Remember the Tinman
Tracy Chapman Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

There are locks on the doors
And chains stretched across all the entries to the inside
There's a gate and a fence
And bars to protect from only God knows what lurks outside

Who stole your heart left you with a space
That no one and nothing can fill
Who stole your heart who took it away
Knowing that without it you can't live

Who took away the part so essential to the whole
Left you a hollow body
Skin and bone
What robber what thief who stole your heart and the key

Who stole your heart
The smile from your face
The innocence the light from your eyes
Who stole your heart or did you give it away
And if so then when and why

Who took away the part so essential to the whole
Left you a hollow body
Skin and bone
What robber what thief
Who stole your heart and the key

Now all sentiment is gone
Now you have no trust in no one

Who stole your heart
Did you know but forget the method and moment in time
Was it a trickster using mirrors and sleight of hand
A strong elixir or a potion that you drank

Who hurt your heart
Bruised it in a place
That no one and nothing can heal
You've gone to wizards, princes and magic men
You've gone to witches, the good the bad the indifferent

But still all sentiment is gone
But still you have no trust in no one

If you can tear down the walls
Throw your armor away remove all roadblocks barricades
If you can forget there are bandits and dragons to slay
And don't forget that you defend an empty space

And remember the tinman
Found he had what he thought he lacked
Remember the tinman
Go find your heart and take it back

Who stole your heart




Maybe no one can say
One day you will find it I pray

Overall Meaning

In Tracy Chapman's song Remember the Tinman, she describes a person who has built walls to protect themselves from being hurt or betrayed. They have become closed off and distrustful of others, as they try to guard their heart from being stolen again. The lyrics pose a series of questions: who stole their heart, leaving them a "hollow body / Skin and bone" and "no trust in no one"? Did they give it away, or did someone deceive them with magic or some other trick? Regardless of how it happened, the singer encourages the listener to tear down their walls and find their heart again, reminding them of the story of the tin man in The Wizard of Oz, who thought he had no heart, only to realize it was there all along.


This song is a powerful exploration of the emotions that come with heartbreak and betrayal. It captures the feeling of being left with a hole in your chest and the struggle to heal and trust again. The use of imagery, such as "locks on the doors" and "bandits and dragons to slay," emphasizes the difficulty of breaking down these emotional barriers. It speaks to the importance of vulnerability and finding the courage to open up again, even after being hurt.


Line by Line Meaning

There are locks on the doors
The doors are locked and cannot be opened.


And chains stretched across all the entries to the inside
The entries are chained up and inaccessible from the inside.


There's a gate and a fence
A fence and gate serve as an additional layer of protection.


And bars to protect from only God knows what lurks outside
Bars are in place to protect from unknown dangers outside.


Who stole your heart left you with a space
Someone took your heart and left an empty void.


That no one and nothing can fill
No one or nothing can fill the void left by the missing heart.


Who stole your heart who took it away
Whoever took your heart, took it away completely.


Knowing that without it you can't live
The thief was aware that you can't survive without your heart.


Who took away the part so essential to the whole
Someone took the most essential part of you.


Left you a hollow body
You are now an empty shell.


Skin and bone
Only your physical body remains, devoid of all emotion.


What robber what thief who stole your heart and the key
Who is responsible for stealing your heart and the means to unlock it?


The smile from your face
Your happiness and joy are gone.


The innocence the light from your eyes
Your innocence and optimism are gone as if the light in your eyes was put out.


Who stole your heart or did you give it away
Did you willingly give your heart away, or was it taken from you?


And if so then when and why
If you did give it away, when and why did you make that choice?


Now all sentiment is gone
All emotions are gone.


Now you have no trust in no one
You don't trust anyone anymore.


Did you know but forget the method and moment in time
Did you know how and when you gave your heart away, or did you forget?


Was it a trickster using mirrors and sleight of hand
Did someone deceive you into giving away your heart?


A strong elixir or a potion that you drank
Perhaps someone gave you a potion to make you give away your heart.


Who hurt your heart
Who caused you injury and damage to your heart?


Bruised it in a place
Your heart was hurt in a way that could not be easily fixed.


That no one and nothing can heal
No one or nothing can heal your injured heart.


You've gone to wizards, princes and magic men
You've searched for all sort of remedies, from the mystical to the prince charming.


You've gone to witches, the good the bad the indifferent
You've searched for solutions from good, bad, and indifferent sources.


If you can tear down the walls
If you could remove your emotional barriers.


Throw your armor away remove all roadblocks barricades
Remove all the obstacles and defenses in place to protect oneself from emotional pain.


If you can forget there are bandits and dragons to slay
If you could forget the things that caused your heart's damage.


And don't forget that you defend an empty space
Remember that you are trying to protect an empty space, deprived of any emotion.


And remember the tinman
Recall the Tinman from The Wizard of Oz who was also made of metal but lacked a heart.


Found he had what he thought he lacked
The Tinman found that what he thought he lacked, he actually had all along.


Go find your heart and take it back
Go find your heart and regain the capacity for emotion.


Who stole your heart
Who took your heart from you?


Maybe no one can say
Perhaps it is impossible to know who stole your heart.


One day you will find it I pray
It is hoped that one day you will retrieve your heart.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions