Tori Amos – Precious Things

Know something about this song or lyrics? Add it to our wiki.
Send "Precious Things" Ringtone to Cell

So I ran faster
But it caught me here
Yes my loyalties turned
Like my ankle
In the seventh grade
Running after BILLY
Running after the rain

These precious things
Let them bleed
Let them wash away
These precious things
Let them break their hold over me

He said you're really an ugly girl
But I like the way you play
And I died
But I thanked him
Can you believe that sick sick
holding on to his picture
Dressing up every day
I wanna smash the faces
Of those beautiful BOYS
Those christian boys
So you can make me cum that doesn't make you JESUS

These precious things
Let them bleed
Let them wash away
These precious things
Let them break their hold over me

I remember
Yes in my peach party dress
No one dared
No one cared
To tell me where the pretty girls are
Those demigods
With their NINE-INCH nails and little fascist panties tucked inside the heart
of every nice girl

These precious things
Let them bleed
Let them wash away
These precious things
Let them break
Let them wash away
These these precious things
Let them bleed now
Let them wash away
These these precious things
Let them break their hold over me

Precious
Precious

Send "Precious Things" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by Novartza

Track duration: 04:27


Precious Things song meanings
Add your thoughts

55 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment:I always think of the movie, Carrie, when I hear this song. I even put a post on my blog, connecting the feeling of the song with the movie.

    artisticsubjectiveperspective.tumblr.com/
    Flag ArtisticSubjectivePerspectiveon October 17, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning: So, Her Precious things are her 3V's. Virginity. Virtue. and Vagina. ok? So im going to break this down.
    ....

    So I ran faster But it caught me here Yes my loyalties turned Like my ankle In the seventh grade Running after BILLY Running after the rain.

    --- Opener, She's running away but her memories are always there. She remembers being young and chasing after boys but it was never easy for her, like chasing after rain.

    These precious things Let them bleed Let them wash away These precious thingsLet them break their hold over me.

    --- 3V's. She wants to get everything out of the way thats holding her back.

    He said you're really an ugly girl But I like the way you play And I died But I thanked him Can you believe that sick sick holding on to his picture Dressing up every day I wanna smash the faces Of those beautiful BOYS Those christian boys So you can make me cum that doesn't make you JESUS.

    --- Boy kept telling her that she was ugly and not good enough to be his girlfriend but he likes using her for his own pleasure. She's getting angry. she idolized this boy and now she knows that he's a pompous self absorbed jerk along with all the other beautiful guys.

    I remember Yes in my peach party dress No one dared No one cared To tell me where the pretty girls are
    Those demigods With their NINE-INCH nails and little fascist panties tucked inside the heart of every nice girl.

    --- No one was there for her. No one ever told her how to grow up. No one cared enough to teach her how to be a pretty girl. She envy's those popular girls. Inside of every nice girl is the yearning to be more pretty and popular.

    These precious things Let them bleed Let them wash away.
    --Let her wash away everything in her way to be that. Virtue and Virginity.
    Flag SOYLifeon July 03, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i don't know if anyone'll take offense to this but my god this sounds so much like a Kate Bush song
    i actually like that apect about it
    Flag TrampVampon February 25, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I believe that in song's beginning she is running after a beautiful Christian boy. But then she remembers another boy much like him and what happened when she ran after Billy. How that ended up with her getting hurt emotionally. She didn't truly turn her ankle, she was just hurt because even after he told her that she was ugly, but he liked the things she did for him (sexual favors), she still wanted to run after him. The things she told him hurt her and made her depressed (the rain), but she still ran after him hurting herself more. She still dressed up for him and held his picture. Then she remembers how no one told her who were the girls who needed to be wary of. The girls that would learn all of her secrets (her peach party dress aka naked) and then stab her in the back (nine-inch nails). The "nice girls" needed to have all the power (fascist panties). And they would do anything to get it. I believe the precious things are all the things she wants hidden from people. They are her scarlet letter. Without them she wouldn't be who she was, but with them they hold power over her. If they would wash away then the people wouldn't have any power over her. She would be free. She wants them to break their hold on her. She needs to realize that everyone has these precious things they don't want anyone else to know about. The precious things are strong, but only if you let them be.
    Flag tarrox12281992on January 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:another scenario of being tricked into sex, this time with a guy who believes in the patriarchy and women bashing double standard bible shit. He believes her to be a whore after shes given herself to him and so she says "these precious things, let them break, let them bleed" in retaliation, she doesnt want to feel bound to what a "pure woman" should be, but she doesnt understand how it makes her worthless to lie down with a man. I'm presuming this is about a scenario where she wasnt popular in high school and wasnt respected, perhaps the ugly girl who was easy and not one of the highly respected demi god virgin girls. She wants to shed her image, her image of being a broken whore.
    Flag Turkishgoldcamson October 19, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love the piano at the beginning of the song! It's like little ballerinas taking little quick steps on their toes! I wish i could play the bloody piano like her! Aaaarrgghh!!! This is why I sometimes find it torturous listening to Tori Amos, i get super jealous ^-^ Nywho, i really dont bother what the song is about, i just love it! The drums, the piano, everything! I so in love with Tori Amos right now n_n This just might be one of my favourites. Lovely!
    Flag LightofAuguston October 10, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Sounds a lot like a christian girl losing her virginity and her faith... Precious things - let them bleed let them wash away.. a reference to her hymen and how that hymen a metaphor for faith.

    "so you can make me cum that doesn't make you jesus" - jesus can't really be replaced with anything else... sad? i don't know, growth most certainly...

    pretty girls with nine inch nails - reference to jesus' crucifixion - little fascist panties - reference to virginity.
    Flag tacobanditon April 03, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Peach-colored party-dress a reference to the phrase "bruise like a peach?" She takes things so personally that they wound her. Sad that her suffering resounds with so many of us girls...
    Flag MariaNumberedCrowson December 20, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Wow. The opening lines. The piano riff. I can imagine a fiure standing naked in the rain, arms raised to the sky.

    "I am invincible. I have accomplished more than you would have ever believed"

    An animal yell. The night is dark.

    The narrator is reconciling with young anger which has lingered for years and years. The skeletons in the closet surface at a pivotal point of life.
    Flag sheela_lon April 11, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think this song is about every women experience about her own sexuality in a world where women body is selling as a cheap meat i just wanted to quote something but all of the lyrics are about that billie represents all of those christian boys so superficial and just learned to have a housewife to be their wife to cook and clean "So you can make me cum that doesn't make you JESUS" means we need more than that in our lifes when she says "He said you're really an ugly girl
    But I like the way you play
    And I died"we all had that experience when we for the first time heard that something that we belived secretly we are good at someone sees -so we forgive them for calling us ugly cause we belive that-"But I thanked him" it means the lesson we all learned for life.i'm thankful for all those guys who called me ugly cause today i'm kind of person that is really THANKFULL for that "billies" words because im beautiful and my soul is beautiful.
    Flagged springhazeon April 10, 2009   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain