I know exactly how you feel,
You were this close to closing deals
Now everything fell from out your hands,
You were forced to decide on other plans now,
You figured it best to just ignore it,
Otherwise, oh, you're just living for it,
And if anyone ever wondered why you did it,
You'd swear they'd never know you sold your soul to the burning, burning, burning bridges.

You know exactly what I want so
I don't have to be so damn up front
No matter the moment where we decide to make our minds up
I'll know a man who may need a new assignment
To hand in his heart and take his last vacation
Attempting to spoil imagination
If anyone ever wonders where he went
I wouldn't say that he spent his time driving over burning, burning, burning bridges.

Burning, burning which is nothing more than the longing for being uninvolved.

Oh, desire can cause heart attacks.
And desire, it won't bring you back



Lyrics submitted by sunBurnt

Track duration: 03:49

"Burning Bridges [Unreleased Demo][#]" as written by Lalo/curb Schifrin

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Burning Bridges song meanings
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14 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I think you can adapt this song to any situation, as it generalises quite a bit.

    'I know exactly how you feel,
    You were this close to closing deals
    Now everything fell from out your hands,
    You were forced to decide on other plans'

    I think this starts with sympathy, with the feeling of you are not alone.
    And then is about how a choice you made wasn't neccessarily yours and so you had to settle for second best.

    'now You figured it best to just ignore it,
    Otherwise, oh, you're just living for it,'

    And then ignoring most of the decision made, otherwise that choice becomes a part of you
    And because you didn't chose it, you don't want it to be part of your identity.

    'And if anyone ever wondered why you did it,
    you'd swear they'd never know you sold your soul to the burning, burning, burning bridges.'

    this is how no one knows that it wasnt your choice and how much the after effects are hurting you.

    'You know exactly what I want so
    I don't have to be so damn up front'

    This is literally the only person who knows and understands what you feel about what has happened, so you don't have to make up any false fronts.

    'No matter the moment where we decide to make our minds up
    I'll know a man who may need a new assignment
    to hand in his heart and take his last vacation
    attempting to spoil imagination'

    It think that this is about someone else that has to take the 'plunge' and stop messing around and get on with life and face facts,

    'If anyone ever wonders where he went
    I wouldn't say that he spent his time driving over burning, burning, burning bridges.'

    but at the same time, wishing that you yourself didn't have to feel that he has to do this.

    'burning, burning which is nothing more than the longing for being uninvolved.'

    this is about not wanting to be part of the real world and wanting to escape reality and all the things you have done wrong in the past.

    'oh, desire can cause heart attacks.
    and desire.. it won't bring you back'

    I think that this is saying that not literally a heart attack, but a burst of I want what i cant have, except that wont bring back the options you didnt take.. But this is just my opinion of the song.
    Flag AvigailGoodmanon November 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think you can adapt this song to any situation, as it generalises quite a bit.

    'I know exactly how you feel,
    You were this close to closing deals
    Now everything fell from out your hands,
    You were forced to decide on other plans'

    I think this starts with sympathy, with the feeling of you are not alone.
    And then is about how a choice you made wasn't neccessarily yours and so you had to settle for second best.

    'now You figured it best to just ignore it,
    Otherwise, oh, you're just living for it,'

    And then ignoring most of the decision made, otherwise that choice becomes a part of you
    And because you didn't chose it, you don't want it to be part of your identity.

    'And if anyone ever wondered why you did it,
    you'd swear they'd never know you sold your soul to the burning, burning, burning bridges.'

    this is how no one knows that it wasnt your choice and how much the after effects are hurting you.

    'You know exactly what I want so
    I don't have to be so damn up front'

    This is literally the only person who knows and understands what you feel about what has happened, so you don't have to make up any false fronts.

    'No matter the moment where we decide to make our minds up
    I'll know a man who may need a new assignment
    to hand in his heart and take his last vacation
    attempting to spoil imagination'

    It think that this is about someone else that has to take the 'plunge' and stop messing around and get on with life and face facts,

    'If anyone ever wonders where he went
    I wouldn't say that he spent his time driving over burning, burning, burning bridges.'

    but at the same time, wishing that you yourself didn't have to feel that he has to do this.

    'burning, burning which is nothing more than the longing for being uninvolved.'

    this is about not wanting to be part of the real world and wanting to escape reality and all the things you have done wrong in the past.

    'oh, desire can cause heart attacks.
    and desire.. it won't bring you back'

    I think that this is saying that not literally a heart attack, but a burst of I want what i cant have, except that wont bring back the options you didnt take.. But this is just my opinion of the song.
    Flag AvigailGoodmanon November 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think you can adapt this song to any situation, as it generalises quite a bit.

    'I know exactly how you feel,
    You were this close to closing deals
    Now everything fell from out your hands,
    You were forced to decide on other plans'

    I think this starts with sympathy, with the feeling of you are not alone.
    And then is about how a choice you made wasn't neccessarily yours and so you had to settle for second best.

    'now You figured it best to just ignore it,
    Otherwise, oh, you're just living for it,'

    And then ignoring most of the decision made, otherwise that choice becomes a part of you
    And because you didn't chose it, you don't want it to be part of your identity.

    'And if anyone ever wondered why you did it,
    you'd swear they'd never know you sold your soul to the burning, burning, burning bridges.'

    this is how no one knows that it wasnt your choice and how much the after effects are hurting you.

    'You know exactly what I want so
    I don't have to be so damn up front'

    This is literally the only person who knows and understands what you feel about what has happened, so you don't have to make up any false fronts.

