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Broken Lyrics
You can close your eyes
And see a picture perfect life
Inside of your mind
Dreaming only of the days ahead
Wanted and wished for more than now
Or the days behind
You waste your time
The picture makes a promise
The flesh lets it be broken
The picture makes a promise
The flesh lets it be broken
You can never think
You can't even stop yourself
Before the words have been spoken
And you've already said
You would give everything
And something for nothing
Everybody thinks you're joking
The picture makes a promise
The flesh lets it be broken
The picture makes a promise
The flesh lets it be broken
You want to be the one
Made over be your own
Before and after
And a supermarket
Beauty in a bottle queen
Who'll one day grace a check-out counter
Magazine front cover
Though the fine print reads
The picture makes a promise
The flesh lets it be broken
The picture makes a promise
The flesh lets it be broken
Lets it be broken
Lets it be broken
Lets it be broken
Lets it be broken
Lets it be broken
Broken
Broken
When your life is never what you wanted
Not even halfway normal
Just tarnished and soiled
When in your reach
A framed and frozen moment
So far from perfection
Not truth or transcendence
Will set you free
Still you don't believe
The picture makes a promise
The flesh lets it be broken
The picture makes a promise
The flesh lets it be broke
And see a picture perfect life
Inside of your mind
Dreaming only of the days ahead
Wanted and wished for more than now
Or the days behind
You waste your time
The flesh lets it be broken
The picture makes a promise
The flesh lets it be broken
You can't even stop yourself
Before the words have been spoken
And you've already said
You would give everything
And something for nothing
Everybody thinks you're joking
The flesh lets it be broken
The picture makes a promise
The flesh lets it be broken
Made over be your own
Before and after
And a supermarket
Beauty in a bottle queen
Who'll one day grace a check-out counter
Magazine front cover
Though the fine print reads
The flesh lets it be broken
The picture makes a promise
The flesh lets it be broken
Lets it be broken
Lets it be broken
Lets it be broken
Lets it be broken
Broken
Broken
Not even halfway normal
Just tarnished and soiled
When in your reach
A framed and frozen moment
So far from perfection
Not truth or transcendence
Will set you free
Still you don't believe
The flesh lets it be broken
The picture makes a promise
The flesh lets it be broke
Song Info
Submitted by
agathakavka On Oct 05, 2002
More Tracy Chapman
Fast Car
The Promise
Baby Can I Hold You
Give Me One Reason
Talkin’ ‘Bout A Revolution
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We're sold an image that society says we should try to be. The only problem is that this goal is NOT attainable.... Still we are trapped in a cycle of trying to attain something that is not possible.
The picture makes a promise The flesh lets it be broken
Life isn't your perfect picture, life is what you have. You can't just imagine something and hope for it to be so. Picture is one's idealism, and flesh (one's body/actions) isn't able to create an ideal picture.
Your life is never what you wanted, not even halfway 'normal'.
my personal opinion is that society tries to reach for something that does not exist . And you've already said You would give everything And something for nothing Everybody thinks you're joking This verse is talking about how a person in love goes to the extremes to find an unattainable love from a human that does not feel the same way about him/her and in return finds nothing but misery but is content with that misery because its all he or she has in life to express when the love of human being is non -existent when you are not good enough for society.The individual is delusional that is why he or she develops this infatuation with love even if it is not returned.Just an opinion.
This is one of the most complex song I have ever listed to, even for Tracy's standard. I do believe Tracy's style is to 'point at things', without asking questions directly, proposing or blaming directly, although I am sure she could do that with no difficulties every time; however, helping people become aware and then make their decisions and opinions is what she usually does with most of her stories.
Surprisingly, I do think 'Broken' is one of the exception, if you listen carefully you imaging her speaking looking to the listener right in the eye. She keeps saying 'you', 'you', 'you'... which is very uncommon for her songs.
Whenever I listen to 'Broken' I wonder why she had an approach that is so opposed to most of her songs. I feel like she is perplexed at how we live in the present and still are able to be ok with ourselves, together with 'hard wired' they describe total social/personal devastation, just a bit more direct approach