The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
That time has passed
Some things that never really last
We've come undone
To me you'll always be the one
Calm down people
It's just a little lie
You know it doesn't mean nothing
And I realize you could be right
Calm down people
It's just a little lie
You know it doesn't mean nothing
And I realize you could be right
I walk alone
And you know I never felt at home
I'm so hard to please
And I have everything I need
Oh, calm down people
It's just a little lie
You know it doesn't mean nothing
And I realize you could be right
Oh, calm down people
It's just a little lie
You know it doesn't mean nothing
And I realize you could be right
Some things that never really last
We've come undone
To me you'll always be the one
Calm down people
It's just a little lie
You know it doesn't mean nothing
And I realize you could be right
Calm down people
It's just a little lie
You know it doesn't mean nothing
And I realize you could be right
I walk alone
And you know I never felt at home
I'm so hard to please
And I have everything I need
Oh, calm down people
It's just a little lie
You know it doesn't mean nothing
And I realize you could be right
Oh, calm down people
It's just a little lie
You know it doesn't mean nothing
And I realize you could be right
Lyrics submitted by LuvMartinGore
A Little Lie Lyrics as written by David Gahan Christian Eigner
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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i like this song, i think its interesting
'we've come undone' it seems to be about a failed relationship;
'to me you always be the one' regret the person feels after cheating on their partner
'it's just a little lie, you know it means nothing' trying to downplay their wrongdoing
'i've never felt at home' suggests possibly that the relationship was rocky
It's difficult to actually pin down an exact meaning for the song due to it's constant meandering between what sounds extremely personal and the chorus, which seemed to be referring to something larger. Still, it's a brilliantly atmospheric and moody piece.
For me it is a little bit corresponding to a song I Want It All, that was written by Dave as well.. In interview about PTA he stated about I Want It All: it was about "having everything I need, so why don't I see that or appreciate what's good in my life, and in fact do my best to destroy it? I naturally gravitate towards looking for the negative in something, even when it's good - that could be my lovely wife or my lovely children. And I do gravitate towards things that aren't good for me - not necessarily drugs or alcohol, just the idea of having something good, then tearing it apart and being left with a piece of shit, almost like I want to push it away because I feel I don't deserve it. Today I'm in a much better place. I'm a lot more grateful for what I have, even if what I don't have is closer to the truth." (msopr.com/n/past-campaigns/depeche-mode/page/4/) . So I think it is about an internal feeling of an person who is always missing something higher, and this is why he makes some incomprehesible decisions, like breaking up etc, "he feels alone, never feels at home..." Like he wants something more to be fulfiled by, but he can't find it anywhere.. And the chorus seems to me like excuse to his conscience or maybe real oppinions of people arround. (But I rather see it as his conscience). It is like a struggle inside him, on one side he is suffering from the "missing something", on the other side he denies its existence, because it brings only a pain, disappointment to others and he doesn't belive or see the solution anyway.. What do you think, do you agree a little bit with me?
I feel like many people go through this weird type of habit in life. I believe when you have gone through a lot of trauma/hard times then your brain changes and reacts to the trauma and gives you negative habits. Like these lyrics for example:
I walk alone And you know I've never felt at home I'm so hard to please And I have everything I need
You can have everything and your life can be perfect but since you have had past trauma you constantly seek out a problem or search for something that will cause the "illusion" to disintegrate. Basically you look for flaws and feel a sick feeling of comfort once you discover an issue or if you make one yourself.
One could take away from this song that Dave Gahan has been through a lot, if you have followed Depeche Mode and he is a recovering Heroin addict. This contributes to his unsettling feelings when everything is really just fine in his life.