Shelly Poole (born Michelle Lena Poole, 20 March 1972, in Barking, Essex) i… Read Full Bio ↴Shelly Poole (born Michelle Lena Poole, 20 March 1972, in Barking, Essex) is a songwriter and singer, who shot to fame alongside her sister Karen Poole, in the duo, Alisha's Attic. She married Ally McErlaine from the Scottish band Texas in October 2001.

After Mercury Records decided not to take out their option on a fourth Alisha's Attic album, Shelly (sometimes spelled as Shellie) started work on a solo career. She has also written for/with Lene Nystrom and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Her first (and so far only) album, entitled Hard Time for the Dreamer was released in September 2005 on the Transistor Project record label, and reached the Top 10 on the UK and French iTunes charts.

On May 8 2006 she released "Lost In You", this was not long after she also turned up as vocalist on Michael Gray's follow up to "The Weekend" in 2005 (but the song was released as a single in 2006). It's a house tune called "Borderline", which was so far peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart, #2 on the UK Upfront Club Chart and #3 on the ARIA Club Chart among others.

Poole has also had a track added exclusively to her myspace page called "Do What You Want", which is a duet with a country music singer called Charity Hair who is lead vocalist for The Ailerons.

Hope
Shelly Poole Lyrics

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Turn your face away from me you know I don't think I can stand to see you crying
Well you made my heart a stranger on these roads
You got me more than you will ever know

Well I swear I never felt this fire burn so low inside me I am dying here
All I ever asked from you was just one thing
But somewhere in the bargain I lost everything
But still the river of love runs so wide

So wide
Oh this time you really hurt me
I never meant to break your heart
But this time you really hurt me
I never meant to break your heart
So wide
But this time it really hurts
I never thought id play the part of the man who broke your heart

Well I knew this storm was coming yeah I could feel it on your lips when you kissed me
Oh you always read me like an open book
If only leaving you was all it took to get you off my mind but still this river of love runs so wide
So wide...

I never thought id play the part of the man who broke your heart
You should have kept it in close to you but now it's gone...

So wide
You know you really broke my heart
I'm begging you to take me back again
But you really broke my heart
I'm begging you to try and take me back again

You really broke my heart...

Overall Meaning

The song "Hope" by Shelly Poole is a melancholic ballad about a person who has hurt their loved one and is now experiencing the pain of the aftermath. The first verse, "Turn your face away from me you know I don't think I can stand to see you crying/Well you made my heart a stranger on these roads/You got me more than you will ever know", suggests the person has done something to hurt their partner, causing them to cry and becoming a stranger in their life. The second verse paints a picture of intense internal conflict and despair: "Well I swear I never felt this fire burn so low inside me I am dying here/All I ever asked from you was just one thing/But somewhere in the bargain, I lost everything/But still, the river of love runs so wide." The person is clearly in torment and is feeling the loss of love as a result of their own actions.

The chorus "So wide/Oh this time you really hurt me/I never meant to break your heart/But this time you really hurt me/I never meant to break your heart/So wide/But this time it really hurts/I never thought I'd play the part of the man who broke your heart" emphasizes the guilt and regretful feeling the singer has of hurt and betrayal. The lines "I never meant to break your heart" and "But this time it really hurts" emphasize the emotional burden and the remorse of the singer. The song's sad and emotional tone, coupled with Shelly Poole's soulful voice and the melancholy melody, effectively convey the intense emotions of regret, sorrow, and desperation.

Overall, "Hope" is a moving, thoughtful expression of the pains of relationships and the damage that one can do to another in the course of love.

Line by Line Meaning

Turn your face away from me you know I don't think I can stand to see you crying
I can't bear to see you upset, so please turn away from me

Well you made my heart a stranger on these roads
You've left me feeling lost and alone, like a stranger in unfamiliar territory

You got me more than you will ever know
You had a profound effect on me, but you'll never fully understand just how much

Well I swear I never felt this fire burn so low inside me I am dying here
You've extinguished the intense passion I once felt, and it's killing me inside

All I ever asked from you was just one thing
I had a simple request of you, but even that was too much to ask for

But somewhere in the bargain I lost everything
In trying to negotiate with you, I ended up sacrificing everything I held dear

But still the river of love runs so wide
Despite everything that's happened, my capacity for love remains just as strong

Oh this time you really hurt me
You've caused me a lot of pain, more than ever before

I never meant to break your heart
I didn't intend to cause you any harm or heartbreak

So wide
My love is vast and all-encompassing

But this time it really hurts
I'm truly suffering because of what's happened

I never thought id play the part of the man who broke your heart
I never imagined I'd be the one to cause you pain and heartbreak

Well I knew this storm was coming yeah I could feel it on your lips when you kissed me
I sensed that something was off when we last kissed, like a storm was brewing

Oh you always read me like an open book
You know me inside and out, and can always tell when something's wrong

If only leaving you was all it took to get you off my mind but still this river of love runs so wide
I thought that leaving you would make things easier, but my love for you is too strong to simply forget

You know you really broke my heart
You've shattered my heart into countless pieces

I'm begging you to take me back again
I'm pleading with you to forgive me and give us another chance

But you really broke my heart
Your actions have deeply wounded me, and I'm struggling to cope

I'm begging you to try and take me back again
I'm imploring you to try and give us another shot at love

You really broke my heart...
My heart is still in pieces because of what you've done

Contributed by Jonathan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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