José González: Heartbeats Meaning
Song Released: 2006
Heartbeats Lyrics
one night to speed up truth
we had a promise made
four hands and then away
both under influence
we had divine scent
to know what to say
mind is a razorblade
to call for hands of above
to lean on
wouldn't be...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:I think I know what this song is about, well this is my take on it anyway...
Its about a couple who meet and the chemistry is absolutely electric and so strong that after flirting with each other they cannot help themselves and they end up sleeping together after getting drunk as they just cannot wait any longer....
"one night to be confused
one night to speed up truth
we had a promise made
four hands and then away
It was meant to just be a one night stand... "we had a promise made"... they made a pact that it would just be one night as they were perhaps with other people. But the singer falls in love which is easy to do after such a hot and torrid night of passion, especially when under the influence as your feelings can let you get carried away in a sea of love that is actually not there when sober, but she wasnt feeling the same depths of emotion or connection as him and after a very torrid ten days of sending each other "perfect tunes" - love songs, and everything seeming wonderful and perfect she suddenly ends it and so
"To call for hands of above to lean on wouldn't be good enough, for me no"
means that he is absolutely devastated that it is over and not even God could allieviate the loss and sorrow and devastation he is feeling at losing her.
And I think the reference to "Wolves Teeth" and "you knew the hand of the devil" and "sharing different heartbeats" is him feeling she had lied to him to just get him into bed and he feels used. In hindsight hes thinking she was like a wolf in sheeps clothing - in other words she led him on by professing love etc but once she'd 'had' him she deumped him, hence the sharing different heartbeats - they werent singing off the same hymn sheet so to speak, in other words, he was in love but unbeknown to him she wasnt and had every intention of leaving him once she'd got what she wanted.
Well thats my take on it anyway -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:I think it is about getting married and having a baby, and then the baby dies.
> one night to be confused
(The couple got pregnant, didn't intend to.)
> one night to speed up truth
(rushing the inevitable, they were in love and would have gotten married eventually, but they had to move up the wedding because of the pregnancy)
> we had a promise made
(vows)
> four hands and then away
(joining hands in matrimony)(honeymoon)
> both under influence
> we had divine scent
> to know what to say
(vows)
> mind is a razorblade
---
> one night of magic rush
(labor starts)
> the start a simple touch
> one night to push and scream
(going into labor and delivering the baby)
> and then relieve
(Mazel tov!)
---
> ten days of perfect tears
(sweet newborn crying)
> the colors red and blue
(nursery colors, or skin tone changes of a newborn)
> we had a promise made
(marriage, family)
> we were in love
(with each other and now baby)
---
> and you, you knew the hands of the devil
(Baby is deathly ill)
> and you, kept us awake with wolves' teeth
(They stayed up all night by their dieing baby's side)
> sharing different heartbeats
(The baby's heartbeat fluctuating dangerously on the monitor.)
> in one night
---
> to call for hands of above
> to lean on
> wouldn't be good enough
> for me, no
(Asking for God's help isn't enough to rid the parents' hearts of the pain of losing their child.) -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:I know its totally cliche to say that a song is about drugs or whatever, but I get a weird drug + love vibe from this one. its like sex on extacy that they are having, and the guy(or girl I don't think it matters) wouldnt give up the extacy for anything, but he shakes and struggles tries to get off the drug, he calls for hands up above, but that's not even enough. he is in love with his junkie lover, and he hates and loves it. lets walk through it here...
One night to be confused
One night to speed up truth
We had a promise made
Four hands and then away
Both under influence
We had divine sense
To know what to say
Mind is a razor blade
( we tried it once and we were sure it would be good it would make things better, under influence is the biggest thing for me in this one, they had this divine sense that the drugs would make them smarter stronger whatever like adam and eve with the fruit)
One night of magic rush
The start, a simple touch
One night to push and scream
And then relief
Ten days of perfect tunes
The colors red and blue
We had a promise made
We were in love
(the love they have is discovered and they have sex and the promise might be that they don't do it again, bevcause they decide they love each other)
And you
You knew the hand of the devil
And you
Kept us awake with wolves' teeth
Sharing different heartbeats
In one night
(because maybe she introduced the drug to him he blames her for knowing, and the wolves teeth sounds like a reference to quitting, the pain, but they are closer together when they do it that time.) -
My boyfriend just posted this on Facebook - not sure what meaning I should take from this song. It makes me feel sad but I don’t know what the songs about.
-
A couple who when not in the reality of life and children when away from all of that realize how in love they are. They can’t be that couple when they are in it though. With all of the strategies of their every day life. For those ten days away , just the two of them it’s perfect. Praying can’t help this couple though. In love but not meant to be together for some cosmic reason they just can’t make it work in reality with all of the stressors of life and family . It’s a romantic but tragic song . It’s just my interpretation but it also can bring me to tears. It’s very powerful and beautiful
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it's about drugs. and the chorus is about getting caught and the red and blue sirens of the cops telling them to put their hands up and lean on the wall, but it's not good enough to lean on. the reference about speed up truth is knowing where to find the drug and then when they find it and use it, it's a relief. we had a promise made with the sharing of two people's hand, and then being taken away by the cops. sharing different heartbeats is when the heart beats normally and when the heart is on drugs. you knew the hand of the devil is knowing that the drug is bad and they reference the drug keeping them up with wolves teeth as in craving the drug and salivating and wanting it more. on their mind is to cut the drug with a razor blade. four hands and then away means
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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@angelroots.... DITTO... I can describe this perfectly. As this happened to me just as you tell it. I had already heard both versions of this song. Once this actually happened , I heard this song shuffle through my playlist once again. I then heard the lyrics too clearly. I never knew you could fall so hard so quick for someone. Not ever imagining such hurt to devastation. Like a light switch goes on and off.
