One Heart
Steven van Zandt Peter Gabriel & Street-People Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The whole world knows you're happy without me
You've broken my heart, So what do I care?
I'm thru with love, no more will I need it
The word itself, I'll never repeat it
A sign on my back I will wear, "This is my last love affair"
I gave my heart to you, the one that I trusted
So I sold my heart to the junkman
And I'll never fall in love again
You took my heart because you thought you could use it
Just like a little toy you battered and bruised it
So I sold my heart to the junkman
And I'll never fall in love again
Like a melodrama, in a simple manner
Love played the leading part
We had planned a happy ending
But I'm left with a broken heart
I'll throw away my pride and say we'll be friends, dear
Tear drops I cannot hide for this is the end, dear
I've sold my heart to the junkman
And I'll never fall in love again
I gave my heart to you, the one that I trusted
You brought it back to me all broken and busted
So I sold my heart to the junkman
And I'll never fall in love again
You took my heart because you thought you could use it
Just like a little toy you battered and bruised it,
So I sold my heart to the junkman
And I'll never fall in love again
Like a melodrama, in a simple manner
Love played the leading part
We had planned a happy ending
But I'm left with a broken heart
I'll throw away my pride and say we'll be friends, dear
Tear drops I cannot hide for this is the end, dear
I've sold my heart to the junkman
In "One Heart," the singer sings about a painful breakup and vows never to fall in love again. They acknowledge that their ex has moved on without them, and they've decided to sell their heart to the "junkman" to avoid getting hurt. The lyrics reflect a sense of bitterness and betrayal, as the heart that was given in trust was returned "broken and busted." The chorus is a repetition of the decision to never love again, and the final lines suggest a resignation to the end of the relationship, with a final goodbye of "tear drops I cannot hide."
The song is constructed like a melodrama, with love playing the leading part, but the ending is not happy. Instead, the singer is left with a broken heart and a declaration that love is not worth the pain. The song's message is one of defiance and self-preservation, with the singer determined to move on and protect themselves from future heartache.
Line by Line Meaning
All over town they're talking about me
Everybody is talking about me in town
The whole world knows you're happy without me
The world knows that you're content without my presence
You've broken my heart, So what do I care?
You shattered my heart, but now I don't care at all
I'm thru with love, no more will I need it
I'm done with love, it's no longer necessary for me
The word itself, I'll never repeat it
I'll never say the word 'love' again
A sign on my back I will wear, "This is my last love affair"
I'm going to make it clear that I won't have another romantic relationship
I gave my heart to you, the one that I trusted
I trusted you and gave you my heart
You brought it back to me all broken and busted
You returned my heart damaged and in pieces
So I sold my heart to the junkman
I sold my heart to someone who doesn't care
And I'll never fall in love again
I'll never let myself fall for someone again
You took my heart because you thought you could use it
You took my heart because you thought it was a tool for you to manipulate
Just like a little toy you battered and bruised it
You treated my heart like a toy and damaged it
Like a melodrama, in a simple manner
Our love story played out like a dramatic production, but in a straightforward way
Love played the leading part
Love was the focus of our relationship
We had planned a happy ending
We had hoped for a joyful conclusion to our story
But I'm left with a broken heart
Instead, I'm left with a broken heart
I'll throw away my pride and say we'll be friends, dear
I'm willing to put aside my ego and suggest we remain friends
Tear drops I cannot hide for this is the end, dear
I can't suppress my tears because it's over
I've sold my heart to the junkman
I've completely given up on love
And I'll never fall in love again
I'll never allow myself to be in love again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRANK LOESSER, JOSEPH MEYER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Matteo Art
This is real world music, in a typical 80’s style. In this context Gabriel was one of the very first
promoters.
ProFessa Parrot
I have also just rediscovered this from VHS. Shame they didn't include the last speech ( Robbie Roberston ? ) from Chief Seattle : " Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely a strand in it - whatever he does to the web, he does to himself " This we know. Never truer than today !
bigfootpegrande
Thanks for sharing. I used to have this on VHS!
ProFessa Parrot
I still do !
Jeannette Stein
So a great Album! Maybe all human beings capture the deep sense for a better world! We have only one, and in the creation is all we are and all our hearts and souls, history and the love of our ancients
FrogPrince
6:31 that man has the biggest beard LOL!!
Eduardo Jorge
This is Hermeto Pascoal, brazilian musician