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Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad Lyrics
Baby we can talk all night
But that ain't getting us nowhere
I told you everything I possibly can
There's nothing left inside of here
And maybe you can cry all night
But that'll never change the way that I feel
The snow is really piling up outside
I wish you wouldn't make me leave here
I poured it on and I poured it out
I tried to show you just how much I care
I'm tired of words and I'm too hoarse to shout
But you've been cold to me so long
I'm crying icicles instead of tears
And all I can do is keep on telling you
I want you
I need you
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you
Now don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
Now don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
You'll never find your gold on a sandy beach
You'll never drill for oil on a city street
I know you're looking for a ruby in a mountain of rocks
But there ain't no Coupe de Ville hiding at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box
I can't lie
I can't tell you that I'm something I'm not
No matter how I try
I'll never be able
To give you something
Something that I just haven't got
There's only one girl that I will ever love
And that was so many years ago
And though I know I'll never get her out of my heart
She never loved me back
Ooh I know
I remember how she left me on a stormy night
She kissed me and got out of our bed
And though I pleaded and I begged her not to walk out that door
She packed her bags and turned right away
And she kept on telling me
She kept on telling me
She kept on telling me
I want you
I need you
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you
Now don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
I want you
I need you
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you
Now don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
Don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
Baby we can talk all night
But that ain't getting us nowhere
But that ain't getting us nowhere
I told you everything I possibly can
There's nothing left inside of here
And maybe you can cry all night
But that'll never change the way that I feel
The snow is really piling up outside
I wish you wouldn't make me leave here
I tried to show you just how much I care
I'm tired of words and I'm too hoarse to shout
But you've been cold to me so long
I'm crying icicles instead of tears
I want you
I need you
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you
Now don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
Now don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
You'll never drill for oil on a city street
I know you're looking for a ruby in a mountain of rocks
But there ain't no Coupe de Ville hiding at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box
I can't tell you that I'm something I'm not
No matter how I try
I'll never be able
To give you something
Something that I just haven't got
And that was so many years ago
And though I know I'll never get her out of my heart
She never loved me back
Ooh I know
I remember how she left me on a stormy night
She kissed me and got out of our bed
And though I pleaded and I begged her not to walk out that door
She packed her bags and turned right away
She kept on telling me
She kept on telling me
I want you
I need you
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you
Now don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
I want you
I need you
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you
Now don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
Don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad
But that ain't getting us nowhere
Song Info
Producer
Todd Rundgren
Release date
Apr 14, 1977
Sentiment
Positive
Submitted by
kat_e_b On Dec 21, 2001
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@all The clue is the line, "But you've been cold to me so long."
The girl from his past and the girl he is singing to is the same girl. She broke his heart in the past and said there was no way she was ever going to love him, over and over. And now that she's changed her mind, it's too late. He still has the want and need for her, but he can't feel the love for her anymore. She'd killed his love for her already.
He speaks of her in the third person because she's no longer the person she was to him.
Brilliant :) I never noticed that before
Brilliant :) I never noticed that before
You nailed it!!!! Well done!!!
You nailed it!!!! Well done!!!
@gjames - Spot on. Just to add what might help clarify.
@gjames - Spot on. Just to add what might help clarify.
When the woman left him in the past, saying she would never love him....that means he no longer trusts and believes her now that she claims she does love him. So he's saying thag he wants and needs her, but, since she destroyed the trust he had in her, that will never again become love.
When the woman left him in the past, saying she would never love him....that means he no longer trusts and believes her now that she claims she does love him. So he's saying thag he wants and needs her, but, since she destroyed the trust he had in her, that will never again become love.
@gjames NO, no, no!!! They are definitely NOT the same girl. The first verses are definitely about a new girl. She fell totally in love with him and that is why she is dumping him. She finally realizes that he will never love her. He was "the one" for her but she will never be "the one" for him. That was the girl from so many years ago and when she left, she tore his heart to shreds to the point where he can never fully open his heart again to another woman. He can want...