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I feel it is about a suicide pact between lovers
and more so the line "we had a promise made...." " mind is a razor blade" may have inclinations of their method. "the colors red and blue..." also. the color of blood. I feel they are manic depressants/bi polar and feeding off of each others mania. -
hmm.. i think it may be about a relationship and the girl dies..
starts at the beginning of the relationship.. explaining their first night together, their marriage, the birth of their child..
then when the tune changes it talks about her dying - "and you, you knew the hand of the devil, and you kept us awake with wolves tears, sharing different heartbeats in one night." - maybe she knew she was dying so she knew what the "devil" had in store (u knew the hand of the devil suggesting cards and bad luck)..
may be wrong..
then the chorus "to call for hands from above to lean on, wouldnt be good enough for
me no" - he's speaking about god and nothing will make the pain better.. x -
I feel like it's about a couple who realize at the same time that they love each other. After being friends for so long they just both realize at the same exact time and that they both want to be more then friends. Again this is just what I think. We all could be wrong. Maybe the song writter wanted us to make our own meaning to the song. It could have several different meanings. No one's wrong and no one's right. It's just what they feel or think when they hear the song.
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Hi There!
I am completely obsessed with this song. Here what I think it means:
This is about a couple. She was in love, she made a promise. Short after she realize he is abusing her and she asks god for help to get out, to leave him. She never gets and answer and after few drinks she finally decides to speak up and leave him. After that she is so dissapointed in god that she realized that to call for hands of above to lean on is not good enough. You have to do it yourself.
one night to be confused
one night to speed up truth
we had a promise made
four hands and then away
One night she can not hold it any longer "Speed up truth". She knows there is a promise made. Four hands that are not longer together. She wants to leave, but she feels guilty.
both under influence
we had divine scent
to know what to say
mind is a razorblade
Under influence of alcohol (which will of course speed up that truth) she had this divine scent to know what to say and finally get out. As much as you try you can not control your mind (is a razorblade).
one night of magic rush
the start a simple touch
She describes the night she fell in love with him. It was perfect
one night to push and scream
and then relieve
ten days of perfect tears
She describes the night she breaks up with him probably he was abusing her somehow "push and scream". It was painfull but if was perfect.
the colors red and blue
we had a promise made
we were in love
She know there was a promise made and that she broke it.
and you, you knew the hands of the devil
and you, kept us awake with wolves' teeth
sharing different heartbeats
in one night
Now she complains to god because he knew the hands of the devil (her boyfriend/husdband) and still he didnt help her get out of there "he kept us awake with wolves teeth" Sounds like this person was kind of hurting her and it was so hard to get out.
to call for hands of above
to lean on
wouldn't be good enough
for me, no
Now she is dissapointed of God. "It is not good enough for her to call for hands of above to lean on" She did, she didnt get any help, so she had to do it her self. -
I'm stuck on the line "two heartbeats in the same night", I think its about a one night stand that's really passionate and intense, and the other person goes off and hooks up with someone else, "you kept us awake with wolves teeth", protagonist reffering to herself in the third person, kept awake hearing him with another woman? Might be reaching, dunno
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this song is about two people who have a divine connection that they experience in one night and of course is not repeated...perhaps they were suffering from divine longing and needed to experience it on earth...this is sufi love...look up majnun and layla .
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I relate to the song i had no idea i why i liked the song till it happened to me. One night to be confused one night to speed up truth we had a promise made four hands then away. I am married and so is my husbands friend. At first we were just friends then we found out to late that we are the missing pieces to each other. But the promise of marriage means that we have to deny our love for each other. In the end the urge was to strong and we slept together we talked about every thing the whole night we sorted things out and agreed and our thoughts cut to the bone it hurt so much.
One night of magic rush the start a simple touch It was the best night of my life i was complete. one night to push and scream then relief. Yes one night of passion and I fell pregnant with twins. I have no other children and got told i was infertile I was so happy. Identical twins. After all you can't stop true love even if you live a lie. Cause now it is in one being. But due to this i don't want to ruin the life of my friend so my boys will never know what they really mean or who they are or know the great man that loved me and gave them life. I keeps me a wake at night with sadness that either way someone got hurt ,my love ,my desire, my marriage my boys. And the conflict and temptation is the Devil that pulls us apart. -
Hmm ok. Adrian here, how about this...
The song is about the American presidential election.
One night to be confused - loosely;confused voters
One night to speed up truth - Election promises
We had a promise paid - election promises
Four hands and then away - Waving hands, pres and vice pres etc...
Both under influence - Dem/Rep candidates influenced by voters, issues, media...
We had a divine sense
To know what to say - PR designed 'speak'
Mind is a razor blade - knife edge of political survival on whim of voters
To call for hands of above
to lean on
Wouldn't be good enough
for me, no
- It's about the skeptism of the singer about appeals to God in the election/American politics.
One night of magic rush - campaign launch.
The start a simple touch - Hmmm someone fill this bit in.
One night to push and scream - obviously - the fanatical fervor of the core supporters.
And then relief - the end of the election.
Ten days of perfect tunes
The colors red and blue
We had a promise made
We were in love
- All obviously about the patriot hype of American elections.
And you, you knew the hand of the devil - here we go - bribery, corruption etc
And you, kept us awake with wolves teeth - clearly about scaring voters with tales of how bad things could be with the other guy.
Sharing different heartbeats - refers to the totally opposed realities/viewpoints of opposing voters.
In one night - the night of the election results.
Ha! Drugs and break ups - what were you guys thinking?!
:)
Adrian -
it sounds to me like its about being cheated on... the first verse seems to be about getting the truth, and i reckon the devine scent is the smell of sex or gentalia scent as everyone has a different one lol
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