Torn

This song is definitely about a girl who meets a boy and falls in love with the idea him. Slowly she begins to see who he really is and is shocked that he's not the man "she fell in love with."

"So I guess the fortune teller's right, I should have seen just what was there and not some holy light,"--> Another example of her trying to make him out to be someone he's not.

The cold and naked part is symbolic for her vulnerability, in my novice opinion.

This song really touched me – I first heard it riding with my son in his car and he was board with it and tried to change stations and I almost caused an accident ripping his hands off the controls.

For I was identifying totally with that song – been there – done that

It is very much a woman’s song-

You meet a man, he is perfect, he seems to really care for you and you love him and you in your mind convince yourself that he is the one. As a woman you have build an illusion of what you believe is your perfect mate and you think you have found the man that matched your dream - he is perfect, he seems to really care for you and you love him and give yourself totally for you have convince yourself that he is the one.

And you are again waiting for him to come to you – but he is late – and you are struck with the realization that he no longer rushes to be with you, you have ceased being important to his life - he does not love you back, he is board with you - the conversation has run dry - he is not really giving to you, you are now just convenient just something to be used until he finds someone better.

You suddenly see the truth and you lose all faith and hope for the relationship, you had given your all for this love which is nothing to him, you are torn, emotionally devastated, overwhelmed with shame that you gave so much to someone who gave so little and thus you feel so exposed, so naked bound and broken, you had given him everything, and your everything was nothing to him

I've always loved this song. Yeah, it's about how she fell in love with a man ... and he changed. He's wound up breaking her pretty badly.

oh, it always pissed me off when my friends were like "ew. she's talking about bondage and being naked!!" yeah, ok. it's about feeling vulnerable and helpless. sorry. just needed to vent that.

she is a woman who has fallen in love with an illusion ("illusion never changed into something real") ... ignored when other people told her she was mistaken about how this. I don't know WHO, exactly, is late and WHAT this person is late for ... but it's clearly too late to do singergirl any good.

or, we could just go with CheryLnKrystinA's take on the song ...

Before making love to a woman we men are a bit different from what we are after making it. We are kinder, sweeter, lovelier before, and women live this illusion: but after sex (she was lying naked on the floor), as we have obtained what we wanted, we change a little bit and get colder and women feel disillusionment. Every woman who has experienced that will say or think what NI sings. Don't you think so?

If anyone has seen the music video of this song, i think many of you are getting way too deep into the interpretation of the lyrics. The video shows a girl and a guy acting out scenes together.

While they are acting she is happy, he is happy. When they stop though, the guy seems different. I believe this is what the song is meant to be about. Her co actor was an 'illusion' she fell so deeply in love with the fictional character that she forgot he isn't like that in real life. I believe all of the lyrics fit to this perspective. Does anyone else somewhat agree? I don't think i've read this interpretation on this website, or anywhere.

I agree with many of the above interpretations, but I'd like to share my own interpretation.

"I thought I saw a man brought to life, He was warm, he came around like he was dignified," - She fell in love with a guy, thought he was great, etc. ...Although, 'brought to life' suggests that some sort of change has taken place.

"He showed me what it was to cry," - This could be taken as either positive or negative. Maybe he showed her that it’s ok to cry, or maybe he made her cry.

"Well, you couldn't be that man I adored. You don't seem to know, seem to care, what your heart is for, But I don't know him anymore," - He has changed over the course of the relationship. Or maybe he always was this way but she didn't see it / didn’t want to see it. Some have suggested maybe he cheated on her, or betrayed her in some way, but it could also have been some form of abuse. Now she realizes he's not the guy she fell in love with.

"There's nothing where he used to lie, My conversation has run dry, That's what's goin' on. Nothing's fine I'm torn..." - She doesn’t feel the same anymore. They’ve run out of things to talk about.

"I'm all out of faith, This is how I feel," - She's no longer has faith in the relationship and is giving up.

"I'm cold and I am shamed, Lying naked on the floor," - She is/was naive and vulnerable; now she is ashamed for allowing someone to treat her this way.

"Illusion never changed, Into something real," - She had him built up in her mind as being perfect, but now she realizes that none of that was real and it never will be.

"I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn," - She has woken from her dream and doesn't see a future for them on the horizon.

"You're a little late, I'm already torn," - Now he makes promises to change, but she has already given up.

"So I guess the fortune teller's right, I should have seen just what was there and not some holy light, But you crawled beneath my veins and now, I don't care, I have no luck, I don't miss it all that much, There's just so many things, That I can't touch I'm torn." - She should have seen him for what he really is, it should have been obvious, but he really got to her. etc etc

a very good song, i agree with most of the comments except the religious idea of it... i dont think Mary would have ever said/thought "Well, you couldn't be that man I adored. You don't seem to know, seem to care, what your heart is for" about Jesus because i think if he really did die for us all then he defnitely would have had to of had a heart. After you've seen the video i think it looks a bit like a filming crew, maybe the songs connected to how hard it can be to have a decent relationship when your famous? (the pressure of it all has maybe made the man of her dreams change into something horrible and unreal) Thats just my opinion :) xxx

about cheating/being cheated on!! and it's only directed to ONE man!!

"I thought I saw a man brought to life, He was warm, he came around like he was dignified, He showed me what it was to cry,"

she THOUGHT, he seems dignified. BUT he made her cry and he couldn't be the man she adored, because he wasn't who she liked him for....

"I'm all out of faith, This is how I feel, I'm cold and I am shamed, Lying naked on the floor,"

out of faith, cause she lost trust in me. she feels used...when she's lying naked on the floor, like he used her and left her naked and vulnerable

"You're a little late, I'm already torn," sounds like he's asking for forgiveness, but when you're cheated on, the damage is done...

This song is about being fooled by someone you thought you loved. Its about finding out too late that they fooled you, and then being completely disgusted with them for doing it and yourself for allowing it to happen.

I relate to this song very much.

i think its just about a guy who changed and she feels like she doesn't know who he is anymore. she feels lost and confused because this guy who was so sweet before turned into a complete asshole.