Finn is said to have decided to become a musician at the age of 12 and throughout his school years performed in hospitals and prisons, as well as at home gatherings. In 1976 he formed a group known as After Hours with Mark Hough, Geoff Chunn and Alan Brown. The following year, in 1977, Finn was invited to London to join Split Enz, the band formed by his elder brother, Tim Finn. Split Enz broke up in 1984 and Neil Finn formed a new band, Crowded House, with several other Australian and New Zealand musicians.
Crowded House had a string of hits over the next 10 years, releasing four albums and culminating in a concert in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. Finn went solo after this, releasing several albums as well as two albums with his brother Tim (Finn Brothers).
In 2007, Finn re-united Crowded House and released a new album, Time on Earth, and the band began a world tour. In 2010, another new album, "Intriguer", was released and coincided with another world tour.
In 2012, Finn recorded the track "Song of the Lonely Mountain", which was featured in the end credits of the movie "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey".
She Will Have Her Way
Neil Finn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm so sore that I could cry always
In the night lay your tired arms
She will have her way
Somehow I will still believe her
She's the life I've been frightened of seems like
Feels like I am heavy and my spirit has died
She will have her way
Somehow I will still believe her
She will have her way
One day I will come back
Still no end in sight
Though I travel far and wide
A dying man is doing time
Thinker, soldier terrified
And she will have her way
Somehow I will still believe her
She will have her way
One day I will come back
She will have her way
When the time has gone away
She will have her way
She will have her way
But not before time
She will have her way
The lyrics of Neil Finn's song, She Will Have Her Way, paint a picture of a man falling deeply in love with a woman who has completely taken over his life. The woman, described as a life the man has been frightened of, seems to have taken control of his existence, leaving him feeling heavy and spiritless. Despite feeling exhausted and defeated, the man still believes in her, and he is willing to come back to her even when he travels far and wide. He is a dying man who is doing time, likely referring to feeling trapped in his own feelings as he cannot escape the hold this woman has on him.
The chorus "She will have her way, somehow I will still believe her" indicates that the man cannot resist her control over him, even though it may be causing him harm. It is the notion of surrendering to her power that brings him back to her, knowing that he will continue to fall under her spell. The lyrics reflect the helpless feeling that often accompanies love, where one can't fight the inevitable and finds themselves willing to overlook pain, hurt and fear as long as they are in the presence of the person they love.
The repeated chorus line, "She will have her way," reinforces the idea of the woman's dominance in the relationship, almost as if the man has no control over his own life. It is not clear why she has such power over him, but it seems that she has become his whole world despite it being a difficult and possibly toxic relationship. Ultimately, the song communicates the message that sometimes love is not simply a matter of the heart, but something that we can't control.
Line by Line Meaning
I might be old but I'm someone new she said
She feels like a different person than she used to be.
I'm so sore that I could cry always
She is constantly hurting and feels like crying all the time.
In the night lay your tired arms
She wants her lover to find comfort in her arms after a long day.
She will have her way
She will get what she wants, no matter what.
Somehow I will still believe her
Even though she may be difficult to understand, he will still trust her.
She's the life I've been frightened of seems like
She is the kind of person he has always been scared to be with.
Deathly silence and especially the dark
He is afraid of the quiet darkness that comes with being alone.
Feels like I am heavy and my spirit has died
He feels a strong sense of despair and hopelessness.
One day I will come back
He hopes to return to his love someday, possibly after working through his issues.
Still no end in sight
He feels like there is no resolution in sight for his problems.
Though I travel far and wide
He has been searching for answers to his problems, going to great lengths to find them.
A dying man is doing time
He feels like he is slowly losing his life to his struggles.
Thinker, soldier terrified
He is tortured by his thoughts and fears, feeling like he is in a constant battle.
When the time has gone away
She will get what she wants after a certain amount of time has passed.
But not before time
She knows that she will have to wait for what she wants.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NEIL MULLANE FINN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@1BillHarding
What do you think, Doctor Cushing? She’s not well, Harry. Aah!
I might be old, but I'm someone new, she said, I'm so sore
That I could cry, always, in the night, lay your tired arms.
And, she will have her way. And, somehow, I will still believe her.
She's the life I've been frightened of. Seems like deathly silence,
And, especially, the dark. Feels like I am heavy, and my spirit has died.
She will have her way. Somehow, I will still believe her.
She will have her way. One day, I will come back. Ah-ah-ah.
Do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do. Oh-oh-oh, ah.
Still no end in sight. Though I traveled far and wide.
A dyin’ man’s doing time. Thinker. Soldier. Terrified.
And, she will have her way. Somehow, I will still believe her.
She will have her way. And, one day, I will come back.
Do-do-do. Do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do.
Ah-ah-ah-ah. Do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do.
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah. Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah.
Hey! She will have her way. When time has gone today. Yeah!
She will have her way. She will have her way. But, not before the time.
She will have her way. She will have her way. She will have her way.
@applepony2236
How do you even write a song like this???let alone everyother song this man composed....absolute musical genius. Blessed enough to have seen him live .legend
@robbiehughes4244
Discovered this song recently absolute tune
@davidnelson6874
I love “Attack Of The Fifty Foot Woman!”
@pgbear
Just rediscovered this absolute gem of a song after hearing it used so brilliantly in the series finale of The Affair. Not heard the song for years. Video is terrific too!
@AimsPhoenix
Haha same as me, same time too. I thought that episode was awesome and this song fitted it so well didn’t it?
@karlatorres6398
me too!! was perfect in the tvshow
@thuythuynguyen8043
So did i lol, absolutely cute scene and this song fits so well
@JZ-jp6ce
Great album! My now ex bought this for me. I'd lost touch with music and he said, I know you love Crowded House, I imagine you'll love this 💚💚 💚
@Win7ermu7e
Here from Sports Night where they also used it very well in the Season 2 opener.
@14rnr
I adore "Try Whistling This" an absolute work of art. I enjoyed this video too.
Thank you Mr Finn for the thousands of hours of enjoyment and inspiration you have brought me over the years, there have been times when you have literally saved my life with your songs.