Love Me As Hard As You Hurt Me
Paul Carrack Lyrics


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Love me as hard as you hurt me

Well you broke my heart into little pieces
Left them lying all over the ground
And even before the tears of dried
Here you′re coming back around
Wanting to know if you can make up
For all the times you made me cry
Only a fool would take you back
And here I am willing to try

You've got to love me as hard as you hurt me
Take me as high as you let me fall
Love me as hard as you hurt me
Show me no mercy at all

Well as far as I knew it was over
But you′re standing right in front of me now
Take me in your arms and hold me
Like only you know how

You've got to love me as hard as you hurt me
Take me as high as you let me fall
Love me as hard as you hurt me
Show me no mercy at all

Repeat chorus 2x





No no mercy at all

Overall Meaning

The song Love Me As Hard As You Hurt Me, by Paul Carrack, deals with the theme of a past love that has hurt the singer deeply, but who has come back to her asking for forgiveness and another chance. In the first verse, Carrack establishes the heartbreak experienced by the singer, and even though the tears haven't dried yet, the lover returns, looking for a chance to make amends. However, the singer is cautious, recognizing that only a fool would forgive and forget so easily. Nevertheless, she is willing to give him another chance and make it work.


The chorus of the song is the most poignant part of the lyrics. Carrack asks the lover to love her as hard as he had hurt her, to take her as high as he had let her fall, and show her no mercy at all. It is now up to the lover to prove his worthiness and show his true affection. The singer is willing to give him another chance, but the price of the reconciliation is the lover's willingness to put in the same amount of effort to make things work, to love her intensely and passionately.


The second verse sees the return of the lover, standing in front of the singer. She, in turn, is willing to forgive and be held by him, safe and sound. The chorus repeats, reinforcing the singer's demands for an intense and meaningful relationship, one that is worth taking the risk and emotional investment.


Overall, Love Me As Hard As You Hurt Me is a song about redemption, forgiveness, and second chances. The singer has learned from her past heartbreaks and recognizes the importance of demanding the same amount of effort from her lover. By asking her lover to love her intensely, she is also acknowledging that she deserves more, that she is worth the risk and the investment.


Line by Line Meaning

Love me as hard as you hurt me
I want you to love me with the same intensity that you hurt me.


Well you broke my heart into little pieces
You shattered my heart into countless pieces.


Left them lying all over the ground
You left my heart broken and scattered everywhere.


And even before the tears of dried
You are back in my life without giving me enough time to overcome my grief.


Here you′re coming back around
You are back in my life after hurting me badly in the past.


Wanting to know if you can make up
You are trying to make amends for your past actions.


For all the times you made me cry
You caused me a lot of pain in the past.


Only a fool would take you back
It would be unwise to give you another chance.


And here I am willing to try
Despite knowing the consequence, I am still giving you another chance.


Take me as high as you let me fall
I want you to lift me higher than you pulled me down.


Show me no mercy at all
I want you to love me without showing any mercy, as I am ready to forgive you.


Well as far as I knew it was over
As far as I was concerned, our relationship was finished.


But you′re standing right in front of me now
You are standing in front of me, trying to make things right.


Take me in your arms and hold me
Wrap your arms around me, and give me a warm embrace.


Like only you know how
Comfort me like only you can.


No no mercy at all
Reiterating that I want you to love me without holding back, without any mercy.




Writer(s): John Scott Sherrill, Paul Carrack, Rich Wayland

Contributed by Kaelyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@IanSteele

Love me as hard as you hurt me

Well you broke my heart into little pieces
Left them lying all over the ground
And even before the tears of dried
Here you’re coming back around
Wanting to know if you can make up
For all the times you made me cry
Only a fool would take you back
And here I am willing to try

You’ve got to love me as hard as you hurt me
Take me as high as you let me fall
Love me as hard as you hurt me
Show me no mercy at all


Well as far as I knew it was over
But you’re standing right in front of me now
Take me in your arms and hold me
Like only you know how


You’ve got to love me as hard as you hurt me
Take me as high as you let me fall
Love me as hard as you hurt me
Show me no mercy at all

Repeat chorus 2x

No no mercy at all



All comments from YouTube:

@marmont48

Paul Carrack is - for sure - the most underrated singer since the 60's...EVERY SONG he sings is filled with true emotion which you can really FEEL. I know he has a lot of TRUE fans but he deserves more acknowledgment.

@1960gal

Could not agree more! Cannot wait for his UK Tour to start. Believe it or not, his voice is generally better live! I'd love to hear him to do this live :)

@Dakota-Rose

This man has pure soul. Love hearing it once in awhile and letting my emotions go running wild.

@clackjob

Great song! Thank you so much.

@306bad

Went to see paul in Chesterfield in January, known of him in Ace and Mike Rutherfords band the mechanics. At the gig we sat down, Paul came on and it was just a joy to be entertained by him, I am just finding songs by him tonight I did not hear at the gig, I can`t get Eyes of Blue out of my head, Thought this track would cure me but I don`t think i want to be cured. Nice to see PC fans we know he is a bit special

@deliapegg7239

Love this track - soulful and brings out the best in his voice.

@oldgymboy

going to see him in Hastings tonight. This is one of the missus' favourites. Would love to hear it live *hint* *hint*

@TheUgreenagreen

what a FANTASTIK VOICE!

@DelpyPicchi

This could easily be, just like many other of paul's songs, a first place radio song.

@Dickshit1978

It was a B-side of the single of re-recorded version of How Long, as on the Blue Views-album. ....and indeed a first place radio song, if you ask me. Amazing!

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