This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
People just ain't no good
I think that's well understood
You can see it everywhere you look
People just ain't no good
We were married under cherry trees
Under blossom we made our vows
All the blossoms come sailing down
Through the streets and through the playgrounds
The sun would stream on the sheets
Awoken by the morning bird
We'd buy the Sunday newspapers
And never read a single word
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good
Seasons came, seasons went
The winter stripped the blossoms bare
A different tree now lines the streets
Shaking its fists in the air
The winter slammed us like a fist
The windows rattling in the gales
To which she drew the curtains
Made out of her wedding veils
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good at all
To our love send a dozen white lilies
To our love send a coffin of wood
To our love let all the pink-eyed pigeons coo
That people they just ain't no good
To our love send back all the letters
To our love a valentine of blood
To our love let all the jilted lovers cry
That people they just ain't no good
It ain't that in their hearts they're bad
They can comfort you, some even try
They nurse you when you're ill of health
They bury you when you go and die
It ain't that in their hearts they're bad
They'd stick by you if they could
But that's just bullshit baby
People just ain't no good
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good at all
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good at all
I think that's well understood
You can see it everywhere you look
People just ain't no good
We were married under cherry trees
Under blossom we made our vows
All the blossoms come sailing down
Through the streets and through the playgrounds
The sun would stream on the sheets
Awoken by the morning bird
We'd buy the Sunday newspapers
And never read a single word
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good
Seasons came, seasons went
The winter stripped the blossoms bare
A different tree now lines the streets
Shaking its fists in the air
The winter slammed us like a fist
The windows rattling in the gales
To which she drew the curtains
Made out of her wedding veils
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good at all
To our love send a dozen white lilies
To our love send a coffin of wood
To our love let all the pink-eyed pigeons coo
That people they just ain't no good
To our love send back all the letters
To our love a valentine of blood
To our love let all the jilted lovers cry
That people they just ain't no good
It ain't that in their hearts they're bad
They can comfort you, some even try
They nurse you when you're ill of health
They bury you when you go and die
It ain't that in their hearts they're bad
They'd stick by you if they could
But that's just bullshit baby
People just ain't no good
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good at all
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good
People they ain't no good at all
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
The following comments are biased as I am a big Nick Cave fan. I really like this meloncolic song as it reminds me it is about the complexities of human relationships and how they can and do change. Being a person who likes to help people out and give "people the benefit of the doubt" can leave me exposed to people abusing my trust. I have thought of some people as friends and it turns out that they are just "using you". This song is about the human condition. I have to be careful not to do the above to others - I do not think I'm the type, but, I am human too.
You're correct. To me it's a spouse that scorned him after some help was offered.
Seriously? Awesome. I'm going to see it next week, I can't wait.
Hehe...great movie and great song.
the lyrics are just great. and true too. "people just ain't no good"... even better along with a depressive mood.
These lyrics are amazingly profound. The tune is repetitive, but I think of it as a chant or a lament to make up for that.... :D
at the start, I think you'll find it is "People just ain't no good/A THING that's well understood".
or at least, it's fairly clearly that in the version that I've been listening to.
I think this is quite touching. I guess it's more about not being able to connect with people than people being bad as such.
"It ain't that in their hearts they're bad..."
These lyrics are from the CD Booklet, so... It sounds like someone who's had enough of the world and being pissed over by people. Certainly been there.
"To our love send a coffin" sounds like a relationship has gone bad and he's not doing so well. Poor bloke.
A song with meaning... makes so much sense to me!
I have always been under the impression that the song isn't so much about people being horrible in the emotional sense, but it's Cave telling a story about how you can love someone, completely devote yourself to them and in the end they die and you're left without them.
So really, people ain't no good, because even if you love someone they can still die.
I think prodigal has a good point there: nowhere in the song does it sound like his love actually betrayed him. In fact, these lines:<br /> <br /> The winter slammed us like a fist<br /> The windows rattling in the gales<br /> To which she drew the curtains<br /> Made out of her wedding veils<br /> <br /> Make it sound like that when hard times hit, she helped get them threw it through the strength of her commitment.<br /> <br /> And the song also has a strong sense of passing time ("Seasons passing") and it sounds like the song's protagonist actually refers to his love's death (although he makes it sound impersonal or hypothetical):<br /> <br /> They can comfort you, some even try<br /> They nurse you when you're ill of health<br /> They bury you when you go and die<br /> <br /> I think this song is so sad because it's about the inevitability of love leading to real pain, not because betrayal is inevitable - but just because everything must come to an end eventually. God that's depressing. Time for bed.<br />
I respectfully disagree. I don't think the song is about actual death in the first place, and even if it was - death is a fact of life. Sad maybe, but I don't think it should be "depressing" as such. I'm not in denial either. If nothing ever ended, nothing would have any value.
an elegy to dead love, simple as that. She's dead to him now and he's mourning not her, but the death of what had held them together.