In every heart there is a room
A sanctuary safe and strong To heal the wounds from lovers past Until a new one comes along I spoke to you in cautious tones You answered me with no pretense And still I feel I said too much My silence is my self defense And every time I've held a rose It seems I only felt the thorns And so it goes, and so it goes And so will you soon I suppose But if my silence made you leave Then that would be my worst mistake So I will share this room with you And you can have this heart to break And this is why my eyes are closed It's just as well for all I've seen And so it goes, and so it goes And you're the only one who knows So I would choose to be with you That's if the choice were mine to make But you can make decisions too And you can have this heart to break And so it goes, and so it goes And you're the only one who knows |
Billy Joel wrote this emotional ballad in 1983. Released in the album Storm Front, the song hit No. 37 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart in 1990. It was written in honor of an up and down relationship he was having with a teenager when he was in his mid thirties. Joel was dating the young model, Elle Macphersen and was also becoming involved with Christie Brinkley who would later on become his second wife. The song reeks of heartbreak and sadness. At this time, Joel had already experienced many failed relationships. Joel sings, “And every time I’ve held a rose, It seems I only felt the thorns”. This suggests that Joel had started out with what seemed like good relationships and continued to get hurt in the end. However, after doing research on these relationships it seemed that he was the one breaking hearts. Joel was unfaithful to many of the women that he loved. After all of his serious relationships ended, he always spiraled into depression and drinking. He would bounce back every time. It is possible that while he was hurting the people that he loved, he was simultaneously hurting himself. When Joel began writing this song, his relationship with Macphersen was only just beginning. However it seemed that their backgrounds were so different and conflicting that Joel knew the relationship would fail before it had even really begun. He sings, “And you can have this heart to break” multiple times throughout the song, already predicting the end of the relationship. |