Better Off Dead

Randy Newman · Other Songs - Randy Newman

When you fall in love with someone

Who does'nt love you

Someone who treats you so badly

It ramifies your head

Someone who doesn't want you

But won't let you go

Someone who thinks you're crazy

And tells you so

Over and over and over

If this happens to you

You'd be better off dead



You might be surprised to learn how often it can happen

In a love affair

(And boy does it hurt)

You fall in love with someone for whom you really care

And they treat you just like dirt

They make you feel kind of dirty and flirty

Hey I'm talking to you

Didn't you hear what I said?



Better off dead

Than living with someone

Whose every word's like a knife cuts through you

Better off dead

Than living with someone

Who just doesn't give a shit what happens to you

You know that's wrong

But you go on and on

Better off dead

Better off dead

Better off dead



When you fall in love with someone

Who doesn't love you

You better run for daylight

Just as fast you can (Little man)

Forget your foolish dreams and schermes that things will

work out in the end

Put some real mileage between yourself and the object of

you love my friend

Or become what you see

Yes, a loser like me

Someone who'd be

Better off dead

Better off dead



Musically, this one has a sort of overblown,

heavenly quality to it. But lyrically,

it's another story of a guy getting himself into a

bad relationship that he can't get out of.

He says, "When you fall in love with someone who doesn't

love you/ Someone who treats you so badly it ramifies

your head/ Someone who doesn't want you but won't let

you go/ Someone who thinks you're crazy and tells you

so, over and over and over/ If this happens to you,

you're better off dead." It's exaggerated,

but there's a kernel of truth there for so many people.

You don't know what bad is until you feel that.

I know what I'm talking about because I was once a

woman who loved too much.



I know some critic is going to think I don't know what

the word ramify means, or how to use it.

made up an alternate verb form of it here,

like a made-up R&B word, like the "puppetudes" of love.

wanted to say how there would be ramifications from

something that happens to your head in this kind of

a relationship. I should've said "blamifies" or something

to make it really obvious I was playing with the word,

but I just didn't give a fuck.