One night to you
Lasted six weeks for me
Just a bitter little pill now
Just to try to go to sleep
No more waking up to innocence
Say hello to hesitance
To everyone I meet
Thanks to you years ago
I guess I'll never know
What love means to me, but, oh
I'll keep on rolling down this road
But I've got a bad, bad feeling

[Chorus]
It's gonna take a long time to love
It's gonna take a lot to hold on
It's gonna be a long way to happy, yeah
Left in the pieces that you broke me into
Torn apart but now I've got to
Keep on rolling like a stone
Cause it's gonna be a long, long way to happy

Left my childhood behind
In a roll-away bed
Everything was so damn simple
Now I'm losing my head
Trying to cover up the damage
And pad out all the bruises
Do you know I had it
So it didn't hurt to lose it
Didn't hurt to lose it?
No, but, oh
I'll keep on rolling down this road
But I've got a bad, bad feeling

[Chorus]

Now I'm numb as hell, and I can't feel a thing
But don't worry about regret or guilt 'cause I never knew your name
I just want to thank you
Thank you
From the bottom of my heart
For all the sleepless nights
And for tearing me apart, yeah, yeah

[Chorus: x2]



Lyrics submitted by xotinyox

Track duration: 03:50

"Long Way to Happy" as written by Alecia B Moore, Butch Walker

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Long Way To Happy song meanings
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48 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:in my opinion this song has underlying themes of sexual abuse.
    Flag leeneon March 28, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I reckon the part
    " Left my childhood behind
    In a roll away bed"
    Could be to do with going into hospital to have a baby possibly, because once someone has a baby, there childhood is gone.
    Flag lollewislolon February 23, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I have heard the song many times, read over the lyrics many times, and it is one of those songs, where there are many different possible interpretations.

    I personally feel it is about rape, not necessarily by a stranger on the street or anything, but where she may have not wanted to go any further, and he continued to go, pushed, etc.

    "No more waking up to innocence
    Say hello to hesitance
    To everyone I meet"

    The line "Hesitance to everyone I meet" further makes me believe that the song is dealing with rape.


    "Now I'm numb as hell and I can't feel a thing
    But don't worry about regret or guilt cause I never knew your name
    I just want to thank you
    Thank you
    From the bottem of my heart
    For all the sleepless nights
    And for tearing me apart yeah yeah"

    She is Numb and has had nothing but sleepless nights, and has been torn apart....this was not simply caused by a break up or a one night stand, there is no other explanation.

    She is assuring the person who raped her to not worry about "Regret or Guilt"....why else would one worry about either of those things??

    I at one point though it may have been a family member that raped her, but she says "I never knew your name"- which voids that.

    Anyhow- I do not see any way it could be a break up or pregnancy.

    I can sort of see those thinking it is a one night stand, but I believe fully that it is dealing with rape. There is no other explanation. From the choice of words, to the anger, the betrayal, and the loss of trust in people, it all leads back to rape.









    One night to you
    Lasted six weeks for me
    Just a bitter little pill now
    Just to try to go to sleep

    Thanks to you years ago
    I guess I'll never know
    What love means to me but oh
    I'll keep on rolling down this road
    But I've got a bad, bad feeling

    It's gonna take a long time to love
    It's gonna take a lot to hold on
    It's gonna be a long way to happy, yeah
    Left in the pieces that you broke me into
    Torn apart but now I've got to
    Keep on rolling like a stone
    Cause it's gonna be a long long way to happy

    Left my childhood behind
    In a roll away bed
    Everything was so damn simple
    Now I'm losing my head
    Trying to cover up the damage
    And pad out all the bruises
    Do you know I had it
    So it didn't hurt to lose it
    Didn't hurt to lose it
    No but oh
    I'll keep on rolling down this road
    But I've got a bad, bad feeling

    It's gonna take a long time to love
    It's gonna take a lot to hold on
    It's gonna be a long way to happy, yeah
    Left in the pieces that you broke me into
    Torn apart but now I've got to
    Keep on rolling like a stone
    Cause it's gonna be a long long way



    It's gonna take a long time to love
    It's gonna take a lot to hold on
    It's gonna be a long way to happy, yeah
    Left in the pieces that you broke me into
    Torn apart but now I've got to
    Keep on rolling like a stone
    Cause it's gonna be a long long way

    It's gonna take a long time to love
    It's gonna take a lot to hold on
    It's gonna be a long, long, long, long way to happy, yeah
    Left in the pieces that you broke me into
    Torn apart but now I've got to
    Keep on rolling like a stone
    Cause it's gonna be a long long way to happy
    Flag krisp8888on November 03, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Anybody who thinks that "Too young to know I had it, so it didn't hurt to lose it" means anything other than being "too young" to understand the true beauty of an unborn child and therefore it "didn't hurt to lose it", should go and take a second listen.

