Classic love story true to his western tx roots. One of my favorites as a story, but I think there are alot of songs that are amazing not even listed on this site. I guess I should figure out how to add them, because I have about 8 REK cd's.
He told me sweet lies of sweet loves
Heavy with the burden of the truth
And he spoke of his dreams
Broken by the burden
Broken by the burden of his youth
"Fourteen years," he said
"I couldn't look into the sun
She saw him laying at the end of my gun"
Hungry for life
And thirsty for the distant river
I remember his hands
And the way the mountains looked
The light shot diamonds from his eyes
Hungry for life
And thirsty for the distant river
Like the scar of age
Written all over my face
The war is still raging inside of me
I still feel the chill
As I reveal my shame to you
I wear it like a tattoo
I wear it like a tattoo
I wear it like a tattoo
Heavy with the burden of the truth
And he spoke of his dreams
Broken by the burden
Broken by the burden of his youth
"Fourteen years," he said
"I couldn't look into the sun
She saw him laying at the end of my gun"
Hungry for life
And thirsty for the distant river
I remember his hands
And the way the mountains looked
The light shot diamonds from his eyes
Hungry for life
And thirsty for the distant river
Like the scar of age
Written all over my face
The war is still raging inside of me
I still feel the chill
As I reveal my shame to you
I wear it like a tattoo
I wear it like a tattoo
I wear it like a tattoo
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its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
"Like the scar of age Written all over my face The war is still raging inside of me I still feel the chill As i reveal my shame to you I wear it like a tattoo"
My gosh.. what a line!
"He told me sweet lies of sweet love Heavy with the burden of the truth And he spoke of his dreams Broken by the burden Broken by the burden of his youth" ^^here she is describing her meeting with the man who had been in vietnam
"Fourteen years, he said" ^^^from this line on the song is in the perspective of the man
"I couldn't look into the sun She saw him laying at the end of my gun Hungrey for life And thirsty for the distant river I remember his hands And the way the mountains looked The light shot diamonds from his eyes Hungry for life And thirsty for the distant river" ^^^^here the veteran is describing killing a man while the dead man's wife or daughter (i'm assuming) was witness
"Like the scar of age Written all over my face The war is still raging inside of me I still feel the chill As i reveal my shame to you I wear it like a tattoo I wear it like a tattoo I wear it like a tattoo" ^^^^and here the man is saying how the incident has scarred his life; he wears it 'like a tattoo'
--- when i really disected the lyrics the song became so much more special to me. i love the way she tells such a vivid story in so few lines
@sashkam oh my, thank you for explaining.
@sashkam
@sashkam - How old is this song and I'm just wondering what it means?? After reading your description and listening again, it brought a sincere tear to my eye.
Demystified! This what Sade said March, 4 1993 issue of the San Diego Union-Tribune;
""Like a Tattoo" was a song I wanted to write for a long time. I was in an Irish bar in New York years ago, and this man came and sat next to me and started telling me things about himself that I didn't particularly want to know. He had been in Vietnam. It's my translation of what he was saying to me."
these songs are with such passion ... sade is and will always be my favorite artist. listened to her since i was a child and now 22 . still amazing ...
I really like this song, even though the meaning isnt necessarily clear, its slow and soft and calm
I first heard this 13 years ago, when I was 9. I still can't figure out what it's about!! But it's such a beautiful and simple song..
Thanks mezz, I thought she had med some guy, they hooked up, she caught him cheating somewhere with a view of the mountains, and she killed him with a gun, and now wears the incident like a tattoo.
@sephiroth_4 You are too funny! I can get how she would...Love ain't no joke and people keep playing! LOL! Peace.
Wow............... I am a black 17 year old girl, and an extreme lover of ALL music, and this song has a special place in my heart. When I cannot sleep I listen to this song over and over again. It puts me in an peaceful place. This song is so deep it makes me weep just thinking about it!!! LOL Sade is the one of the greatest female artists...hands down!!!
Such a beautiful, amazing song. The lyrics, OMG, just breathtaking. I know this is based on a conversation Sade had with a Vietnam vet, but you can apply it to all the Iraq war vets too and even those still fighting,. So heartbreaking.
This song is about combat related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). There are many veterans that tell the same story, forever haunted by the visions of their encounters in war or, as in this case, haunted by the vision of the eyes of the person they shot. The story is clear to all that suffer from this injury, that will always suffer from it. Some people are not affected by such things, others are permantly affected. I know because I will always carry the burden of this truth...in the exact way Sade sings about.