You Keep It All In
The Beautiful South/The Housemartins Lyrics
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You keep it all in
You know your problem
You keep it all in
That's right
The conversation we had last night
When all I wanted to do was
I kept it all in
You know your problem
You keep it all in
You know your problem
You keep it all in
Midnight, a husband getting ready to fight
A daughter sleeps alone with the light
Turned on, she bears but
Keeps it all in
Just like that murder in '73
Just like that robbery in '62
With all there things that have happened to me
I kept it all in
Why do you keep on telling me now
You know your problem
You keep it all in
You know your problem
You keep it all in
That's sweet
That conversation we had last week
When you gagged and bound me up to my seat
You're right, I do
I keep it all in
In "You Keep It All In", The Beautiful South/The Housemartins sing about the potentially destructive effects of suppressing one's emotions and keeping everything bottled up inside. The song tells the story of several different characters who all have their own issues and problems that they are refusing to confront. The lyrics suggest that this repression and emotional stagnation can lead to explosive outbursts of violence or other negative behavior.
The first verse refers to a conversation that the singer had with someone they wanted to hurt, but chose to keep their anger and frustration hidden. The chorus then repeats the line "You know your problem, you keep it all in", driving home the idea that this person is struggling with their own emotions and refusing to express themselves. The second verse describes a husband who is clearly angry about something but doesn't talk about it, and a daughter who is also keeping her feelings inside. The final verse references two real-life crimes, a murder in 1973 and a robbery in 1962, which may have been the result of people keeping their problems to themselves. The singer notes that they too have experienced difficulties, but have chosen to keep everything inside rather than speaking out.
Overall, "You Keep It All In" is a cautionary tale about the importance of acknowledging and processing one's emotions. The song suggests that bottling everything up can lead to explosive and harmful behavior, and encourages listeners to speak out and seek help when needed.
Line by Line Meaning
You know your problem
You are aware of what's going wrong in your life
You keep it all in
You are not expressing your feelings about your problems to others
That's right
The following story relates to the problem of keeping things in
The conversation we had last night
The artist refers to a specific event where the listener refused to share their inner turmoil
When all I wanted to do was
The artist expresses their desire to reveal their true feelings, but the listener didn't let them
Knife you in the heart
The singer feels hurt by the listener's behavior and wants to hurt them back emotionally
I kept it all in
The singer wasn't able to express their emotions and had to hold everything inside
Midnight, a husband getting ready to fight
The listener seems to relate to this story or knows someone who has a similar problem
A daughter sleeps alone with the light turned on
A vulnerable member of the family is affected by the situation, but still remains silent
She bears but keeps it all in
The daughter is hiding her pain and struggles, which can cause long-term emotional damage
Just like that murder in '73
The singer brings up a violent crime to compare with the negative impacts of suppression
Just like that robbery in '62
An event that affected many people is used to illustrate the destructive power of keeping emotions in
With all there things that have happened to me
The singer talks about their personal experience of going through difficult times without sharing their feelings
I kept it all in
The singer felt the need to keep quiet despite feeling overwhelmed and distressed
Why do you keep on telling me now
The singer is tired of hearing excuses from the listener and wants them to open up
That's sweet
The artist is being sarcastic and doesn't truly appreciate what the listener is saying
That conversation we had last week
The listener might have attempted to address their problem, but it wasn't enough to resolve the issue
When you gagged and bound me up to my seat
The singer exaggerates the situation to make a point or to express their displeasure with the listener's behavior
You're right, I do
The singer admits to keeping their problems to themselves
I keep it all in
The artist acknowledges that they struggle with expressing their emotions and need to work on it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVE ROTHERAY, PAUL HEATON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind