For the album "Wonders of the World", the band sports a new roster of Lost Finger veterans Byron Mikaloff and Alex Morissette with newcomers François Rioux on the jazz guitar and Valérie Amyot on vocals.
You Give Love a Bad Name
The Lost Fingers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you're to blame
You give love a bad name
An angel's smile is what you sell
You promise me heaven, then put me through hell
Chains of love got a hold on me
When passion's a prison, you can't break free
You're a loaded gun
There's nowhere to run
No one can save me
The damage is done
Shot through the heart
And you're to blame
You give love a bad name
I play my part and you play your game
You give love a bad name
You give love a bad name
Paint your smile on your lips
Blood red nails on your fingertips
A school boy's dream, you act so shy
Your very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye
You're a loaded gun
There's nowhere to run
No one can save me
The damage is done
Shot through the heart
And you're to blame
You give love a bad name
I play my part and you play your game
You give love a bad name
You give love a bad name
The Lost Fingers's song, You Give Love A Bad Name, is a song that delves into the betrayal that someone can cause to their partner. It talks about how someone can play with emotions simply to get what they want, painting a fake picture of love and eventually breaking the other person's heart. The lyrics, shot through the heart, and you're to blame, you give love a bad name, sets the stage for the entire song. It talks about how someone's loved one has betrayed them, and they're the reason for the pain they're going through. The singer feels like they've been led astray, and the person they thought they loved turned out to be someone different altogether.
The part "an angel's smile is what you sell, you promise me heaven, then put me through hell" talks about how someone can promise their partner the world, making them feel like they're the center of their universe, but later, they use those same emotions to make them feel trapped in a prison of love. The last line, "you give love a bad name," talks about how someone has ruined the sanctity of love, turning something that should be pure, full of honesty, and care, into something ugly, where someone plays with emotions just to satisfy their own selfish desires. Overall, the song speaks of a relationship that's gone wrong, and it's one-sided, with one person being the victim and the other, the villain.
Line by Line Meaning
Shot through the heart
You have caused me great emotional pain that feels like a bullet to the heart.
And you're to blame
You are solely responsible for my heartache and suffering.
You give love a bad name
Your behavior and actions have tainted the idea of love and made it seem negative.
An angel's smile is what you sell
You present yourself as a kind and loving person, but your actions show otherwise.
You promise me heaven, then put me through hell
You made me believe that our relationship would be amazing, but instead, you put me through a difficult and painful experience.
Chains of love got a hold on me
I feel trapped by my love for you even though it is causing me to suffer.
When passion's a prison, you can't break free
My intense feelings of love for you have become a type of prison that I cannot escape from.
You're a loaded gun
Your destructive behavior and emotional manipulation make you a dangerous force in my life.
There's nowhere to run
I feel trapped and unable to escape the negative effects of our relationship.
No one can save me
I feel alone and unable to find help or support in my situation.
The damage is done
The negative effects of our relationship have already occurred and cannot be undone.
I play my part and you play your game
I am doing what is expected of me in our relationship, while you continue to manipulate and hurt me for your own benefit.
Paint your smile on your lips
You are pretending to be happy and loving while causing great pain and suffering.
Blood red nails on your fingertips
You appear dangerous and destructive, with your actions causing pain and heartache.
A school boy's dream, you act so shy
You act innocent and childlike, but in reality, you are manipulating and hurting those around you.
Your very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye
Our relationship was doomed from the start, as your actions and behavior would eventually lead to its end.
You give love a bad name
Your behavior and actions towards others in relationships are damaging and negative, causing others to view love in a bad light.
You give love a bad name
Repeating the chorus to emphasize that the negative effects of your behavior continue to harm others and the idea of love itself.
Contributed by Eva W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.