@gjames NO, no, no!!! They are definitely NOT the same girl. The first verses are definitely about a new girl. She fell totally in love with him and that is why she is dumping him. She finally realizes that he will never love her. He was "the one" for her but she will never be "the one" for him. That was the girl from so many years ago and when she left, she tore his heart to shreds to the point where he can never fully open his heart again to another woman. He can want another woman; he can need another woman but he will never love another woman. But the second woman loved him too much to see the truth. Finally she does and it's over. Another key aspect is the bridge: You'll never find your gold on a sandy beach; you'll never drill for oil on a city street, etc., What he is saying is you are looking in the wrong place with me to find that perfect love because I can't give it to you. You are living in a fantasy world. There ain't no coupe de ville at the bottom of a cracker jack box. There's a cheap, cheezy piece of junk. Again, she's hoping for somethingi that will never come to pass; She is looking for a ruby in a mountain of rocks. She is looking for true love in a place she will never find it. He's totally honest and says he can't lie and be something that he's not. He just can't love her the way she wants him too. So she turns cold after a while when she begins to see the truth of their relationship. He poured it on and poured it out--He tried to make it work and he cares for her but it is not enough for her. He doesn't want to go because for him, two out of three ain't bad. But for her, she needs the three out of three. The guy is pretty much a jerk. He can't seem to understand why she can't accept two out of three and tells her not to be sad about that? Her feelings turn cold toward him and he turns cold toward her as well. The relationship is completely falling apart. There's nothing more to say. It's over. They can talk and talk and talk and she can cry all night but it's over. But it is a song. It does seem to convey that he told her from the start that he would never love her. I can't imagine a person actually doing that? But maybe subconsciously, it happens all the time in relationships. People don't want to be alone but their hearts have been deeply hurt, so they go into relationships broken and with their hearts closed. The relationship is always going to be doomed.
Meat Loaf is a legend.
This song is one of his best - It also broke bat out of hell! on saturday night live
He's obviously saying that the relationship just doesn't mean the same thing to him as it does to her. Sure he wants and needs her, but it's not love, and it never will be. He even talks of the fact that: "There's only one girl that I will ever love And that was so many years ago And though I know I'll never get her out of my heart She never loved me back" As it once happened to him. Kind of a regretful and sad song, really. About how sometimes it's just not meant to be.
@liftednevermore Or maybe love is fleeting and arbitrary, and that whatever he felt for this girl was going to be good enough for the both of them (two out of three ain't bad).
@liftednevermore Or maybe love is fleeting and arbitrary, and that whatever he felt for this girl was going to be good enough for the both of them (two out of three ain't bad).
nemelcy, hes saying to his new girl what his old girl said to him. its just like a cycle that will continue on.
This is may favorite song of all time. Ive used lines from this song when breaking up with girlfriends. I think alot of guys have girls from their past that they fell hard for and then it didnt work out. New girlfriends dont mesure up to the perfect one you lost.
I am this girl to my ex. We dated for two years, and when we broke up he told me that he would never love another girl again, and that from that point on his life would be full of one night stands. I'm sure he'll tell his conquests something to the effect of:
"I want you I need you But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you"
It makes me really sad, but I still enjoy this song.
i love this song..so sad, so much in the words
Ya guys know this song was written because of a bet right? He made a comment where he said "Well you can write a song about anything" and someone said "Well not ANYTHING" and he said "Sure you can" so he said "Okay umm...2 out 3 ain't bad. Bet you can't write a song about that!" Which he did. Which makes the lyrics of this song even more brilliant. The man is brilliant haha.
Asta!!
K-Wise: Close, but not exactly.
K-Wise: Close, but not exactly.
Someone challenged him (Steinman) that he couldn't write a "simple" song. At that time Elvis's "I Want You, I need You, I Love You" came on the radio. That's when he came up with the "I want you, I need you, but there aint no way I'm ever gonna love you" (two out of three ain't bad) lyrics.
Someone challenged him (Steinman) that he couldn't write a "simple" song. At that time Elvis's "I Want You, I need You, I Love You" came on the radio. That's when he came up with the "I want you, I need you, but there aint no way I'm ever gonna love you" (two out of three ain't bad) lyrics.
http://www.jimsteinman.com/Q&AwithJim7.htm
http://www.jimsteinman.com/Q&AwithJim7.htm
"JS - I think, you know, Meat has a little bit of that. He, it's a lot of Elvis soul in him. You...
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"JS - I think, you know, Meat has a little bit of that. He, it's a lot of Elvis soul in him. You know, it's funny 'cause I took him in a totally different direction with the kind of writing I did except the one song that's interesting about that is Two Out of Three Ain't Bad. That came very specifically, I do remember that one was, a friend and I named Mimi Kennedy, who's a TV actress, now wonderful actress.
JS - She was my best friend's girlfriend at the time, now wife. I remember her telling me, she said, you know, when I was probably complaining why no one liked my stuff and couldn't get a deal, she says, well Steiny, your stuff is so complicated. Can't you write something simple, and while she was saying that the oldies station was on the radio and it was playing that old Elvis song, I Want You I Need, whatever it was.
JS - I Want You I Need You I Love You, you know. I just started singing my own song but it was I Want You I Need You I Love You. She said, why don't you write something simple like that, I want you, I need you, I love you? I said, well I'll try. I don't try to make them complicated. I remember going home and I tried so hard but the best I could do was: I want you, I need you but there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you, don't be sad, 'cause two out of three ain't bad.
JS - So it was still a twist but it was my closest to a simple song, and one Elvis could have done"
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This song is great! Especially when ya had a wee drink or two eh Zoton?