Live To Tell
The John Tesh Project Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
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
c.
The John Tesh Project's song, Live to Tell, expresses the inner turmoil of someone who has a secret they are keeping hidden. The singer admits that it is difficult to conceal the truth and wants to reveal it, yet feels afraid to do so. They acknowledge that telling the truth is not always easy, but they have learned from their past experiences. The line, "Too blind to see the writing on the wall," suggests that the singer missed warning signs before, leading to their current circumstance.
The chorus of the song, "Hope I live to tell the secret I have learned," suggests a desire to share their story and possibly offer lessons to others. The singer sees beauty in the world, even though they are struggling internally. They also recognize that the truth always has a way of surfacing eventually, and that even though someone may try to hide it, the truth will eventually be revealed. The final lines of the song suggest that if the singer were to run away, they would not be able to escape their guilt and fear.
Line by Line Meaning
I Have A Tale To Tell
I have a story to share
Sometimes It Gets So Hard To Hide It Well
At times I struggle to keep it a secret
I Was Not Ready For The Fall
I was unprepared for the negative consequences
Too Blind To See The Writing On The Wall
I was oblivious to the clear signs of trouble
A Man Can Tell A Thousand Lies
People are capable of lying frequently
I've Learned My Lesson Well
I've gained knowledge from my mistakes
Hope I Live To Tell
I hope to live long enough to share my story
The Secret I Have Learned, 'Till Then
The knowledge I possess will remain a secret for now
It Will Burn Inside Of Me
I will carry the weight of this secret with me
I Know Where Beauty Lives
I know the location of true beauty
I've Seen It Once, I Know The Warm She Gives
I've witnessed it before, I know the positive impact it has
The Light That You Could Never See
The brightness that goes unnoticed by some
It Shines Inside, You Can't Take That From Me
I possess an internal radiance that cannot be stolen
The Truth Is Never Far Behind
The reality will eventually be revealed
You Kept It Hidden Well
You did a good job of keeping it a secret
If I Live To Tell
Assuming I live long enough to share
The Secret I Knew Then
The information I was aware of at that time
Will I Ever Have The Chance Again
Will I be presented with the opportunity to speak of it once more
If I Ran Away, I'd Never Have The Strength
If I tried to escape, I wouldn't possess the determination
To Go Very Far
To journey a long distance
How Would They Hear The Beating Of My Heart
How would they discern my true feelings
Will It Grow Cold
Will the emotion fade away
The Secret That I Hide, Will I Grow Old
Will I carry this burden for my entire life
How Will They Hear
How will they understand
When Will They Learn
When will they gain insight
How Will They Know
How will they be made aware
Writer(s): Madonna Ciccone, Patrick Leonard
Contributed by Mason D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.