Mandibles - To Have and to Hide

from SpinTunes 19 Round 1 by Spintunes

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about

This is a song about four people; three of them know a secret, two of them are getting married, and one would do anything to prevent heartbreak on this joyous day.

The lyrics of this song are inspired by the traditional Christian wedding service and the old poem, 'Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.' Each person in the song is represented by a pronoun, and by one of the elements of the poem. 'You' are old, 'She' is new, 'He' is borrowed, and 'I' am blue.

From the narrator's perspective: "I am in love with her, and have been for a long time. However, she and I were never going to be together. Today she marries him, but I saw you with him last night. If she found out, she would be devastated, and I couldn't bear to see her heartbroken. If you or he tell anyone about what you did, I will come after you."

lyrics

Don’t speak now
Forever hold your peace
Don’t allow
Him to reveal your secret

You know better
Then to open up your mouth
You had met her
But still you’re heading south
I’m worse for wear
If you care to know
How your stares
Disembowel me so

You had only borrowed him
She’s his something new
You and he are old news
And I can’t help but feel blue
What she don’t know can’t hurt you but I can
What he did with you, I can’t stand to see it break her in two

Don’t speak now
Forever hold your peace

You blame liquor
For what you always do
But something sicker
Was leading him to you
For her health
She won’t have to know
It won’t help me
But how she glows

You had only borrowed him
She’s his something new
You and he are old news
And I can’t help but feel blue
What she don’t know can’t hurt you, but I can
What he did with you, I can’t stand to see it break her in two

Don’t speak now
Forever hold your peace
Don’t allow
Him to reveal your secret

All the riches of the world
Never could compare
To the days I held her gaze
Or the love I thought we shared

A poorer soul now holds her heart
She is, to him, ensnared.
He woke this morning in your arms
So you had best beware

You had only borrowed him
She’s his something new
You and he are old news
And I can’t help but feel blue
What she don’t know can’t hurt you, but I can
What he did with you, I can’t stand to see it break her
What she don’t know can’t hurt you, but I can
What he did with you, I can’t stand to see it break her in two

I now pronounce you…somebody else’s problem

credits

from SpinTunes 19 Round 1, released March 21, 2022

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Spintunes Union, South Carolina

Spintunes is a semi-annual songwriting contest. Every other week, the competitors receive a challenge and a week to meet it.

Each album on this site contains the responses to a single challenge.