I know that I've imagined love before
And how it could be with you
Really hurt me, baby, really cut me, baby
How can you have a day without a night?

You're the book that I have opened
And now I've got to know much more

The curiousness of your potential kiss
Has got my mind and body aching
Really hurt me, baby, really cut me, baby
How can you have a day without a night?

You're the book that I have opened
And now I've got to know much more

Like a soul without a mind
In a body without a heart
I'm missing every part, hey

I, I, I
Like a soul without a mind
In a body without a heart
I'm missing every part

Like a soul without a mind
In a body without a heart
I'm missing every part

Like a soul without a mind
In a body without a heart
I'm missing every part

I don't know where this one came from

I don't know where this one came from
I don't know where this one came from


Lyrics submitted by shut, edited by gings2, Eva2308, JosefinK, chamacuti

Unfinished Sympathy Lyrics as written by Grantley Marshall Robert Del Naja

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Unfinished Sympathy song meanings
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32 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment

    I can't describe what this song means to me. I thought it said really hurt me , really cut me.

    I met someone online... a few months ago, really powerful and unexpected. the first song he sent me was this one and i described exactly the wonder. the book i opened and how i have to know much more, and the curiousness of the potential kiss, and missing every part. and the reticence of my mind reasoning with my heart had for falling in love with someone online, really not my style, weirdo behavior.

    But definetely it feels crazy, butterflies like i have never felt before. and it's everything , physical, mental, emotionally stimulating. Anticipation has been building in the last 4 months, we talk on skype.... will meet soon, we live 25000km away from each other, and 40 flight hours away. But will put some reality into it.

    Wish me luck, i'm in love!

    Catalistaon March 29, 2008   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    The lyrics are actually "Really hurt me baby, really cut me baby." Also despite all the lyrics Ive found on the net agreeing with this, listening to the song I'm sure it's "I know that I've IMAGINED love before." It makes more sense as well with the following line "...and how it could be with you."

    To the song. I read I think it was nut's (crappy blokes mag) top 50 songs ever. The review of this mentions nelson's "eerie" vocals. Sums it up perfectly to me, they go so perfectly with the violin, just send a shiver up my spine every time I hear it. The video is awesome as well, simple but effective. This is one of those songs that still sounds as mind blowingly good as the day it was released. It's 15 years old and everyone I know thinks it's incredible. If you like this listen to max graham-gone. similar sorrowful lyrics, evocative violin and pain over a relationship.

    The meaning. I'd agree it's about beginning to get involved with someone who then pulls away- "How can I have a day without a night, You're the book that I have opened, and now I've got to know much more." These both suggest she's had some kind of contact with the person but only a limited amount and it's left her wanting more. "Like a soul without a mind..." beautifully conveys the feeling of emptiness as a result of this desire, she is missing something she needs. Also perhaps a resignation to the fact she won't get what she wants. The line "You really hurt me baby..." expresses her angst and despair about the fact the other person pulled away or does not requite her love, I don't think it's a reference to a previous relationship or questioning whether she will get hurt if she enters a relationship.

    CEREALon February 17, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I think this songs talks about someone falling in love with someone else but they are unable to get involved with them. The line "You're the book that I have opened And now i've got to know much more" makes me think that this person had an experiance with the other person they are in love with that makes them want to get to know them more intimately.

    lowskyon April 18, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    it is about a couple who met & fell in love, but somehow, couldn't realize their relationship... Had to cut it off, and move on with their lives without each other. I remember, I met a guy from Russia, and we fell in love that evening,had a wonderful night together, but tomorrow he had to go home in his own country... and we just couldn't be together anymore... "Like a soul without a mind, in a body without a heart, I'm missing every part"...

    Eva2308on December 22, 2012   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    The lyrics of the song express feelings of longing, regret, and unrequited love. It describes the sense of being left incomplete or unfinished by someone who has moved on and the desire to reconnect and understand what went wrong.

    The lyrics also touch on themes of memory, nostalgia, and the passage of time. The song's overall meaning is that the singer is expressing sympathy for a lover who has left them incomplete and unfinished emotionally and still longs for their return.

    Zenarcheron February 08, 2023   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song is about fear of getting hurt by someone you are falling in love with-fear of getting too close. I think that sometimes the lyrics are misrepresented-in my mind I hear them as Will it hurt me baby Will it cut me baby?

    natalie81on September 04, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Sharas voice is so fitting for this track and i think that massive attack have definatly cracked it.They are masters of their art.

    Riot Grrrlon March 22, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    ....beautiful.

    kayleighronsonon January 03, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think this is about the uncertainty thet there is at the beginning of a relationship after being in a painful one. you are unsure whether it is going to hurt you like the previous one and asking the questions about what will go wrong even though it seems so perfect "How can have a day without a night" and whether you are being naive with your heart "Like a soul without a mind" or just lusting for a physical relationship without thinking of the hurt it could cause "In a body without a heart". "I'm missing every part" could be the uncertainty. im unsure though

    aphex_Twin2002on April 19, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    so, the guy and the girl are close friends, have hooked up once, and the girl wants more, but the guy is now pushing her away, and that really hurts her.

    venus in furs 28on February 03, 2005   Link

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