14th Street
Rufus Wainwright Lyrics
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My dear mother's eyes
A brown horse's mane
And my uncle's name
You walked me down 14th Street
For the doctor to meet after thoughts of the grave
In the home of the brave and of the weak
Couldn't you have saved a little bit of it?
Why'd you have to break all my heart?
Couldn't you have saved a minor part?
I could have clipped and saved and planted in the garden
Damn you guess I'll have to get a new one
I'd love to sit and watch you drink
With the reins to the world, gripping a smoke
Vaguely missing link
Don't ever change you hungry little bashful hound
I got the sheep, poor little Bo Peep
Has lost and filed for grounds.
But why'd you have to break all my heart
I could have ripped apart and thrown into the river
Wonder if there's hearts that will deliver
Don't ever change, don't ever worry
Because I'm coming back home tomorrow
To 14th Street where I won't hurry
And where I'll learn how to save, not just borrow
And they'll be rainbows and we will finally know
In Rufus Wainwright's song "14th Street," the lyrics begin by stating "You've got my lost brother's soul, my dear mother's eyes." The singer is describing the person he is addressing as possessing certain traits from people he has lost. He then goes on to mention a brown horse's mane and his uncle's name, which suggests that the person has perhaps inherited other characteristics and traits from people close to the singer. The verse continues with the person walking the singer down 14th Street to meet a doctor after some morbid thoughts, which hints at a close relationship and trust between the two.
The chorus of the song takes a turn as the singer asks why the person had to break his heart and couldn't have saved just a little bit of it. This suggests that there was perhaps a romantic relationship between the two or a deep connection that has been broken. The singer then reflects on the possibility of having been able to save a minor part of his heart if the person hadn't broken it entirely but mourns that it's too late to do anything about it now. He longs to replant his heart in the garden to grow anew but acknowledges that he'll have to find a new one.
The second verse describes the person drinking with the reins to the world in their hands, missing like a link, as the singer watches on. He admires the person's hunger and bashfulness but reveals that he's holding the sheep while little Bo Peep has lost and filed for grounds. Again, the chorus repeats with the singer asking why the person had to break his heart and laments that perhaps there are hearts out there that will deliver. The song's final lines offer hope as the singer tells the person not to ever change or worry because he's coming back home tomorrow to 14th Street, where he won't hurry and will learn how to save, not just borrow. The lyrics conclude with the promise of rainbows and finally knowing.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got my lost brother's soul
You possess the same essence as my lost brother.
My dear mother's eyes
Your gaze reminds me of my dear mother.
A brown horse's mane
Your hair flows like a horse's mane.
And my uncle's name
Your name is the same as my uncle's.
You walked me down 14th Street
You guided me down a significant street.
For the doctor to meet after thoughts of the grave
We went to meet a doctor after contemplating death.
In the home of the brave and of the weak
In a place that is both strong and vulnerable.
But why'd you have to break all my heart
Why did you have to hurt me so deeply?
Couldn't you have saved a little bit of it?
Couldn't you have left me with some love?
I could have clipped and saved and planted in the garden
I could have saved and nurtured the love you gave me.
Damn you guess I'll have to get a new one
I will have to find new love to replace what you took.
I'd love to sit and watch you drink
I enjoy seeing you enjoy yourself.
With the reins to the world, gripping a smoke
With control over your life, holding a cigarette.
Vaguely missing link
Something is not quite right.
Don't ever change you hungry little bashful hound
Stay the same, you eager but shy person.
I got the sheep, poor little Bo Peep
I have what you want, like Bo Peep's lost sheep.
Has lost and filed for grounds.
You cannot have it.
But why'd you have to break all my heart
Why did you have to hurt me so deeply?
I could have ripped apart and thrown into the river
I could have destroyed the love you gave me.
Wonder if there's hearts that will deliver
I wonder if there are hearts that can truly love.
Don't ever change, don't ever worry
Stay the same, don't fret.
Because I'm coming back home tomorrow
I will return home soon.
To 14th Street where I won't hurry
To that significant street where I will take my time.
And where I'll learn how to save, not just borrow
And where I will learn to save love rather than just borrow it.
And they'll be rainbows and we will finally know
And everything will be good and clear.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kevinrosas4572
You've got my lost brother's soul
My dear mother's eyes
A brown horse's mane
And my uncle's name
You walked me down 14th Street
For the doctor to meet after thoughts of the grave
In the home of the brave and of the weak
But why'd you have to break all my heart
Couldn't you have saved a little bit of it?
Why'd you have to break all my heart?
