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Bitter Wine Lyrics
We met some time ago, when we were almost young
It never crossed my mind to ask, where did you come from?
I didn't have much money, so I stole you a rose
You were dressed like an orphan in Salvation Army clothes
I never thought I'd lose you, no, I'd rather go blind
I thought I saw a future, but the fortune teller lied
Your love was my salvation, it could always get me high
What was once holy water, tastes like bitter wine
I know I wasn't funny, but you laughed at all of my jokes
When I was choking on the words to say, you stuck your finger down my throat
The first night I said I love you, you told me to go to hell
You were giving me head, on that creaky old bed at the O'Duval Motel
Just like everything, even good love has to die
Ain't no sympathy when it says goodbye
Your love was my salvation, it could always get me high
What was once holy water, tastes like bitter wine
Just like everything, good love has to die
Ain't no sympathy when it says goodbye
No one even cried
We were one of a kind, one of a kind, yeah
Love left me stranded at the station
And the last train's gone by
What was once holy water
Tastes like bitter wine
Your love was my salvation, it could always get me high
You take the bag of holy water
Now all that's left is bitter wine
It never crossed my mind to ask, where did you come from?
I didn't have much money, so I stole you a rose
You were dressed like an orphan in Salvation Army clothes
I thought I saw a future, but the fortune teller lied
What was once holy water, tastes like bitter wine
When I was choking on the words to say, you stuck your finger down my throat
The first night I said I love you, you told me to go to hell
You were giving me head, on that creaky old bed at the O'Duval Motel
Ain't no sympathy when it says goodbye
What was once holy water, tastes like bitter wine
Ain't no sympathy when it says goodbye
No one even cried
We were one of a kind, one of a kind, yeah
And the last train's gone by
What was once holy water
Tastes like bitter wine
You take the bag of holy water
Now all that's left is bitter wine
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This song is beautifully writtten. The giving me head on the creaky old bed bit offsets the song a bit but gives a good look into the termoil of the relationship. Just like everything good love has to die. Aint that true
I agree it's great, but give some credit to the other guys too. David's piano parts are awesome and Richie can do anything he wants.. his solos just can't fail. Jon's voice is amazing, but the chorus wouldn't be as good without Richie. I'm just sayin'..
"just like everything, even good love has to die", i guess he is saying that to try and be positive about the future, even though he wonders why it had to end... "we were one of a kind...", he is positively sure that it was real once in a life time love.
what beautiful about this song is that he is realizing that he was inlove and starts to think about what happend. he is realizing that sometimes he wasn't funny, but she loved him and had good time with him and cause she was inlove with him, she laughed. she thought he was funny.
"aint no sympathy when it says goodbye" so true. when love says goodbye, there is no sympathy, it just breaks you. and leaves taste of bitter wine, when you drink wine, the wine goes straight to your brain and you have this feeling in your chest, and he might feel bitter as a metaphor, but im taking it as he is still drunk from love.
Really great ballad from BonJovi, over-shadowed by other ballads such as "This Ain't A Love Song" etc. I would put this is far better than "Bed Of Roses".. Great lyrics and great emotions when Jon sing..
yeh i agree, jon bon jovi just has an amazingly beautiful and tortured voice that is incredibly suited to the love songs and ballads.
The lyrics have a very important line wrong on this song. It doesn't say "You were giving me head on that creaky bed..." It actually says "You were giving me hell on that creaky old bed...
It ties the line in with the previous line about her telling him to go to hell when he said he loved her.
This small difference makes the song much more of a heartfelt memory and not something crass.