Helena, don't walk away
Before you give me back my heart
If it were mine it would be yours to take
I'm sorry I let down my guard, oh helena

You looked so sweet
I should have seen
While I was playing for fun
You were playing for keeps

You win I lose
Is there some way
You can leave me
In your debts oh my girl

And I can live to die another day
On that day I won't forget you helena

You look so sweet
Waiting for me
While I wait for her
To give me any reason to leave

Don't waste your pretty sympathy
She's gonna be just fine
Helena so will we
So will everything in time

Helena don't walk away
Did you hear one word I said oh well
I never really liked her anyway
And I forgot her
I'll forget you helena

You're not that sweet
And neither is she
Go ahead and tell her anything

You are good helena
Guys like me never sleep alone at night
I don't need your sympathy
'Cause I'll always be
Just fine
Yeah I'll always be
Just fine

Yeah I'll always be
Just fine


Lyrics submitted by eucil, edited by TheSatah

Helena Lyrics as written by Chris Thile

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Helena song meanings
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28 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    I agree a bit with duckandcover23. He is an unfortunate lost cause even though he doesn't want to be. This starts towards the end of his and Helena's fling, and he's asking her to wait on him. She's realizing it's not going anywhere and doesn't want to waste anymore time. He didn't intentionally fall for her, he "let down his guard", and she got him anyways. Because she "was playing for keeps", she actually makes him fall for her. He's asking for his heart back because he knows that his girl would sense a difference if he's really longing to be with Helena and she's not around.

    She won his heart, and he loses because he can't be with her without hurting his first girl. He wants her to "leave him in her debts", basically have something to collect later after he and his girl's time has finally passed without her as a reason. He doesn't want her to have any part in his confusion with his original girl. And when they do break up, he plans to go back to Helena.

    The lyrics should be YOU'LL look so sweet waiting for me. And this part is self-explanatory. He's just daydreaming Helena waiting in love as ever until his current relationship fades due not to him but to the other girl. This really shows how sad the guy is. He doesn't know how to deal with his feelings at all. He actually loves Helena, but what he has with his current girl is so good that she isn't reason enough for him to leave or he just doesn't want the breakup to be on him. This is not the first instance that shows he doesn't like the blame cast on himself. That was shown when he didn't intentionally fall for Helena and says it's her fault. He's also attempting to sweet-talk her into waiting by calling her sweet and saying she has his heart.

    But Helena feels bad for the other girl. The guy just doesn't get it and pushes Helena farther away until it's too late. She leaves with his heart. He doesn't really understand why. He had such a convincing argument for why she should wait. He turns to bitterness in order to not feel heartbroken by telling her that he'll just forget about her even though it's obvious he won't.

    He attempts to break her down and make her feel guilty by saying that she can say whatever she wants because he's such a charming and good-looking guy that he can get any woman he wanted anyways. Helena, because she has his heart and can actually figure out what he feels, sees how pathetic he is (not the bad pathetic, the sad pathetic), but he tells her he doesn't need her sympathy and tries to convince himself that he'll be alright even though he won't.

    racheleecheleon January 21, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I get the impression that the narrator has regrets for leading this girl, Helena, on in what she saw as a relationship and he saw as a fling. It really says it all in the lines "While I wait for her to give me any reason to leave" and "Guys like me never sleep alone at night." It seems like he might be leaving the new girl for Helena, but really he's just looking for an excuse to break up with her because that's the sort of shallow character he is.

    Wasn't sure about the line "In your debts, oh my girl" so leave your corrections here if you have a better idea.

    This song is a really awesome strum/sing along and sounds great acoustic.. cool song.

    eucilon July 15, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The character in Helena is completely self-absorbed. He is stringing Helena along w/ no regard for her feelings or for the girl he says he's leaving...disturbing character analysis...by the end of the song you actually feel sorry for the narrator b/c he's a hopeless cause. Great song!

    duckandcover023on August 07, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE SUCKS.

    this song is incredible. i found it online today and i havent stopped listening to it. chris thile is so hot. the end.

    fromthehouseoflordson August 25, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song reminds me of the emotional buildup that Coldplay does. The build up. It is good to hear music that makes me want to believe something violently and passioantely. The song progression from Doubting THomas to the next song to this one is amazing. What a contrast of emotions. Doubting Thomas is almost worth crying to then we hear the Old English intrumental type song that makes me feel as if I were hearing a story from my grandfather then we hear Helena which rounds out strong which pounds a fist on table.

    Soundboyon September 24, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song reminds me of the emotional buildup that Coldplay does. The build up. It is good to hear music that makes me want to believe something violently and passioantely. The song progression from Doubting THomas to the next song to this one is amazing. What a contrast of emotions. Doubting Thomas is almost worth crying to then we hear the Old English intrumental type song that makes me feel as if I were hearing a story from my grandfather then we hear Helena which rounds out strong which pounds a fist on table.

    Soundboyon September 24, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I read A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare this summer, and as I was talking about it with my brother and cousin, he brought up something about this song and the story. There's a parrallel between the plots, if anyone's noticed.

    If you read the lyrics to this song and apply it to the love triangle between Helena, Demetrius and Hermia, then you can extrapolate the similarites it holds. Maybe it's not as prominent, but if you really think about it, then this song can relate to A Midsummer Night's Dream. To me, the narrator of the song is Demetrius and it seems that he is speaking after he was spellbound, and he's either apologizing to Helena or explaining to her his reasons.

    Anyway, I adore that song and whether its reference is towards the play or not, it doesn't matter. I figure that's the beauty of it; there isn't a straight definition of what it's meaning, and you can just use your imagination, creating any and all stories possible.

    Lyssyon October 03, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Thanks Lyssy for pointing that out!! That's an interesting twist on the song! :)

    This song is my favorite of the album. I love the story that it tells! I agree with duckandcover about the narattor being self-absorbant. He has 2 girlfriends, one being Helena, and he's getting away with it until Helena finds out. She's about leave, and he begs her to stay, saying to stick around until he leaves the other girl. But Helena leaves, and so does the other girl. And at the end, the narrator has learned nothing, he just keeps on doing what he's already doing.

    I love how the song just climaxes at the end with the drums. The buildup, like soundboy pointed out it is awesome!!

    oh-and one last thing--Eucil- the lyrics for that part are: You can leave me In your debt so my girl and I can live to die another day

    seulette suison January 06, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think the line that say's "While I wait for her To give me any reason to leave" Was more about Chris's wife, seeing how he and her are now not together and Helena was someone who he had a thing with and in the end he kind of doesn't care anout either of them and just is a slut.... I love this song

    somethingWeirdon March 04, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Did somebody honestly say that a My Chemical Romance song is better then a Nickel Creek song? WTF

    Ma800mon March 23, 2006   Link

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