When we lift the covers from our feelings
We expose our insecure spots
Trust is just as rare as devotion
Forgive us our cynical thoughts
If we need too much attention

Not content with being cool
We must throw ourselves wide open
And start acting like a fool
If we need too much approval
Then the cuts can seem too cruel

Right to the heart of the matter
Right to the beautiful part
Illusions are painfully shattered
Right where discovery starts
In the secret wells of emotion
Buried deep in our hearts

It's true that love can change us
But never quite enough
Sometimes we are too tender
Sometimes we're too tough
If we get too much attention

It gets hard to overrule
So often fragile power turns
To scorn and ridicule
Sometimes our big splashes
Are just ripples in the pool
Feelings run high


Lyrics submitted by shed27

Emotion Detector Lyrics as written by Gary Lee Weinrib Neil Elwood Peart

Lyrics © Anthem Entertainment

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Emotion Detector song meanings
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  • +1
    General Comment

    Yeah, this song is straight up about love and the risks / complications involved. Come on, when you first meet someone you are just imagining who you think they are. You WILL come to find that they are not that perfect person that you hoped and imagined they were. In the last part it states that love can change us but never quite enough. If you fall in love with someone and intend on changing them, it will not work. They will always be who they are for the most part. :)

    Illusions illusions are painfully shattered. When he says this he is not just repeating himself. We each try to put up an illusion of how we want to be perceived. Everyone has their own illusion about who we really are. Sometimes you can never see through both of these to learn who someone IS!

    killroy134on March 27, 2011   Link

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