Song Lyrics Analysis

Say You’re Sorry by Sara Bareilles

Circus of silence [L1] down at our feet
Paper cut tigers starting to bleed
Hang from your tightrope above the mess[L2] 
Just say you're sorry, no more no less
Words you won't use, you don't feel them like I do
Show will be over soon[L3] 

It's not the curtain closing causing us to call it a day[L4] 
I want to walk away too
But I want you to say you are sorry
I'm not the one who went and made a mistake
I want to walk away too
But I want you to say you are sorry

I used to believe that the storybook's true[L5] 
Now I don't need it, at least not with you
So if you see him, the man 'neath the mask[L6] 
Tell him I'm leaving and not looking back
Words are no use, you don't need them like I do
Show will be over soon

It's not the curtain closing causing us to call it a day
I want to walk away too
But I want you to say you are sorry
I'm not the one who went and made a mistake
I want to walk away too
But I want you to say you're sorry

I want the one word that you refuse to say to me
You're so good at giving me responsibility
I wash my hands clean and let you watch me as I go[L7] 
I'm sorry for you, just so you know

It's not the curtain closing causing us to call it a day
I want to walk away too
But I want you to say you are sorry
I'm not the one who went and made a mistake
I want to walk away too
But I want you to say you're sorry

Analysis

            Sara Bareilles is able to convey her coming to terms with her partner’s refusal to apologize for his actions through her use of rich figurative language.

            She begins the song with a metaphor, stating that there is a “circus of silence” down at her feet, counterintuitively describing a very vibrant festive circus as a silent event. This unusual juxtaposition could imply that the problems that Sara and her partner are experiencing should be openly discussed despite how vocal the argument may become instead of quietly ignoring the matter. She continues to evoke the image of this eccentric circus when she says that he continues to “hang from your [his] tightrope above the mess”. Similar to how a trapeze artist seems detached from the busy nature of the rest of the acts occurring on the floor of the circus, Sara expresses how her partner avoids addressing the couple’s disputes and the jumbled state of their relationship. She ends the verse affirming that the “show will be over soon”. The closing of the show is being paralleled to the end of their relationship due to their misunderstandings.

            The chorus of ‘Say you’re Sorry’ furthers Sara’s tone of frustration. She affirms that it is not “the curtain closing” causing them to “call it a day” and end their relationship, suggesting that the show or their relationship was disrupted by his mistakes. In fact she wants to “walk away” as well and come to terms with their breakup, but she desperately wants him to “say you’re [he is] sorry” as evidenced by the anaphora.

            As the song progresses, Sara alludes to “storybooks” as fairytales with stereotypical happily ever after endings. The fact that she does not believe the outcomes of these stories can be achieved with her partner exposes her need to separate from him. She addresses him as “the man ‘neath the mask” to demonstrate how his lies have concealed his true, incompatible nature. She could have also denoted him with a mask in order to supplement the visual imagery of a fictional character typically found in fairytales.

            In the fifth stanza, Sara experiences a turning point in which she becomes at peace with herself. After spending four stanzas asking him to say sorry, she says “I wash my hands clean and let you watch me as I go/ I'm sorry for you, just so you know”. When Sara ‘washes her hands’ she is signifying how she has emotionally moved on past her relationship and is ready to start fresh with someone new. She apologizes for him to indicate that she does need his remorse because she is emotionally stable and secure.

            Ultimately, through utilizing metaphors and visual imagery, Sara is able to convey the shift in her tone of frustration to acceptance in regards to her relationship with her ex-partner.

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