I was nowhere near ready when all it ended
So I hoped we could find a new day, cannot live without you

You gave me the chance, time and again in vain
Now my feelings for you
Every tear, every smile, paid in full
Wrecked the chain, but no longer can I take the pain

It's hard for me to love myself right now
I waited, hated, blamed it all on you

Needed to be strong, yet I was always too weak
So again only blamed myself for this state we are in
I will take what you have for me now, it's not too late

Did you change? I did too
Love can grow from the last grain

It's hard for me to love myself right now
I waited, hated, blamed it all on you

I need you less and less every day
Fix this moral decay
Yet I've grown to love you even more

My fault that you then turned another cheek
You mouth the words, you're not ready to speak
You're scared of me, although I never had a clue
That I'd become so much stronger than you

I will take what you have for me now if it's not too late
If you like I will leave, I will not miss the last train again

It's hard for me to love myself right now
I waited, hated, blamed it all on you
It's hard for me to love your face right now
I'm waiting, hating, needing, being me

I need you less and less
And every day leads us farther away
From that moment

It's hard for me to hate myself right now
Finally I'm understanding me
One day we may have whole new me's and you's
But first I need to learn to love me too


Lyrics submitted by SergeF2007

Paid in Full Lyrics as written by William Griffin Eric Barrier

Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Universal Music Publishing Group, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.

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Paid in Full song meanings
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13 Comments

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  • +2
    My Interpretation

    This song reminds me of my own tale where I became too dependent on one person, constantly needing attention from him, instead of being strong on my own ("yet I was always too weak"). When he finally ended it, I felt it was hard for me to love myself, having been that way.

    Then I began to "understand me", learned to love myself and need him less, yet love him more ("I need you less and less every day Yet I've grown to love you even more").

    And yes, Love can grow from the last grain :)

    So I think this song is trying to say that in order to love someone, you must first learn to love yourself ;)

    jadepenguinon July 27, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I was nowhere near ready when all it ended So I hoped we could find a new day, cannot live without you


    Grew dependent of the person he loved Ended and had hope to get back together


    You gave me the chance, time and again in vain Now my feelings for you Every tear, every smile, paid in full Wrecked the chain, but no longer can I take the pain


    After Breakup got back together Every tear, every smile, paid in full She was different "Wrecked the chain" was not going to work "no longer can I take the pain"


    It's hard for me to love myself right now I waited, hated, blamed it all on you


    After a Breakup its a normal order of stages you go through First you think and wonder what did YOU do wrong "It's hard for me to love myself right now" Then you try and blame in on them for your pain "I waited, hated, blamed it all on you"


    Needed to be strong, yet I was always too weak So again only blamed myself for this state we are in I will take what you have for me now, it's not too late


    Its said you should give a breakup time to think it over and miss you ,and as the saying goes if they love you they will come back but in reality its nothing that easy and more that one ends up trying to contact and doing what ever to get back "Needed to be strong, yet I was always too weak"

    As most women love attention and pride she enjoyed it and the response get a life "So again only blamed myself for this state we are in"

    End up lose self esteem to a point where you tell them you will do whatever it takes even though she said she does not love you ----> "I will take what you have for me now, it's not too late"


    Even though the girl is a bitch with him guy still has hope "Did you change? I did too Love can grow from the last grain"


    What do you know, Girl came around after coming to her senses on what she had lost

    It's hard for me to love myself right now I waited, hated, blamed it all on you


    Guy does not really need her that much anymore and has realized its not that bad but still loves her in a special was but does not want to be with her after it all

    I need you less and less every day Fix this moral decay Yet I've grown to love you even more


    The girls is now in his shoes when she left him ,he does not believe her words ,guy does not want to be with her anymore

    "My fault that you then turned another cheek You mouth the words, you're not ready to speak You're scared of me, although I never had a clue That I'd become so much stronger than you"


    Girl wants to get back together

    "I will take what you have for me now if it's not too late If you like I will leave,"

    Guy will not be fooled again " I will not miss the last train again"


    Girl wants to be back with him ,said she was a fool ,guy says "It's hard for me to love myself right now I waited, hated, blamed it all on you"

    Guy cannot love her as he did after all she did "It's hard for me to love your face right now I'm waiting, hating, needing, being me'


    You don't really ever forget the person you loved,you just learn how to live without them

    "I need you less and less And every day leads us farther away From that moment"


    After all he has learned to live without her and care about himself,he still loves her in his own way but for now does not want to or feel to be with her "It's hard for me to hate myself right now Finally I'm understanding me One day we may have whole new me's and you's But first I need to learn to love me too "

    zercathon January 07, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    He blamed his self hatred on his past relationship, but in truth he hated himself because of what he was becoming. In the end he no longer hates himself or her, because he figured it out, now he is okay with himself and he has to change so that one day he might love himself as well.

    American born, but still a Mexican.

    Black_Sabathon January 11, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song is more about the healing process after breakup than the actual pain and heartache.

    He says "I need you less and less every day", and goes from having a hard time loving himself to having a hard time hating himself.

    Zughiaqon September 07, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The first single from the UNIA album .. Yet another beautiful composition of Sonata Arctica's.. A true and unrequited love song :)

    RobertGarsideon June 04, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think this one's about a man who just got broken-hearted and didnt even knew this was close to happen: "I was nowhere near ready when all it ended".. When she dumped him, he was arrogant and blamed it all on her as the song says, but he then realizes he did wrong and tries to fix it. He's still in love with her and tries to get her back, but he thinks its too late. Her love means everything to him and wants it back, now that he lost her...

    Mexicano.

    SA~Fanon July 01, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    si a webo

    Hellfire Tobion July 02, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Amazing song.

    2006200720082009on October 13, 2007   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    He had a break in a relationship (could be romantic, could be platonic) and he blamed and hated himself for it. But as time went on, he realized that it was not his fault but the other person's fault. And now he's the one who has moved on and the other person now wishes to come back. But he's stronger than he/she is and rejects, living his life happily and stronger from it.

    2006200720082009on December 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Well that's what I mean, balancing out the blame by having a heavy period of "It's your fault," then coming through that as a natural way of leveling it out to see that they were both at fault. It's both and none. etc. most fiction deals with this theme and it's cool to see Kakko have a sense of story arc like that :) five years since I wrote the OP btw.

    2006200720082009on November 01, 2014   Link

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