Patti Smith

Break It Up

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Break It Up Lyrics

Car stopped in a clearing;
Ribbon of life, it was nearing.
I saw the boy break out of his skin;
My heart turned over and I crawled in...

He cried, (Break it up...) "Oh, I don't understand..."
(Break it up...) "I can't comprehend."
(Break it up...) "Oh, I want to feel you..."
(Break it up...)
"Don't talk to me that way... I'm not listening."

Snow started falling;
I could hear the angel calling.
We rolled on the ground, he stretched out his wings;
The boy flew away, and he started to sing...

He cried, (Break it up...) "Oh, I don't understand..."
(Break it up...) "I can't comprehend."
(Break it up...) "Oh, I want to feel you..."
(Break it up...)

Don't look at me - The sky was raging,
The boy disappeared, I fell on my knees...
Atmosphere broke up, the boy reappeared,
I cried, "Take me, please!"

Ice, it was shining.
I could feel my heart, it was melting.
I tore off my clothes, I danced on my shoes.
I ripped my skin open and then I broke through.

I cried (Break it up...) "Oh, now I understand..."
(Break it up...) "And I want to go."
(Break it up...) oh, please take me with you.
Break it up..."

"I can feel it breaking,
I can feel it breaking,
I can feel it breaking,
I can feel, I can feel, I can feel, I can feel..."

So (break it up...) Oh, now I'm coming with you....
(Break it up...) Now I'm gonna go...
(Break it up...) Oh, feel me, I'm coming...
(Break it up...) Break it up, break it up, break it up,
(Break it up...) Break it up, break it up, break it up,
(Break it up...) Oh, break it up, break it up, break it up,
(Break it up...) Break it up, break it up, break it on up
(Break it up...) Break it up, break it on up, up, up,
(Break it up...) Break it, break it, break it, break it,
(Break it up...) Break it on up, break it up,
(Break it up...) Break it up, break it up, break it up...

Submitted by

iantuition On Feb 12, 2007

Land: Horses/Land of a Thousand Dances/La Mer(de)

Car stopped in a clearing;
Ribbon of life, it was nearing.
I saw the boy break out of his skin;
My heart turned over and I crawled in...

Snow started falling;
I could hear the angel calling.
We rolled on the ground, he stretched out his wings;
The boy flew away, and he started to sing...

He cried, (Break it up...) "Oh, I don't understand..."
(Break it up...) "I can't comprehend."
(Break it up...) "Oh, I want to feel you..."
(Break it up...)

Don't look at me - The sky was raging, 
The boy disappeared, I fell on my knees...
Atmosphere broke up, the boy reappeared,
I cried, "Take me, please!"

Ice, it was shining.
I could feel my heart, it was melting.
I tore off my clothes, I danced on my shoes.
I ripped my skin open and then I broke through.

I cried (Break it up...) "Oh, now I understand..."
(Break it up...) "And I want to go."
(Break it up...) oh, please take me with you.
Break it up..."

"I can feel it breaking,
I can feel it breaking,
I can feel it breaking,
I can feel, I can feel, I can feel, I can feel..."

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Let the lyrics be lyrics

This isn’t the place for interpretations, memories, stories, or trivia — that’s what comments are for. Keep metadata, translations, and bracketed stage directions out unless they’re officially part of the song.

Edit lightly

If two lines are wrong… fix the two lines. No need to bulldoze the whole page. Think ‘surgical,’ not ‘remix.’

When in doubt, ask the crowd

Not sure what they’re singing in that fuzzy bridge? Drop a question in the comments and let the music nerds swarm. Someone always knows.

Iantuition

Submitter

2007-02-12 22:56:03

4 Meanings

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by LesSkate4

17y ago

I think the boy died and at first she couldn understand it,anything that was happening until she finally figured out that he was dead

but hey may be wrong

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by ebyrne288

17y ago

i'm not sure about this, but i think 'the boy' refers to Robert Mapplethorpe, a close friend and the photographer of the cover of Horses, whom she was living with at the time. it's something to do with them believing they were destined for greater things as Patti had always believed she was going to be famous even though all through her adolescence she hadn't displayed any particular talent in anything, not even writing. she went to New York and met Robert and the two planned to make the big time together.

it's been a while since i read her biography so i could be completely off the mark but i think that's it.

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by locolacanian

16y ago

I think it's about Jim Morrison and his devotion, his sacrifice to poetry, and be about Patti Smith committing herself to the same devotion. At the same time, it's about her not wanting him to leave her behind, wanting to keep going with him.

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by Nimbie

15y ago

It's based on Patti's dream about Jim Morrison. There was an interview with her where she said so.

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