You broke me bodily
The heart ain't the half of it
And I'll never learn to laugh at it
In my good natured way
In fact I'm laughing less in general
But I learned a lot at my own funeral
And I knew you'd be the death of me
So I guess that's the price I pay

I'm trying to make new memories
In cities where we fell in love
My head just barely above
The darkest water I've ever known
You had me in that cage
You had me jumpin through those hoops for you
Still, I think I'd stoop for you
Stoop for your eyes alone

From that bomb shell moon in yet another lovely dress
To the deep mahogany sheen of a roach
I am trying to take an appreciative approach
To life in your wake
I focus on the quiet now
And occasionally I'll fall asleep somehow
And emptiness has its solace
In that there's nothing left to take


Lyrics submitted by malsetsfire

Bodily Lyrics as written by Ani Difranco

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC

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Bodily song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment

    "I'm laughing less in general But I learned a lot at my own funeral And I knew you'd be the death of me So I guess that's the price I pay" this song reminds me so much of a person i loved who killed themselves as a result of schizophrenia. i like to think of the two entitys in this song as a person and i guess the "voices" in their head, or meybe even different "parts" of them which we all have

    regardemylasheskgmon May 27, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    to me this song is about the pain involved with getting on with your life after you have had your heart broken by someone you loved and trusted. it is about betrayal.

    ...and i melton June 08, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love the line "Emptyness has its solace in that there's nothing left to take."

    This song just expresses feelings of betrayal and heartbreak so well...

    Saynaon March 04, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yeah, I know what it feels like to have my head just barely above the darkest water I've ever known. It's hard to "take an appreciative approach to life in your wake". And, yeah... I'd still stoop for his eyes alone. Her words describe everything in my heart. It helps to know someone else has felt this pain.

    CherylJoyyon December 19, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I dont think it has to be about a be-all/end-all BETRAYAL, like you can feel failed and 'betrayed' by the end of the relationship in that there were differing ideas of where the relationship was meant to go, and that in itself can be a kind of betrayal tho not a very material one. I love this song.

    Maverick_Matthewon April 30, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    And occasionally I'll fall asleep somehow And emptiness has its solace In that there's nothing left to take

    Truly beautiful line. The meaning, well, when you've had your heart broken and you feel depressed it's hard to sleep. So the singer is saying at times I do somehow manage to sleep and at least in my emptiness I am somehow relieved in that there's nothing left to feel or be hurt by.

    *Anna*on April 30, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    generally ani's songs aren't usually as complicated as many people think they are. when you think of the words as her thoughts it's a lot easier to figure out how she feels.

    the first stanza - she was hurt, physically, in one way or another. i can't figure out if it's about her abortion or being abused. "the heart ain't the half of it" - she doesnt want to love this person, she'd rather be heartbroken. i think "my own funeral" refers to her hitting rock bottom, and knowing she was doing it.

    obviously, she wants to forget this person but feels like complete and total crap just like all of us. (she is a person like us, after all.) but as bad as they treated her, she still loves them.

    she's trying to appreciate life more after was they'd done to her. and like anna said, its hard for her to sleep, but she manages. and as empty as she feels, at least theres nothing left to lose.

    whitefurryhaton August 04, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is depressing, I'm not an Ani fan, I don't relate to it, but damn, this is a well written song. This song and Educated Guess are both well written.

    brokentelephone78on November 28, 2010   Link

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