This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
You're the kind of person you meet at certain dismal, dull affairs
Center of a crowd, talking much too loud, running up and down the stairs
Well, it seems to me that you have seen too much in too few years
And though you've tried you just can't hide your eyes are edged with tears
You better stop, look around
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
When you were a child you were treated kind
But you were never brought up right
You were always spoiled with a thousand toys but still you cried all night
Your mother who neglected you owes a million dollars tax
And your father's still perfecting ways of making sealing wax
You better stop, look around
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Oh, who's to blame, that girl's just insane
Well nothing I do don't seem to work
It only seems to make matters worse, oh please
You were still in school when you had that fool who really messed your mind
And after that you turned your back on treating people kind
On our first trip I tried so hard to rearrange your mind
But after a while I realized you were disarranging mine
You better stop, look around
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Oh, who's to blame, that girl's just insane
Well nothing I do don't seem to work
It only seems to make matters worse, oh please
When you were a child you were treated kind
But you were never brought up right
You were always spoiled with a thousand toys but still you cried all night
Your mother who neglected you owes a million dollars tax
And your father's still perfecting ways of making sealing wax
You better stop, look around
Here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Center of a crowd, talking much too loud, running up and down the stairs
Well, it seems to me that you have seen too much in too few years
And though you've tried you just can't hide your eyes are edged with tears
You better stop, look around
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
When you were a child you were treated kind
But you were never brought up right
You were always spoiled with a thousand toys but still you cried all night
Your mother who neglected you owes a million dollars tax
And your father's still perfecting ways of making sealing wax
You better stop, look around
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Oh, who's to blame, that girl's just insane
Well nothing I do don't seem to work
It only seems to make matters worse, oh please
You were still in school when you had that fool who really messed your mind
And after that you turned your back on treating people kind
On our first trip I tried so hard to rearrange your mind
But after a while I realized you were disarranging mine
You better stop, look around
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Oh, who's to blame, that girl's just insane
Well nothing I do don't seem to work
It only seems to make matters worse, oh please
When you were a child you were treated kind
But you were never brought up right
You were always spoiled with a thousand toys but still you cried all night
Your mother who neglected you owes a million dollars tax
And your father's still perfecting ways of making sealing wax
You better stop, look around
Here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar, edited by JohnnyLurg
19th Nervous Breakdown Lyrics as written by Mick Jagger Keith Richards
Lyrics © Abkco Music Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song is a perfect example of how quickly Mick Jagger turned from a mediocre to an excellent lyricist( Get Off My Cloud is another good example). He was very insightful for a 22/23 year old. I couldnt have written lyrics as good at that age---or now for that matter! I've never believed in all that sell your soul to the devil for instant fame garbage but it does seem like something very strange happened to the Stones around 1965 that turned them into excellent musicians.
@JumpyJack Yes “something” happened: they gigged like crazy and were forced to start writing by AL Oldham; lo and behold, the band discovered they had TALENT, not to mention Jagger is very intelligent/observant.<br /> <br /> Natural ability and WORK
This was recorded in December of 1965 and Mick was still with Chrissie. This was most likely about her, as he always complained about how high maintainence and self absorbed she was. He supposedly wrote Under my thumb about her too, when their was a power shift in their relationship. Marianne and him didn't get together until late 66, early 67.
Marianne Faithful is realllly pretty. But yeah, I think I'm about on my 19th nervous breakdown. this is a fitting song.
This reminds me of an ex... hahaha sweet revenge
Well it happened to Robert Johnson too, didn't it?
I suppose.
I suppose.
Aw this reminds me of my mum when im getting on her nerves she'll always say "Im on my 19th nervous brakedown" excellent song
This song is about Marianne Faithful, who was a wild child from the age of 15 (as I would have been been if I'd been young, rich and gorgeous in London in the 60's) and whose mother was some kind of faded Eastern European Royalty.
Obviously, she had a good go at disarranging Jagger's mind too.
@skitten I’ve never heard this was about MF, as others have posted, it’s more likely it’s about Chrissie Shrimpton, like Out Of Time is. Wild Horses is about Marianne Faithfull, no argument there.
@skitten I’ve never heard this was about MF, as others have posted, it’s more likely it’s about Chrissie Shrimpton, like Out Of Time is. Wild Horses is about Marianne Faithfull, no argument there.
In Marianne Faithfull's autobiography she states that the song is about Chrissie Shrimpton. Also, it's "sealing wax" not "ceiling wax."