    The most beautiful and gut-wrenching lyric in the whole song.

    I love you Pink, you're the reason I'm still breathing...x
    Flag rebellious777on September 07, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Ok seriously peoples?

    One night to you
    Lasted six weeks for me

    When someone is rapped it feels like it will never end, even if it only lasts 5 minutes, it's that simple!!!
    Flag cyclonecaseyon May 19, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Clearly the majority of the people posting on these lyrics have the inability to analyze poetry. Break it down line by line, understand the idea of "metaphor" and how she uses it within the song, and recognize the various structural/syntactical arrangement she uses within the verse. It's not that difficult; a few people did a pretty decent job, but the analysis wasn't as good as it could have been. So, let us begin?

    In this song, the speaker (we'll separate Pink, the singer/writer, from the speaker-- it's a literary faux pas to assume that the person writing/singing the poem/song is necessarily the person the song is about!) describes the repercussions of a rape as a young child and how it still affects her "today". There are various clues that give away the idea that the rape occurred when she was a young child:

    "No more waking up to innocence," "Thanks to you, YEARS AGO," "Left my childhood behind," and "To young to know I had it / So it didn't hurt to lose it," all represent childhood or things associated with childhood. "Innocence" is clearly something we associate with children, as well as the ignorance expressed in the line "To young to know I had it." The other lines explicitly mention childhood or a time in the past.

    As a few people have mentioned before, there are also a few key lines that point to the idea that the speaker was raped. The song begins, "One night to you / Lasted six weeks for me." As (few) others have said, this time is not at all LITERAL, but metaphorical. Though the actual rape lasted merely one night (a short time) to the rapist, to a young child experiencing such a traumatic thing, it felt like a lot longer than one night. Six weeks, in comparison to ONE NIGHT, is a pretty long time for one short experience. It's a hyperbolic statement, emphasizing the difference in feelings for something that may have only taken a few minutes. (Also, let me just say this clearly: THERE WAS NO F*CKING PREGNANCY, YOU IDIOTS. It was a hyperbolic metaphor. Good. Freaking Lord.)

    Another instance that suggests that it was a rape is the first statement in conjunction with the few lines after that: "Just a bitter little pill now / Just to try to go to sleep / No more waking up to innocence." These lines express a loss of childhood innocence (obviously), and an inability to sleep. Many rape victims suffer from nightmares and flashbacks (often which continue years and years after the initial trauma); thus, someone experiencing those things would have trouble sleeping, also shown by the lines, "I just want to thank you / Thank you / From the bottom of my heart / For all the sleepless nights / And for tearing me apart..." Again, the inability to sleep, representing, not only the rape, but also the repercussions.

    Similarly, the lines, as briefly stated before "Too young to know I had it / So it didn't hurt to lose it" references the fact that she was too young to understand the concept of virginity-- she had it, but she had never heard of it before. The preceding lines, "No but oh / I'll keep on rolling down this road / But I've got a bad, bad feeling" signify the fact that, though she didn't know what was going on and she knew that it was a bad thing, she couldn't control it. The phrase "rolling down this road" signifies a loss of control. She lost control, knew it was bad, but had no other choice, as rape is something forced upon a person. (Thus, the lyrics are not about a poor relationship or a one-night stand. UGH, people. Learn to READ and ANALYZE poetry! This is pretty damn straight forward...)

    Most of the lyrics, though, while acknowledging and referencing her childhood and the rape, refer to how she still (assuming this is a reflection on a time in the past) dealing with something that happened to her long ago and that she still deals with "today". As mentioned before, the lyrics give way to a loss of sleep-- nightmares and flashbacks may plague her. Similarly, the fact that someone took advantage of her broke her ability to trust: "Say hello to hesitance / To everyone I meet" and "I guess I'll never know / What love means to me." Because of what happened, she's afraid to trust and, thus, afraid (potentially unable, even) to love.