    'No matter the moment where we decide to make our minds up
    I'll know a man who may need a new assignment
    to hand in his heart and take his last vacation
    attempting to spoil imagination'

    It think that this is about someone else that has to take the 'plunge' and stop messing around and get on with life and face facts,

    'If anyone ever wonders where he went
    I wouldn't say that he spent his time driving over burning, burning, burning bridges.'

    but at the same time, wishing that you yourself didn't have to feel that he has to do this.

    'burning, burning which is nothing more than the longing for being uninvolved.'

    this is about not wanting to be part of the real world and wanting to escape reality and all the things you have done wrong in the past.

    'oh, desire can cause heart attacks.
    and desire.. it won't bring you back'

    I think that this is saying that not literally a heart attack, but a burst of I want what i cant have, except that wont bring back the options you didnt take.. But this is just my opinion of the song.
    Flag AvigailGoodmanon November 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this song is talking about a relationship he had with someone wonderful and it fell apart in their hands,
    so now he's forced to stray from the plan and cut things off with her completely.
    and he really does not want to do that, but his desire for her, and her lack of desire for him causes him pain, so he is cutting it off, despite the fact that by doing that, it will be burning one of the greatest bridge he ever built.
    :(

    i can relate to how he must feel
    Flag mrazbabeon March 30, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:In the beginning, he is talking about how he knows exactly how a girl feels who just ended an important relationship and being crushed by it. So shes trying to pretend it didn't happen/doesn't hurt. But of course it did, and shes committed her life to stressing over the broken relationship, and isn't moving on.

    Then, it turns to him. He wants to be with the girl, and she knows it. While she is stuck with thinking about her past relationship, he is admitting he is willing to "hand in his heart," "no matter the moment," to her, and he has left his own broken relationships behind him for her.

    Then the "burning which is nothing more than the longing for being uninvolved" just relates to the girl's "burning bridges" and how she doesn't want to be involved anymore....lol

    Last but not least, it says "oh, desire can cause heart attacks. and desire.. it won't bring you back." relating to his wanting of her, but even as much as he wants her, that cant bring her to him.

    That's what I got out of it, could be completely wrong. :)
    Flag blehh3on August 25, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:oh man...jason mraz is my favorite artist and always willl be...

    i think there is no way that this can not pertain to relationships.... the saying "burning bridges" is about ruining your relationship with someone or something forever... and a longing for being uninvolved... to me is like... you want to separate your self from this relationship.. but you cant.. and you find yourself driving over this "burned bridge" which you thought was done for and over with and come to find out its not.. the bridge is still "burning"... just like that longing in your heart.
    " you know exactly what i want so i dont have to be so damn upfront"... these to people know what eachother want... they want reconciliation... but this relationship is a BURNT bridge that he keeps driving over... a wound he keeps salting.
    desire...can cause heart attacks.
    to me.. thats like... you knwo when you want something soo bad that you get that feeling in your heart.. that burning feeling? when you want someone to feel the same.. or you want sooo bad to fix what youve done that you get that BURNING in your heart.... well... it wont bring you back....
    Flag manderwaalon November 01, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I don't think this song has anything to do with a relationship....instead, I think it's about letting go of a dream...being so close to accomplishing a goal, yet still so far away from obtaining it. Burning bridges being "a lost cause". It's about the realization of failure, and the feeling that comes after, of wanting to rid yourself of anything to do with the failed effort. (longing for being uninvolved.) Also, you can't always get what you want no matter how much you want it. (desire, can cause heart attacks...it won't bring you back)
    Flag BellaLuna4on October 10, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is about putting up false fronts and not showing your fleshy underbelly. In stanza 1, he's talking to someone who just lost a very dear relationship but who has decided to at least appear as if she is "over it" instead of selling her soul to the burning bridges - that is, making her life centered around the failed relationship.

    Stanza two is him talking to his love in his own failed relationship. He is the "man" he talks about - it's about how he needs to get away from the "burning bridges" so that he can keep up the facade of moving on. Whether or not he is still obsessing over it, he wouldn't say that he is "spending his time driving over burning bridges", or obsessing over failed relationships.

    The "longing to be uninvolved" is the desire to be out of the whole situation, though it's not really sure whether he'd rather be back in the failing relationship or single and not having to deal with the drama of it all. Desire to fix the burning bridges only leads to pain (a "heart attack", of sorts, in that it is an attack on his heart) and all that pain doesn't fix the fact that it's all over anyway.

    Love this song...I'm always struck by the line "You were forced to decide on other plans."
    Flag bridget2004on May 16, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:This is a very bittersweet song of a relationship that never was. She is singing this song to a guy who is undecisive and choosing soemthing other than her. He sees love right in front of him but has other things and distractions in front of him too...he is taking another path without her. He knows what she wants and there is another guy who is ready to be with her she is not upset becasue she would not say that he is burning bridges with her by being uninvolved. The desire for her can cause heart attacks for her heart to move on and keep her from moving on because the desire won't bring him back.
    Flag Moxie18on July 18, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I thought this was about corporate culture due to these following lines "I know exactly how you feel,
    You were this close to closing deals
    Now everything fell from out your hands," I interpretated that as I know how you feel,
    You were this close to making deals with customers/possible investors that would help out the company. Now you have lost control
    And on the lines "oh, desire can cause heart attacks.
    and desire.. it won't bring you back" Could mean desire to leave the buisiness world for love could leave the man dead,
    But desire won't change his situation. Also for these lines "You figured it best to just ignore it,
    Otherwise, oh, you're just living for it," My interpertation was that the guy tried to ignore the buisiness world he was living for, Or he would only be living for his mundane work. That is only my opinion.
    Flag Twilight_Endingon June 03, 2006   Link

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