Couldn't you have saved a minor part?
I could have clipped and saved and planted in the garden
Damn you guess I'll have to get a new one
I'd love to sit and watch you drink
With the reins to the world, gripping a smoke
Vaguely missing link
Don't ever change you hungry little bashful hound
I got the sheep, poor little Bo Peep
Has lost and filed for grounds.
But why'd you have to break all my heart
I could have ripped apart and thrown into the river
Wonder if there's hearts that will deliver
Don't ever change, don't ever worry
Because I'm coming back home tomorrow
To 14th Street where I won't hurry
And where I'll learn how to save, not just borrow
And they'll be rainbows and we will finally know
@roxaneauer360
Man, he has been great forever, and going strong, as beautiful, strong and talented as ever as I write this. What a gift to the world.
@pacificoast82
How is this guy not even bigger than he is? He's such a natural. I can't even think of another singer in the past couple of decades who's this gifted. Riveting voice, writing and performances.
@maddierousselow5309
Love Rufus beautiful handsome gorgeous voice I'm just mad abt him love his smile
@suesjoy
It makes no sense. If it were the 70s he’d be huge!
@keala008
i completely agree and you've put it so well- his ability to orchestrate and realise this music is actually incredible. Completely one of a kind
@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole
Rufus Wainwright debuted in 1998. And, by then, the strong, solid songwriting of the 1980's was sacrificed for the rythmic, loop-based street-poetics of Hiphop music. Other thing is that Grunge, literally with it's dirty sweaters and gritty voices now represented a rejection of corporatized, highly-marketed and glossy 80's songs and videos. Nirvana's "Nevermind," a Grunge landmark album came out in 1991. By 1998, the public at large was not interested in an act from a Canadian singer who's sound was more akin to theater, Vaudville, and jazz. Though completely ignored by radio stations, a decade later accapella and folk-style singing made a comeback because from 2000 to 2010 everybody actually forgot what real singing really was. That was the decade of the whiny, cry-baby-sounding garage-bands. Literally, instead of singing, they actually whined! Nothing expresses the voice of entitlement like pop music of the 2000's. The voice as a natural, resonant instrument was further destroyed by the advent of auto-tune. The computer program that could slide isolated melodic lines to snap un-naturally to whatever key of choice. Amazingly, Cher's "Belive", the first usage of autotune on pop radio, came out in 1998--the very year of Rufus Wainwright's debut. (Autotune had an interesting, somewhat computerized effect, which I have nothing against. I'm just saying that it removed from the radio any grounded sense of resonant singing.) Ironically, it was television that saved the human singing voice (and Rufus Wainwright paved the way for this by keeping theater and jazz pop music alive till then). In 2006, during the complete death of singing, America's got talent (and other such competitions) appeared, and suddenly, people began to hear real singing again. These were live competitions, so the singer had to use his voice to the fullest because, besides a little added reverb, that's all he had. Slowly, singers began to quit singing from there little snotty noses. By the end of that decade, Glee came out (2009), which was a dramatic musical series of high school kids in a music program at school. With glee, if was finally OK to sing in a theater or folk style--meaning un-plugged, minimal accompaniment, and group harmony. Also, by the end of the 2000's, radio was being replaced by the internet. It now, suddenly didn't matter if you were hip to what was being presented on the radio at whatever given time. It finally became cool to NOT know what was popular at the time. Indeed, Rufus Wainwright WAS ahead of his time. The quality of his original music, plus critical acclaim, kept his music alive almost exclusively thru a cult status. Also, like Vince Clarke and Erasure in the 80's, Wainwright cleverly worked the gay sub-culture by identifying himself with being openly gay at a time when gayness was still an under-ground and taboo issue. His second album, Poses came out in 2001, and although his most financially successful release, it was make a decade of dark obscurity from the public eye and ear. His legacy is a large body of work that is both highly accessible, yet intellectually and harmonically challenging and provocative. Rufus Wainwright's legacy is that his music survived a pop-culture that never survived him.
@gerasimosst8643
@@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole you know you wrote one of the best comments ever on YouTube, right?
Amazingly precise, well done
@waynebrasler
A song no one ever seems to tire of. And every time he sings it is like he is performing it for the first time. As we all know by now, he is a true genius.
@florencem91
He's such a great artist. I love how intense he looks when he sings, he's really into it. Plus, he's so handsome !!!!!!
@private1557
Thank you very much my beloved fan, it's a great pleasure for me to have such a nice and beautiful fan like you, thank you very much for all the love and support, I hope you enjoyed listening to my songs?