"Broken" as written by and Cait O'riordan....
I wanted to be with you alone
And talk about the weather
But traditions I can trace against the child in your face
Won't escape my attention
You keep your distance via the system of touch
And gentle persuasion
I'm lost in admiration could I need you this much
Oh you're wasting my time
You're just wasting time.
Something happens and I'm head over heels
I never find out until I'm head over heels
Something happens and I'm head over heels
Ah don't take my heart
Don't break my heart
Don't throw it away.
I made a fire and watching it burn
Thought of your future
With one foot in the past now just how long will it last
No no no have you no ambition
My mother and my brothers used to breathing clean air
And dreaming I'm a doctor
It's hard to be man when there's a gun in your hand
Oh I feel so
Something happens and I'm head over heels.
I never find out until I'm head over heels
Something happens and I'm head over heels
Ah don't take my heart
Don't break my heart
Don't throw it away.
And it's my four leaf clover
I'm on the line, one open mind
This is my four leaf clover.
And talk about the weather
But traditions I can trace against the child in your face
Won't escape my attention
You keep your distance via the system of touch
And gentle persuasion
I'm lost in admiration could I need you this much
Oh you're wasting my time
You're just wasting time.
Something happens and I'm head over heels
I never find out until I'm head over heels
Something happens and I'm head over heels
Ah don't take my heart
Don't break my heart
Don't throw it away.
I made a fire and watching it burn
Thought of your future
With one foot in the past now just how long will it last
No no no have you no ambition
My mother and my brothers used to breathing clean air
And dreaming I'm a doctor
It's hard to be man when there's a gun in your hand
Oh I feel so
Something happens and I'm head over heels.
I never find out until I'm head over heels
Something happens and I'm head over heels
Ah don't take my heart
Don't break my heart
Don't throw it away.
And it's my four leaf clover
I'm on the line, one open mind
This is my four leaf clover.
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I just love side two so much, and "Broken" is the anchor of the whole suite.
To me, the song means as we try to process trauma, or just come to terms with life, as we get older it doesn't get easier or clearer, but we learn that we can embrace the absence of meaning ourselves - we are broken, but you know what, it's better than just being in pain as you are breaking, and perhaps we need to break to get by?
Personally, although I'm glad to have a more happy life, it also feels like I've left the Great Question behind and that if I had searched longer I would have figured out how to make EVERYTHING alright.
Love the bass at the begining of the song.
It all started with Broken.
This showed up on the B-Side of their Hurting single 'Pale shelter'.
They eventually worked it out to this final version.
Head over heels was somewhat older, but just lyrics.
Therefor they used the same bassline for HoH, and the final lyrics of Broken were reprised in HoH, so they directly threw in a reprise of the Broken melody.
The one on the album is a live recorded solo. The studio version, as HoH is a studio song, can be found on the 'Preacher remix' of the song.
I can relate to this song too much. Too often I get overwhelmed with the need to figure stuff out and make things better. So many of us are broken and being tossed about.
Sometimes I still feel anger for things from my Youth that all these years later still burn in my gut - Funny How Time Flies.......