So what happens when the heart just stops
Stops caring for anyone
The hollow in your chest dries up
And you stop believing

So what happens when the heart gives up
But the body goes on living
The blood crawls to a slow and stops
And flows away

Well we got no-one to meet
No love we would beseech
We only have ourselves to blame for everything
The was no answer in the dust
And I'm missing you so much
And now you're sleeping
And I'm leaving

Empty-handed waiting
Time it will subside and we'll agree
It was a given
Well there was no standard we could set
And the world it does regret
To have to leave you in this state of bereavement

You see I'm feeling everything
Nothing gets by

There is a hollow in my chest
The time I won't forget
There is no comfort in the eyes
They put us always to the test
I can't prepare myself for that
But I work it out in time
There is a love that flows between us
Ever-changing everyday
I worked myself up to a crawl
But I'm not fearing it at all
We have no reason left to stay
And that's why we're leaving
And there was no answer in the dust
And the one I feared to trust
There is a lie that drags us
Beating and pulling into disappointment

I'm disappointed
I'm disappointed
I'm disappointed

It's so late, till you're gone



Lyrics submitted by tubesocks

Track duration: 06:45

"What Happens When the Heart Just Stops" as written by Glen James/odlum Hansard

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

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What Happens When The Heart Just Stops song meanings
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13 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I'm so feeling baizer 's meaning..... I'm there. It's a scary place to be too.

    ***
    Flag BellaVidaMiaon October 03, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:weemalone:
    That sounds just like something Glen would say about this song.

    I love it. I listened to this a lot when I got out of a recent very long term relationship. I jumped into something disastorous right after, not giving time to figure things out, allow for hope, in turn following head deep, face first. I can be slightly self destructive and this song, while hitting home helped put things into persective. It's amazing how the Frames can do that, especially with Glen's incredible lyrics and voice. And the instrumentation is just out of this world.

    Great song, from the boys. :) Cannot wait until they get back and release some new stuff again!
    Flag melancholyjenon September 26, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:This is what Glen says at the beginning of another live version, much like what Baizer posted:

    "This song is about...em...em...waking up in under a bush in your ex-girlfirends garden....this is a song aobut getting drunk and forgetting that you don't go out with her anymore...forgetting that she doesn't love you anymore..so...em..so...ah...this is about...(he becomes stuck on his words and the audience laugh)...needing, this is about being, wanting too much, wanting to be close to someone too much...wanting to know where they are all the time and when they're going out you're like...where are you going? or what time will you be back? or i'll come with you. and its about trying to do the right thing, trying to withdraw so that you don't love so much, trying to go...ok. and in doing so, something inside you just dies, and you turn off...and then, and like all things in life she falls in love with you and you don't care. and its a song of hope."

    Ah I long to see them again, seeing them live is like being massaged by angels. Unlike so many of us Irish, the Frames have the courage to express what they feel, they epitomise the purity and fearlessness of the Irish that, over time, has been lost in so many of us. Not afraid to let their guard down, or be vulnerable...they will always remind me of home.
    Flag weemaloneon May 20, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the way he says "into disappointment, I'm disappointed" is just heartbreaking. One of the most amazing songs i've ever seen performed live. like 'say yes' said, it's just so... comforting and easy to feel.
    Flag starrydynamoon November 11, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is great live. However, considering that they (in general) are great live, that doesn't say much.
    Flag Milaon March 17, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The other story about this song, along with the excellent one posted by baizer, is that it's about a dog that used to hang around on the street corner outside Glen's school. the dog was called Deefor. Deefor Dog of course.

    Anyway, the dog used to sit there calmly all day everyday, they used to go and play with him, tease him, stroke him whatever, and all the time the dog would just sit there calmly and not bat an eyelid.

    However, whenever a white car drove past, the dog would go mad, chasing it, barking, growling. This would only happen with a white car. Usually an estate car.

    So Glen and his mates used to think that the dog had been dumped by his owners, and they'd owned a white car. Therefore, the only time the dog felt anything was when he saw a white car, and thought of his ex-owners.
    Flag niteflite01on December 10, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:I think this is one of The Frames' best songs. But what I like even more than the song is the live intros to the songs, where the lead singer talks about what the song's about.
    I have heard two.
    In the first he says:
    "this is a song about anyone who has been in a relationship, and at some point they have overfelt, and this is a song about overfeeling, being totally crazy about someone, being with someone for years and then something strange shifts, and it goes from being in love to sorta, this weird obsessive patch where you want them to know how much you love them all the time and more importantly you want to know how much they love you every 5 minutes. and you're veering towards cliff and you know that you you've been with this person for years but you know that within the next couple of weeks she's gonna turn to you and say, "sorry dude but you're a psycho."
    and for whatever reason you stick your hands together and you pray to whatever and you say please turn this ****ing thing off, it's hurting me . . .
    you wanna turn this thing off and make it stop
    and one day you wake up and your wish is granted and you're as cold as a dead fish, it's the irony, beautiful irony, or tragic irony that your girlfriend finds you really attractive now 'cause you're distant and aloof, and. . .and it's totally lost to you because you don't care, and it's not like you're playing a game because you're not. so this song's about that."

    I'll post what he says in the other live version I've heard.
    Flag baizeron March 20, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:its such a beautiful song......
    Flag sammy_hansardon July 18, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is really calming. It makes me feel better than songs about hope. It just seems more honest and relatable. It seems more real than some songs. It's something that I understand.
    Flag sAy yEson June 26, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:my friend's seen them live...i only have Star Star ** by them - courtesy of my friend sending it over MSN...hmm... *goes about stealing entire album*
    Flag Perfect Foolon April 24, 2005   Link

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