He said "I am the devil, boy, come with me
And we'll make many storms"
He offered me the universe
But inside my heart there's a picture of a girl

Some call love a curse, some call love a thief
But she's my home
And she's as much apart for this broken heart, but see
Broken bones always seem to mend

I'll taste the devil's tears
Drink from his soul, but I'll never give up you
I'll taste the devil's tears
Drink from his soul, but I'll never give up you

He said "I am the devil, boy,
Come with me and we'll break many laws"
He offered me eternal life but inside my heart there's a picture of a girl

Some call love a curse, some call love a thief
But she's my home and she
And she's as much apart for this broken heart, but see
Broken bones always seem to mend

I'll taste the devil's tears
Drink from his soul, but I'll never give up you
I'll taste the devil's tears
Drink from his soul, but I'll never give up you


Lyrics submitted by samfish

The Devil's Tears Lyrics as written by Julia Stone Angus Stone

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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The Devil's Tears song meanings
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14 Comments

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  • +8
    General Comment

    he can have physical relationships with other people ..have great time, enjoy every moment , but he will never stop loving one girl he lost, keeping hope she will come back someday .. he will never give up on hope, even though he is aware she is far away from him...

    beatmess66on May 19, 2010   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    i agree with beatmess.. to me its about still having an ounce of hope for that one person who you won't stop loving.. you might be with other people, have physical relationships, even crushes, but none of those people come close, none of them make you feel like you're at home. you never get over that person who made you feel at home.

    Jigabubson May 22, 2010   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    It seems fairly clear what the general meaning of the the song is, though "The Devil's Tears" might not be.

    When a child is crying to you, they usually show some form of desire in their eyes. Sometimes you can't resist but to fulfill their desire because you want them to be happy, even if that means slightly impairing their safety.

    The tears of the Devil might be seen as being innocent as well, when in truth the core desires and intentions of the desires are for evil. Angus is singing here and saying that he knows he will be swayed in the ways of the Devil, fulfilling many evil and selfish desires, but nothing will take him away from his woman who is like a home to him. He will stay faithful and forever loving, despite any temptations this wild world has. He, like a child, wants more to be with the one who makes him have meaning and purpose, one who can take care of him and be a loving haven of safety. It is shown in this song that this homeliness can only be delivered by your lover.

    Genus_Lineson September 18, 2013   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    The writer will not give into the pleasures of the devil if that means not being will the girl that he loves.

    Love this song.

    JasonCCon April 03, 2010   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    Guilty pleasures, being in touch with sin and perhaps deceit. The fact that its about the Devil's "Tears" means that this person has had the said guilty pleasures of life on a number of occasions that perhaps they consider themselves connected to this life emotionally, hence the word "tears" - tears can be sad, angry, even happy.

    Underneath it all, however, they feel lost from who they really are and who they want to be with. They never lose hope in that one special person. Thats the one truth that the "devil" can never remove or mask with lust or pleasure.

    succulenton October 26, 2010   Link
  • +1
    Link(s)

    hi guys, this is one of my favourite songs and the words are so beautiful, please check out our acoustic version of it : youtube.com/watch

    nainanarainon August 19, 2013   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    He feels that he is seduced by a devil, which stands for all the taboos in society, like crime, lechery, or drugs. “And we’ll make many storms/ He offered me the universe” suggests that the devil promises him lots of things which give him temporary happiness. However, “inside my heart there’s a picture of a girl,” deep in his heart, he hasn’t forget the girl he loves. He does all this bad things not because he is a villain, but he is suffering from lovesick and only by being with the devil can he forget the pain of losing the girl. Here is my full interpretation of the song: en.lineday.co/angus-julia-stone-the-devils-tears-lyrics-meaning/

    lineday117on April 04, 2016   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    amazing song, my favorite of their entire collection.

    tubofpuddingon August 07, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion

    some call love a curse, some call love a thief but he's my home. everybody complains about broken hearts of love, nevertheless the thing is it can be hurtful but nothing can change that we belong them as like our homes. It's like no need to argue and accept what the way you feel, not deny where you're from.

    evuniqueon January 25, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    My definition doesn't really match up with the whole song, but to me the song is about going through life's hardship, breaking laws, having fun, but still wanting to come 'home' to that one special person who understands you.

    hypercloudon June 20, 2013   Link

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