Abraham Cowley - The Given Heart

Song Meaning

The narrator questions the common romantic trope of "giving one's heart away," finding the experience to be pure torment rather than bliss. He wonders how lovers can complain if their hearts are joined, suggesting that such union should be the ultimate expression of love's power. The lyrics paint a picture of a love that is not gentle but violently destructive, where the narrator's heart is a volatile force ready to detonate. This destructive potential is vividly illustrated by the image of his heart entering the same space as his beloved's. It's described as a "granado shot into a magazine," implying an explosive, uncontrollable reaction that will obliterate everything within. This isn't a tender merging of souls; it's a catastrophic event, a violent upheaval that consumes both participants. The aftermath of this imagined explosion reveals a peculiar alchemy of love. Love, the narrator posits, will collect the "ashes, and torn parts" of their "broken hearts." From this wreckage, a new heart will be forged: hers providing the "allay" (a less precious metal mixed with gold to reduce its purity) and his the "metal." This suggests a love that is not about shared purity but about a composite, perhaps even a tainted, new entity. Ultimately, the narrator believes his own heart will emerge from this fiery trial intact, unlike hers, which will have little left. He claims his heart is pure, containing "no dross," implying it will survive the destructive process unscathed. This self-perception of an uncorruptible, resilient core is what makes his perspective on love so uniquely bitter and self-assuredly defiant.