Rules Of Love
The Riptides Lyrics


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Well it's rainin' outside, I can't say anymore
My baby went and left me by the back door
She's taken everything that we ever had
Well she went away with her love and kisses
I'm the one that's left to wash the dishes
It's never been like this before

There was a time when I'd have any girl I chose
She would always love me too
But now I find that's a thing of the past
But it's alright
Alright, yeah with you

Well every once in a while I get a strange feeling
That our love was merely fleeting
It's happened once and it'll happen again
Well now she's gone, I feel no remorse
I was a fool, of course, to
Think that she would ever have stayed

There was a time when I'd have
Started it all again
But the rules of love
Have let me in the cold
But I have I've learnt
From my mistakes
That it's alright
Alright, yeah with you

She was bringin' me down,
She's gonna bring you down
She was bringin' me down
She's gonna bring you down
She's bringin' you down, say

Well it's rainin' outside, I can't see anymore
My baby went and left me by the back door
She's taken everything that we ever had
Well she went away with her love and kisses
I'm the one that's left to wash the dishes
It's never been like this before

There was a time when I'd have
Started all again
But the rules of love
Have let me in the cold
But what I have learnt
From my mistakes




And it's alright
Alright, yeah with you

Overall Meaning

The song "Rules of Love" by The Riptides is a melancholic ballad about a man who has just suffered a heartbreak when his lover left him. He expresses his pain as he describes how his baby left him by the back door, taking everything they ever had together. He feels like he has been left to wash the dishes alone, and everything feels different since she's gone. He laments how he once had the ability to attract any girl he wanted before, but now, his fortunes have changed, and he feels alone.


Amidst the pain, the man recognizes that he might have contributed to the end of his relationship, and he regrets not being able to hold onto her. He understands that the rules of love can be fickle, and he has learned from his mistakes. The song has a message of hope as the man recognizes that it is alright, with the person he is singing to, despite the heartbreak suffered from his previous relationship. The lyrics also talk about how the ex-girlfriend may bring the new lover's mood down, implying that the past relationship's baggage might be a burden.


Line by Line Meaning

Well it's rainin' outside, I can't say anymore
I am emotionally overwhelmed and unable to express myself due to the sadness of being left by my lover.


My baby went and left me by the back door
My lover abandoned me without saying goodbye and it hurts so much.


She's taken everything that we ever had
My lover took away all the good memories and material possessions we shared.


Well she went away with her love and kisses
My lover left me for somebody else, taking away all the love and affections we shared.


I'm the one that's left to wash the dishes
I am left to clean up the mess and deal with the emotional aftermath of this breakup.


It's never been like this before
I have never felt so heartbroken and lost like this before.


There was a time when I'd have any girl I chose
I used to have the power to choose any girl I wanted to be with.


She would always love me too
The girls I chose used to love me wholeheartedly as well.


But now I find that's a thing of the past
But now, I realize that those days are gone and things are different now.


But it's alright
But it's okay because I have found someone new.


Alright, yeah with you
It's okay now because I am with you and everything feels better.


Well every once in a while I get a strange feeling
Sometimes, I get a strange feeling that love is temporary and fleeting.


That our love was merely fleeting
That our love was temporary and not meant to last.


It's happened once and it'll happen again
This feeling of temporary love has happened before and I know it will happen again.


Well now she's gone, I feel no remorse
Now that my ex-lover is gone, I feel no sense of guilt or regret anymore.


I was a fool, of course, to
Looking back, I realized that I was foolish to have believed our love was forever.


Think that she would ever have stayed
I was wrong to have thought that my lover would have stayed with me forever.


There was a time when I'd have
There was a time in the past when I had the ability to restart my love life.


Started it all again
I could have started a new relationship and loved again.


But the rules of love
However, the rules of love prevent me from doing so.


Have let me in the cold
The rules of love have made me feel left out in the cold with no chance of restarting my love life.


But what I have learnt
But I have learned something important from my past experiences.


From my mistakes
I learned from my past mistakes and how to deal with them.


And it's alright
And it's okay now because I have found someone new and they make me happy.


Alright, yeah with you
It's okay now because I am with you and everything feels better.


She was bringin' me down,
My ex-lover was making me unhappy and negatively affecting my life.


She's gonna bring you down
She might have the same negative effect on you as well.


She's bringin' you down, say
She will bring you down too, just like she did to me.




Contributed by Jordan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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