How can you be so warm?
How can you know what I feel?

[Chorus 2:]
But it's the way you move your hands
And it's the way you understand

[Chorus 1:]
And that's the reason that I'm asking
Yeah, yeah I
And that's the reason that I want to know
Hey, yeah I
And that's the reason that I'm asking
Yeah, yeah I
And that's the reason that I

How can you throw away?
Everything you've lived for?
It's the way we shake and sway, aw, oh, oh
And that's the passion that you play

[Chorus 1]

Too many lost, links in a chain passed down
Through the years, but ending here
If we just face the pain, and the fear

Who did you love before?
Who did they love you before?
Before you, before you

[Chorus 2]

[Chorus 1]

La, la, la, la, la, la


Lyrics submitted by oofus

In the Blood Lyrics as written by Kevin Griffin

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

In The Blood song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

16 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +5
    General Comment

    This song is about AIDS or STDs transmitted "In the Blood". (Who did you love before? Who did they love before you?) He's asking about her sexual history. (How can you throw away everything you've lived for? Well it's the way we shake and sway and it's the passion that you play.) He's worried about catching something but in the heat of the moment he makes excuses to be with this girl. (Too many lost links in a chain passed down through the years but ending here if we just face the pain and the fear.) She's been with others who've been with others and so on. They can end it if they stop having unprotected sex and maybe go through the fear of getting tested. And that's the reason that he's asking...

    EzraFanon September 26, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I think it's about the guitarist that committed suicide, and him asking questions about it. Autopsy and what not. Joel Rundell, the band's lead guitarist, committed suicide on August 8, 1990.

    EternalTearsOfSorrowon May 18, 2015   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin said in an interview he wrote this song when his girlfriend at the time's uncle Patrick was in the final stages passing away from Aids and it's about not knowing about the history of who you love & who they've loved before you.

    EternalTearsOfSorrowon February 21, 2023   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The guy wants to ask a girl to marry him. Some of the details I don't get (like the "How can you throw away everything you live for?" part)

    diggit18on July 13, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i dont think he's asking her to marry him. i think he's actually asking "how can you throw away everything you live for" THe girl means something to him because theyre so similar. because of this connection he feels he has to confront her as to why she's ruining her life or maybe their life. but this is a confusing song, i could be wrong.

    strwberryf1dson September 02, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is definitely open to interpretation. My guess is that he has so many questions about this girl- nothing bad, mainly insecurities, but things about her, just being around her give him a self-assured kind of feeling. I think he's "asking" because it's too good to be true.

    tms6879on October 01, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I defintely think it's the interplay of questions (uncertainty) about his girl. He asks questions and then comes to the realization that the answers are right in front of his eyes - she is the answer. Everything about her, everything she does, exists because she wants to be that way. Why is she like the way she is? Because it's in her blood.

    bornofdesire32on March 09, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    There are some lyrics missing. The bridge goes "Too many lost links in a chain passed on through the years but ending here if we just face the pain and the fears." I think he's a little worried about the fact that his girlfriend is unable to commit to a relationship. She's had many past relationships that she has easily left but he obviously is deep in love with her and wants to make sure that she communicates and opens up with him rather than dismissing him like she has the others.

    Turkon March 31, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I never realized it before, but I heard this song today and I think he's worried the girl might have a disease. In particular, the first two lines of the last verse and the title of the song lead me to this conclusion. He wants to be with the girl so he wants to know whether she's infected with anything, but he doesn't want to offend her and so he tries to explain "the reason that I'm asking".

    sein514on January 17, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The lyrics are missing the entire bridge, between the second chorus and the last stanza.

    "Too many lost. They sent a chain passed down, Through the years, But ending here if we just face the pain, And the fear."

    The video "stars" a deaf boy and lots of sign language (especially the word "love" and the letter "B"), so who knows.

    diggit18on March 02, 2008   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example: "'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.