I'm a Mess
The Ivory Lyrics


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I found out you cheated on me
And you had no sympathy
As you burned those letters into the air
I found out
You never knew
I had lost you
But, I just don't know where
You're a part of me still
And (oh) honestly I'm…
I'm a Mess
Within my soul, within my bones
(Oh) I Forget
Did you want this now, or find a way out?
I play like I'm the strong one
But honestly I'm the weakest one
And now we're so far gone in our chaos
You played me wrong, and still you try
To sleep with me every night
You're a part of me still
And (oh) honestly I'm…
I'm a Mess
(I'm a mess)
Within my soul, within my bones
(Oh) I Forget
(oh, I forget)
Did you want this now, or find a way out?
Because my hearts all torn into pieces
I guess you were never the one
The one I thought that I needed
And was dreaming of
(I'm A Mess)
I pray to god that you need me




Even now that you're leaving
Even now that I'm leaving

Overall Meaning

These lyrics by The Ivory's in the song "I'm a Mess" describe a painful breakup and aftermath of betrayal. The singer discovered that their partner had cheated on them, and had callously burned certain letters that were meaningful to them. As a result of this, the singer finds themselves lost and unsure of what to do next. They still feel deeply attached to their former partner, even though they have been wronged, and the turmoil of the situation has left them feeling like they are falling apart.


The chorus emphasizes the singer's emotional state, with repetition of the phrase "I'm a Mess." In their soul and bones, they feel a deep, pervasive pain that they cannot escape. They cannot forget their former partner or their betrayal, and they are left questioning whether their partner ever truly loved them or just wanted to find a way out of the relationship. Despite their overwhelming emotions and uncertainty, they try to put on a brave face and seem strong - but they acknowledge that they are actually the weakest person in the situation.


Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of heartbreak and confusion that will likely resonate with anyone who has gone through a difficult breakup or betrayal. Despite the pain and chaos of the situation, however, the singer still holds onto a faint hope that their former partner will somehow need them or want to stay together, even as they prepare to part ways.


Line by Line Meaning

I found out you cheated on me
I discovered that you were unfaithful to me


And you had no sympathy
You didn't show any understanding or concern for my reaction to the news


As you burned those letters into the air
You physically destroyed evidence of our past relationship


I found out
I learned a difficult truth


You never knew
You were unaware of how much I was hurting


I had lost you
Our relationship was over before I even realized it


But, I just don't know where
I don't understand how things fell apart, or why


You're a part of me still
Even though we're not together anymore, I can't shake the feelings I have for you


And (oh) honestly I'm… I'm a Mess
I'm in a lot of emotional pain, and struggling to cope


Within my soul, within my bones
The hurt I feel is deep and all-encompassing


(Oh) I Forget Did you want this now, or find a way out?
I'm unsure of what you wanted from our relationship, and whether you left intentionally


I play like I'm the strong one
I put on a brave face and try to act tough


But honestly I'm the weakest one
In reality, I'm struggling to keep it together


And now we're so far gone in our chaos
Our relationship has deteriorated to a point of chaos and dysfunction


You played me wrong, and still you try To sleep with me every night
You mistreated me, yet still want to use me for your own pleasure


Because my hearts all torn into pieces
My heart is broken and shattered


I guess you were never the one
In retrospect, I realize that you were not the right person for me


The one I thought that I needed And was dreaming of
I had built up an idea of our relationship in my head that didn't match reality


(I'm A Mess) I pray to god that you need me
Despite everything, I still hope that you have feelings for me and want me in your life


Even now that you're leaving Even now that I'm leaving
Even though our relationship is ending, I am still holding onto hope




Contributed by Mackenzie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Dead Prince

I found out you cheated on me And you had no sympathy As you burned those letters into the air I found out You never knew I had lost you But, I just don't know where You're a part of me still

You're a part of me still

And (oh) honestly I'm...

I'm a Mess Within my soul, within my bones (Oh) I Forget Did you want this now, or find a way out? I play like I'm the strong one But honestly I'm the weakest one And now we're so far gone in our chaos You played me wrong, and still you try To sleep with me every night You're a part of me still

And (oh) honestly I'm...

I'm a Mess (I'm a mess) Within my soul, within my bones (Oh) I Forget (Oh, I forget) Did you want this now, or find a way out? Because my hearts all torn into pieces I guess you were never the one The one I thought that I needed And was dreaming of (I'm A Mess) I pray to god that you need me Even now that you're leaving Even now that I'm leaving



All comments from YouTube:

Tyler Yost

Shane if you happen to see this, I want to thank you for being such an inspiration to me. This song is getting me through a dark period of my life, I tried killing myself by overdosing three weeks ago and had to go to Horsham Clinic. When I got out this song was released and it has become a part of me in so many ways. I also want to thank you for being a part of Alesana and that all of you in Alesana have inspired me to become a better musician and start my own band. Seriously, your words have saved me through this dark time of my life and it made me cry for the first time since I don't know when. Once again thank you for saving me.

Nikki Marie

Five years later, but I hope you're doing better.

Milene Toledo Muñoz

Nunca me canso de oir esta cancion hace años la escuche y no la saco de mi cabeza , me encanta

MacARTHUR038

Such a great song, I really need this on spotify 💚

Adee Corpse

Ho! Shane tienes una voz hermosa
Felicitaciones
Me encanto el video <3

Marysol ChaMen

No me canso de verlo! =) <3 Un estupendo video.

Rocio Paredez

Me encanta como la primera vez que la escuché, esta canción merecía mucho más

Claudia Reyes

la verdad sí, vengo porque me trae muchos recuerdos uwu

Santiago LG

Why this song is not in Spotify?? More Songs like this men🤯🤯

Breanna Lechten-Mason

This was wonderful! So much love for it.

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