are low and the curtains are down, and there is no one in the audience. The second verse highlights the performer's deception, where they pretend to be happy and make others laugh, hiding behind a smile that conceals their pain. No one knows who the performer truly is, and they do not even know who they are themselves.


The next verses reveal that the performer's partner has taken their love for granted and has not appreciated their true feelings. They have always been in love with the partner, but it seems the partner has always known this and taken it for granted. The chorus repeats the statement that the show is over, and it is time to say goodbye to the mask that they have worn and the partner who has not returned their love. The final line of the song suggests that the performer did not know how the story would end, but they sure didn't expect to have their heart broken.


Overall, the song seems like a bittersweet goodbye to someone who was never really there. It sends a message to people to not take love for granted, as it can lead to heartbreak and pain.


Line by Line Meaning

Take a bow, the night is over
Congratulations on completing this charade, the night has come to an end


This masquerade is getting older
This act of pretending is becoming too much to handle


Lights are low, the curtains down
The performance is finished, the stage is empty


There's no one here
No one is there to watch or follow the act


(There's no one here, there's no one in the crowd)
No one is in the crowd or audience to appreciate the act


Say your lines but do you feel them
Are the lines spoken with true conviction?


Do you mean what you say when there's no one around (no one around)
Is the act genuine, or just for show?


Watching you, watching me, one lonely star
The only star in a sea of nobody's


(One lonely star you don't know who you are)
Feeling lost and unsure of identity


I've always been in love with you (always with you)
My love for you is unwavering


I guess you've always known it's true (you know it's true)
The love I have for you is no secret


You took my love for granted, why oh why
My love was ignored and unappreciated


The show is over, say good-bye
The act is complete, time to say farewell


Say good-bye (bye bye), say good-bye
Ending the performance with a final farewell


Make them laugh, it comes so easy
Entertaining others with ease and charisma


When you get to the part
The moment in the performance


Where you're breaking my heart (breaking my heart)
The point in which the act goes too far


Hide behind your smile, all the world loves a clown
The ability to mask true emotions with a smile; everyone loves a good performer


(Just make them smile the whole world loves a clown)
The audience loves to be entertained, even at the cost of one's own emotions


Wish you well, I cannot stay
Leave the performance behind to move forward


You deserve an award for the role that you played (role that you played)
Acknowledging the skill in the act and talent portrayed


No more masquerade, you're one lonely star
No more pretending, left feeling isolated and alone


(One lonely star and you don't know who you are)
Feeling lost in one's true identity when the performance is over


All the world is a stage (world is a stage)
Life is filled with performance and theatrics


And everyone has their part (has their part)
Everyone is playing a role in this theatrical world


But how was I to know which way the story's go
Unable to fully comprehend the direction of the story


How was I to know you'd break
Unable to predict the betrayal and broken heart


(You'd break, you'd break, you'd break)
Emphasizes the sadness and pain from being heartbroken


Say good-bye
The final farewell to the act and painful past


Say good-bye (bye bye), say good-bye
Reinforcing the finality of the goodbye




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Madonna Ciccone, Kenneth Edmonds

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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