Unchain My Heart
Willie Nelson Wynton Marsalis Lyrics

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Unchain my heart, baby let me be
Unchain my heart 'cause you don't care about me
You've got me sewed up like a pillow case
But you let my love go to waste so
Unchain my heart, oh please, please set me free

Unchain my heart, baby let me go
Unchain my heart, 'cause you don't love me no more

Ev'ry time I call you on the phone
Some fella tells me that you're not at home so
Unchain my heart, oh please, please set me free

I'm under your spell like a man in a trance
But I know darn well, that I don't stand a chance so
Unchain my heart, let me go my way
Unchain my heart, you worry me night and day
Why lead me through a life of misery
When you don't care a bag of beans for me
So unchain my heart, oh please, please set me free

I'm under your spell like a man in a trance
But I know darn well, that I don't stand a chance so
Unchain my heart, let me go my way
Unchain my heart, you worry me night and day
Why lead me through a life of misery
When you don't care a bag of beans for me
So unchain my heart, please, please set me free
(please set me free)
Oh won't you set me free
(please set me free)
Woah, set me free
(please set me free)
Woowow, set me free little darlin'

(please set me free)
Oh won't you set me free

Overall Meaning

The song "Unchain My Heart" by Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis is a lamentation of a lover pleading with his beloved to let him go. From the opening line, "Unchain my heart, baby let me be", it is clear that the singer feels trapped and suffocated in the relationship. He begs for his heart to be freed, as he is under his lover's spell "like a man in a trance", but knows that he "doesn't stand a chance". Despite being "sewed up like a pillow case", his love goes to waste as his lover "doesn't care a bag of beans" for him.

Throughout the song, the pleas for freedom are repeated, with the singer emphasizing the fact that his lover no longer loves him, and constantly avoids him by telling him she isn't home. The pain and anguish in the singer's voice is palpable as he begs for his heart to be unchained and for him to be set free from the misery he is being led through.

Overall, the song is a powerful expression of the pain and frustration of being trapped in a one-sided love, and the desperation for freedom from it.

Line by Line Meaning

Unchain my heart, baby let me be
Release me from the emotional distress I am under, let me be free

Unchain my heart 'cause you don't care about me
You don't love me anymore, so you should let me go and unchain my heart

You've got me sewed up like a pillow case
You have complete control over me just like a stitch sews up a pillow case

But you let my love go to waste so
You wasted my love because you didn't care enough to reciprocate

Unchain my heart, oh please, please set me free
Set me free from this emotional imprisonment that is causing me pain

Unchain my heart, baby let me go
Allow me to move on and leave you behind, unchain my heart

Unchain my heart, 'cause you don't love me no more
You stopped loving me, so there's no reason to keep holding me back

Ev'ry time I call you on the phone
Whenever I try to reach you by phone

Some fella tells me that you're not at home so
Someone else tells me that you're not where I expect you to be

Unchain my heart, oh please, please set me free
Let me go, free me from this emotional burden

I'm under your spell like a man in a trance
You have complete control over me, I am spell-bound and unable to break free

But I know darn well, that I don't stand a chance so
Despite my attachment to you, I recognize that it's a futile pursuit

Unchain my heart, let me go my way
Set me free to pursue my own path without being emotionally tied to you

Unchain my heart, you worry me night and day
Being chained to you is causing me constant stress and concern

Why lead me through a life of misery
Why would you want to keep me trapped in a miserable existence?

When you don't care a bag of beans for me
You don't care at all about me or my well-being

So unchain my heart, oh please, please set me free
I need to be unchained from you in order to find peace and happiness

Oh won't you set me free
Please set me free

Woah, set me free
Set me free

Woowow, set me free little darlin'
Set me free, my dear

Oh won't you set me free
Please set me free

Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robert L Sharp, Teddy Powell

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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