Live to tell
Ruthie Henshall Lyrics


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I have a tale to tell
Sometimes it gets so hard to hide it well
I was not ready for the fall
Too blind to see the writing on the wall

A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me

I know where beauty lives
I've seen it once, I know the warm she gives
The light that you could never see
It shines inside, you can't take that from me

A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me

The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again

If I ran away, I'd never have the strength
To go very far
How would they hear the beating of my heart
Will it grow cold
The secret that I hide, will I grow old
How will they hear
When will they learn
How will they know

A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me

The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again

A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell




The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me

Overall Meaning

In Ruthie Henshall's song Live to tell, the lyrics evoke a sense of pain and heartache. The singer of the song has a secret that she is hiding and struggling to reveal. She feels that if she shares her secret, it will lead to her downfall. She reflects that she was not ready for the consequences that her choices have led to. She has finally realized the truth about the person she trusted and that they weren't honest with her. Her newfound knowledge weighs heavily on her, and she is afraid that it will alter her future. She feels as though the secret will burn inside of her until she finds a way to reveal it.


The lyrics are about the pain of holding onto a secret and the internal struggle that it creates. It's about choosing between revealing the truth and facing the consequences, or keeping the secret and living with the guilt. The song conveys a sense of sadness, regret, and longing. The singer is in a vulnerable state and is questioning her ability to handle the consequences of the truth. All in all, it's a powerful tale about the burden of secrets and how they can affect a person's life.


Line by Line Meaning

I have a tale to tell
I have a story that needs to be told


Sometimes it gets so hard to hide it well
It's difficult to keep my story a secret sometimes


I was not ready for the fall
I was unprepared for the consequences of my actions


Too blind to see the writing on the wall
I didn't realize the signs that were there all along


A man can tell a thousand lies
People can be deceitful


I've learned my lesson well
I've been through this before and know the dangers


Hope I live to tell
I hope to survive the situation and share my story


The secret I have learned, 'till then
I won't share the information until I feel it's safe


It will burn inside of me
The secret will weigh heavily on me


I know where beauty lives
I've experienced something beautiful


I've seen it once, I know the warm she gives
I've felt the warmth and comfort that comes with beauty


The light that you could never see
The beauty is something that can't be easily recognized


It shines inside, you can't take that from me
I hold onto the memory of the beauty and it can't be taken away


The truth is never far behind
The truth always has a way of coming out


You kept it hidden well
Someone has been keeping secrets


If I live to tell
If I survive, I will share my story


The secret I knew then
The truth that was kept from me before


Will I ever have the chance again
Will I be presented with the opportunity to share my story in the future?


If I ran away, I'd never have the strength
I couldn't face my problems by running away


To go very far
I wouldn't have the ability to escape my situation completely


How would they hear the beating of my heart
How would people know my true feelings and emotions?


Will it grow cold
Will my passion and fire disappear over time?


The secret that I hide, will I grow old
Will I carry this secret with me for the rest of my life?


When will they learn
When will people finally understand the truth?


How will they know
How will people become aware of what really happened?




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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@lyricspeople1234

Am I the only one that thinks Javert's melody is one of the best and most haunting things to listen to?

@Jen-Yueh_Hu

Javert's melody is actually Stars, not this. This is the "law" theme. The police sang it when they took Valjean back to the Bishop and the Bishop also sang it. But the Bishop's version is what the "law" was truly meant to be. It is meant to remind people of sin to make them repent, whereas Javert only condemned.

@steampunkastronaut7081

@@Jen-Yueh_Hu That's truly awesome. Thanks for making us aware of that!

@zedah8315

No...your not

@him050

lyricspeople1234 it’s genuinely the only reason I come back to listen it

@mwpatrick781

It’s so badass

15 More Replies...

@MayhemMaker007

"I have heard such protestations..." a line my teacher used to use whenever we complained about homework, and now I'm sitting here mindblown

@mefistofelesotsuaf7115

You should be honored you had Javert in your school

@dankhnw8

Mercy on whoever dared to eat a sandwich during class.

@dankhnw8

좆돼지뚱뚱뽀개찔밥 No No! Stop this nonsense! You didn't do as your teacher dictated! OFF TO 19 YEARS OF DETENTION! Say thank you, you have been showed mercy.

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