Always The Last To Know

its 'when your winter comes' rather than 'words are calmest', and 'you were .. the last to know' twice at the end. think its the only sane thing.. 'that i have' rather than 'ive had' but not sure.

great song. dont think youre meant to get an impression of him ending the relationship because he was the last to know, rather thats what it changed to afterwards, as doc said. end still feels ironic though, is nice twist.

I like the fact that, at least in this song, the thing he's most worried about is being 'the last to know'. That he's concerned about whether she's 'happy now', or whether 'he's cruel'.

I think it takes a really special person to be able to feel that way after a relationship - to show they care (rather than acting like they never cared), but also to not smother the other person with their feelings. To have genuine concern that isn't about them trying to make the relationship work again.

But like Fein Mess said, the fact that he cheated kinda ruins it... =(

I'm very familiar with this situation. You're in a long term relationship with someone, and when it ends and break communication it's a shock to your system because you've been used to being that person's confidant. Now you only hear about her from mutual friends, and you're always the last to now about her life.

I recently found out that my ex of 3 years is moving in with her current boyfriend. We've only been broken up for 2 months.

This song is like a movie that throws you for a loop at the end, ala The Sixth Sense. You feel sorry for the writer throughout the whole song because he leads the listener to believe that that he was always the last to know about certain things in their relationship and that the writer/singer ended the relationship because he was always "the last to know" what was happening. But then the kicker at the end reveals that he was cheating on her and that she most likely ended the realationship.

I don't agree that the twist at the end ruins it - in fact it's the opposite; instead of being yet another boring song about a how awful it is to break-up it illustrates an interesting point. Until you get to the revelation of his infidelity you think that the song is about how he feels alone and disempowered, with no part to play in her life any more. You sympathise with his self-pity. Then you find out that the reason he is alone, and the reason why he doesn't have any part in her life is because he threw it all away. It's all his fault, he effectively chose it to be this way, and now he's complaining because he is on the sidelines.

That's how it happens in real life, baby.

It's a great song not just because it's touching and has a nice melody hook, but because it is bitingly honest and confessional. It does lead you through a bit of deception, feeling sorry for the writer as though he has lost his lover and he was "the last to know", but the final stanza makes it clear that it is a confessional.

All along, she feared she would be the one to get hurt (... "if the bomb drops, baby, I want to be the last to know"). And indeed, that's just what happened. He cheated on her and ruined it.

And now he gets it. He understands what it's like to no longer have any right to know what she's doing, how she's feeling. Even if he's sorry, and even if he wishes her well or would be genuinely concerned if her new mate is being bad to her (all of these are ideas expressed in the verses), he no longer has any right to those feelings.

It's much deeper and more powerful than just "cheating" or "losing your girlfriend". It's the idea that when we give up the power to be close to somebody, even to be good to them or help them, we have lost a lot more than just a "girlfriend". We have lost a bit of ourselves. He traded away a bit of his soul by cheating on her.

Heavy stuff, and darn true. People are precious things.

I say it was a one-sided relationship, where the guy was always kept in the dark and at arm's length because she never let him get close enough, and she was just using him. He never had a clue she was out doing her thing on the side and she didn't share her feelings when she was with him. And he finds out she's been running around with another guy and she's not hiding it, and he pleaded with her to save it so she still strings him along. He's freakin out and the world/TV just reminds him of stuff, but he still would take her back. Then, he gives up. Some time passes, and she thinks she can come back, and that's when he drops HIS bomb on her. Two can play at that game, babe. All her friends saw what she was doing to him, they felt awful and knew he was a great guy and so one by one they nailed him. And when she ties to come back to him, he's ove her. He's happy to have given her a dose of her own medicine. Now SHE is the last to know and left wondering what he really did, and if her other guy is also off cheating on her, because she deserves it. So at the end, SHE's the one singing 'Don't let me be the last to know.' This is how I pictured it, the very first time I heard it. Watch the video, longing vibe in the beginning, happy at the end with smiling hand claps. Gimme an upvote after you see that black n white MTV video with him singing playing bass.✌

This is simply a good song. There's nothing flashy about its sounds or lyrics but I think it is good in its own way.

Now what I want to know is how come there's no Stone Cold Sober posted!!??? There's a lot to be discussed in terms of lyric in that song!! Someone post that already!!