Head Over Heels / Broken Lyrics
I wanted to be with you alone
And talk about the weather
But traditions I can trace against the child in your face
Won't escape my attention
You keep your distance with a system of touch
And gentle persuasion
I'm lost in admiration, could I need you this much?
Oh, you're wasting my time
You're just, just, just wasting time
[Chorus: Roland Orzabal]
Something happens and I'm head over heels
I never find out till I'm head over heels
Something happens and I'm head over heels
Ah, don't take my heart, don't break my heart
Don't, don't, don't throw it away
[Post-Chorus: Roland Orzabal]
Throw it away
Throw it away
[Verse 2: Roland Orzabal & Curt Smith]
I made a fire and watching it burn
I thought of your future
With one foot in the past, now just how long will it last?
No, no, no, have you no ambition?
My mother and my brother's used to breathing clean air
Nothing ever changes when you’re acting your age
And dreaming I'm a doctor
Nothing gets done when you feel like a baby
It’s hard to be a man when there's a gun in your hand
Nothing ever changes when you're acting your age
Oh, I feel so
Something happens and I'm head over heels
I never find out till I'm head over heels
Something happens and I'm head over heels
Ah, don't take my heart, don't break my heart
Don't, don't, don't throw it away
[Bridge: Roland Orzabal]
And this is my four-leaf clover
I’m on the line, one open mind
This is my four-leaf clover
[Outro: Roland Orzabal]
La la-la la la, la la-la la la
La la la-la la-la
La la-la la la, la la-la la la
La la la-la la-la
La la-la la la, la la-la la la
La la la-la la-la
La la-la la la, la la-la la la
La la la-la la-la
La la-la la la, la la-la la la
In my mind’s eye
La la la-la la-la
One little boy, one little man
La la-la la la, la la-la la la
Funny how time flies
[Instrumental]
About
The shimmering, cascading “Head Over Heels” is a romantic love song that “gets a bit perverse” according to Roland Orzabal, as it tackles on the fears and anxieties involved in a new love affair. It is part of a song suite on the album, sandwiched between the track “Broken” and its reprise, which is at the end of the song.
The ‘traditions’ in the ‘face’ of the lover indicate a separation caused by thoughts and beliefs molded into us as children. In the second verse, he analyzes his own past, family, expectations of society, fear, the meaning of manhood, and the chaos of living in modern times as an adult. “Nothing ever changes when you’re acting your age” is barely audible, which seems to say that subconsciously we’re molded by society as children to be afraid of not living up to expectations, and this continues to affect us into adulthood.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 1.Shout
- 4.Mothers Talk
- 5.I Believe
- 6.Broken
- 7.Head Over Heels / Broken
- 8.Listen
- 10.Empire Building
- 11.The Marauders
- 12.Broken Revisited
- 13.The Conflict
- 15.Pharaohs
- 17.Sea Song