    The lines, "Everything was so damn simple / Now I'm losing my head / Trying to cover up the damage / And pad out all the bruises" create a juxtaposition between the before/after of the rape. Before the rape, she was a child; times were simple and she didn't have to think. After the rape and still, her mind is filled with the trauma. She tries to "cover up the damage"-- that is, she attempts to hide her distress from the people she meets-- and "pad out all the bruises," or somehow get past the things that still affect her (nightmares, flashbacks, etc.). This trauma that happened years ago still haunts her; it still affects her daily life and relationships (of all sorts, not just romantic). The refrain, too, hints at the repercussions of the rape:

    It's gonna take a long time to love
    It's gonna take a lot to hold on
    It's gonna be a long way to happy
    Left in the pieces that you broke me into
    Torn apart but now I've got to
    Keep on rolling like a stone
    Cause it's gonna be a long, long way to happy

    The first three lines seem relatively obvious: the trauma still affects her, and thus, these feelings that people generally have in life (love, happiness, and even the ability to "hold on"--to grasp life in a "sane" manner, if you ill), don't come easily to her. It will take work. The latter part of this stanza, too, seems particularly obvious: her rapist broke her, he ruined her, but she's got to keep on "truckin'" through the mess in order to reach the far away "happy."

    That was pretty much the length of a short paper... but what am I doing? Oh, right, avoiding writing my final papers for the semester to critique people who are probably about 12. Oh, right, back to my 20 page paper...

    Flag xEnigmaon April 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is verrry close to my heart. I think, like any song, it can be interpreted in many different ways to different people. It can mean something different to everyone. But..for me, it is clearly about rape. The lyrics clearly show that. But i agree with clemetine and Sally14. Its unfortunate if P!nk has experienced this, but good on her for writing about it and getting it out...it wouldve been a painful experience, but just look at how far she's come. i think that she is an exceptionally AMAZING and strong women. Good on her.

    Also, for the people saying that the 'one night to you, lasted six weeks for me' is about pregnancy or how long it took her to get over it. I have to disagree. I think she is reffering to the attack, it may have lasted 15 minutes or so, but it felt like it dragged out over 6 weeks to her. Sexual assault isnt something u could just get over within 6 weeks...its always with u and whether or not you come to except it etc, it will be with you for life, like clemetine said.

    An absolutly AMAZING song and it means alot to me. P!nk has done an outstanding job on this song. ♥
    Flag Thanks4Nothingon December 27, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:pretty sure this was in an interview: for Pink, this song is about her experience being raped by a cop when she was a teenager.

    to clarify the six weeks: that would equal two months of pregnancy. I'd imagine that she, or anyone for that matter, would "get over it" in a matter of two months...sexual assault stays with you for life, it's how you choose to deal with it that makes it better or worse to deal with.

    all that said, songs should be open to interpretation, but I see a lot of you guys were speculating about what Pink's thoughts were, so I figured I'd clarify that.

    anyway, this is an amazing song. <3
    Flag clemetineon December 15, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The lyrics are;
    Too young to know I had it, so it didn't hurt to lose it.

    Flag shiribehrxon August 19, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think the "Just a bitter little pill now Just to try to go to sleep" part is more of a metaphore. Sort of like the saying "that's a tough pill to swallow" She's so bitter that all she can do is think about it and can't even fall asleep.

    and the rolling away bed, i'm just picturing anything on wheels that plumets downwards on a hill. So in a sense she put her childhood behind (or someone took it away from her) and it was pushed down the hill. A reference to how fast it got away from her. Or just the reference to a rollaway bed itself kind of gives the idea of something that you put away. A rollaway bed is usually used temporarily and then put away in storage. So again the image that her childhood was left behind.

    I think the song can easily mean anything. I also think alot of the references have to do with rape and/or abuse. Something that can make someone grow up very fast.
    but the song can easily be interpreted as a break up song or to any type of hardship in life.
    It can be a first time relationship. Someone you give everything to and think that it'll last forvever, and then he breaks up with you and you're forced to "grow up" and that life is not a fairy tale and you don't get married to the first prince that comes along. Though the "never knew your name" lyric wouldn't make as much sense there.
    Flag Mystical_nighton August 09, 2009   Link

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