Hold on to Yourself
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm so far away from you
Pacing up and down my room
Does Jesus only love a man who loses?
I turn on the radio
There's some cat on the saxophone
Laying down a litany of excuses
There's madhouse longing in my baby's eyes
She rubs the lamp between her thighs
And hopes the genie comes out, singing
She lives in some forgotten song
And moves like she is zombie-strong
Breathes steady as the pendulum keeps swinging

You better hold on to yourself

Well, cities rust and fall to ruin
Factories close and cars go cruisin'
In around the borders of her vision
She says ooh, ooh, ooh
As Jesus makes the flowers grow
All around the scene of her collision

You know I would, yes, I would
I would hold on to yourself

In the middle of the night
I try my best to chase outside
The phantoms and the ghosts and fairy-girls
On a thousand and one nights like these
She mutters open sesame and Ali Baba and his forty thieves
Launch her off the face of the world

You know one day I'll come back and I'd hold on to yourself
To yourself, I'd hold on to yourself

Ooh baby, I'm a thousand miles away
And I just don't know what to say
'Cause Jesus only loves a man who bruises
But darling, we can clearly see
It's all life and fire and lunacy
And excuses and excuses and excuses

Well, you know if I could, I would
Yeah I'd lie right down and I'd hold on to yourself
Yeah, I would lie right down and I would hold on to yourself
One day I'll come back to you and I'd hold on to yourself
Yeah, I'm gonna come back, gonna lie down
And I'll hold on to yourself




Yeah, to yourself
To yourself

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds's song Hold On To Yourself describe the feeling of longing and distance between two people. The singer is far away from their loved one and trying to hold on to their connection. The line "Does Jesus only love a man who loses?" suggests a feeling of inadequacy and insecurity in the relationship, as if the singer is questioning whether their worthiness for love. The saxophone playing in the background adds to the sense of despair and loneliness.


The second half of the song moves towards a more hopeful tone, with the mention of Jesus making the flowers grow and the promise to come back to the loved one and hold on to themselves. The reference to "a thousand and one nights" and "Ali Baba and his forty thieves" adds to the feeling of an adventure and journey towards reuniting with the loved one. Overall, the lyrics suggest a complex mix of emotions and a deep longing for connection.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm so far away from you
I feel distant and separated from you


Pacing up and down my room
I'm anxiously moving around in my room


Does Jesus only love a man who loses?
I question whether God only loves those who suffer and lose


I turn on the radio
I switch on the radio


There's some cat on the saxophone
Someone is playing saxophone on the radio


Laying down a litany of excuses
Playing a series of excuses as if they're music


There's madhouse longing in my baby's eyes
My lover is filled with intense desire and desperation


She rubs the lamp between her thighs
She touches herself to summon a genie


And hopes the genie comes out, singing
She wishes for the genie to appear and grant her a wish


She lives in some forgotten song
My lover lives in a world of her own imagination


And moves like she is zombie-strong
She moves with a determined, unstoppable force


Breathes steady as the pendulum keeps swinging
She stays calm and steady even as time passes


You better hold on to yourself
You need to stay grounded and not lose sight of who you are


Well, cities rust and fall to ruin
Cities decay and collapse


Factories close and cars go cruisin'
Industries shut down and people go for leisurely drives


In around the borders of her vision
On the edge of my lover's perception


She says ooh, ooh, ooh
She makes a sound of awe and wonder


As Jesus makes the flowers grow
My lover believes in divine intervention and miracles


All around the scene of her collision
All around the place where she's struggling and suffering


You know I would, yes, I would
I would hold on to myself


In the middle of the night
At night, when it's dark and quiet


I try my best to chase outside
I make an effort to escape from my thoughts and fears


The phantoms and the ghosts and fairy-girls
The fears, illusions, and unrealistic expectations in my mind


On a thousand and one nights like these
On many similar nights in the past


She mutters open sesame and Ali Baba and his forty thieves
My lover recites magic words from a fairy tale


Launch her off the face of the world
To escape reality and enter a fantasy world


Ooh baby, I'm a thousand miles away
I'm far away from you


And I just don't know what to say
I don't know how to express myself


'Cause Jesus only loves a man who bruises
I feel like God only loves those who suffer and hurt


But darling, we can clearly see
But my love, we can understand


It's all life and fire and lunacy
It's all chaotic and intense like a burning fire


And excuses and excuses and excuses
And full of justifications and reasons why things are the way they are


Well, you know if I could, I would
If I could, I would hold on to myself


Yeah I'd lie right down and I'd hold on to yourself
I would rest and stay focused on myself


One day I'll come back to you and I'd hold on to yourself
I'll return to you and stay true to myself


Yeah, I'm gonna come back, gonna lie down
I intend to return and rest


And I'll hold on to yourself
And I'll stay focused on myself


Yeah, to yourself
Yes, to stay grounded and not lose myself




Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions