This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Just one more kiss, she'll have to miss, this night with you
Now you're guilty of this secret love, as I am too
You'll get used to telling lies, feeling sorry when she cries
Now that the strings aren't attached, you'll catch on, we've done ourpart
Oh, and this is the way we make a broken heart
Lesson number one, we've just begun to hurt her so
And with lesson two she'll long for you, when lights are low
And when we get to lesson three, when she gets down on her knees
Begs you to stop at the door just before she comes a-part
Oh, this is the way we make a broken heart
Now we've made a trail of tears for her to follow
And we've thought of every line that she might swallow
And with lesson four there will be no more for her to bear
And on some dark night we'll dim the lights on this affair
Then she'll find somebody new, and he'll likely hurt her too
Cause there must be millions just like you and me, practiced in
The art
Oh, and this is the way we make a broken heart
Oh and this is the way we make a broken heart
Ay yi yi yi yi yi yi yi
This is the way we make a broken heart
Ay yi yi yi yi yi yi yi
This is the way,
This is the way,
This is the way
This is the way
Oh, this is the way we make a broken heart
Now you're guilty of this secret love, as I am too
You'll get used to telling lies, feeling sorry when she cries
Now that the strings aren't attached, you'll catch on, we've done ourpart
Oh, and this is the way we make a broken heart
Lesson number one, we've just begun to hurt her so
And with lesson two she'll long for you, when lights are low
And when we get to lesson three, when she gets down on her knees
Begs you to stop at the door just before she comes a-part
Oh, this is the way we make a broken heart
Now we've made a trail of tears for her to follow
And we've thought of every line that she might swallow
And with lesson four there will be no more for her to bear
And on some dark night we'll dim the lights on this affair
Then she'll find somebody new, and he'll likely hurt her too
Cause there must be millions just like you and me, practiced in
The art
Oh, and this is the way we make a broken heart
Oh and this is the way we make a broken heart
Ay yi yi yi yi yi yi yi
This is the way we make a broken heart
Ay yi yi yi yi yi yi yi
This is the way,
This is the way,
This is the way
This is the way
Oh, this is the way we make a broken heart
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
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.