The Penguin: Lyric Interpretations: Affairs Of The Heart

Affairs Of The Heart

Written by Stevie Nicks.

Contributors to this interpretation included: George Jenkins, Rhiannon, Villavic, Janet, and Violett.

Alfred Lord Tennyson is considered one of the great mystic poets of the nineteenth century. And coincidentally, Stevie Nicks is considered by many to be one of the great mystic poets of the twentieth century. In the song "Affairs Of The Heart," Stevie calls back to one of Tennyson’s most famous quotes to refer to the choices that have to be made in life pertaining to love. Love is impossible to control, and its emotions can rip a person apart, but through this song, Stevie states her belief that everybody must allow himself to experience all these emotions.

One set of doors was the color of honey
One set of doors was pink and grey
Well I wonder which set is mine, said she
As she walked down the long hallway
Stevie says that there are two paths in life, the easy road and the tough road. The simple way of life is symbolized by the honey colored door. Honey is sweet and pure. But pink and grey conjure up different emotions. When people think of pink, they often think of flowers, which are beautiful. Grey, however, makes people think of gloom, pain, and sorrow. Life is not supposed to be easy, it is sometimes great, and it is sometimes painful.

Well I wonder which set of rooms are mine
For in these rooms she would live and die
Everybody has to choose how to live his or her own life. A person can choose to face the reality of life, which is that sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s hard. Or a person can choose to remain sheltered and not let the evils of the world affect him or her. But through either set of doors, a person will have to live life.

Well it's better to have loved and lost
(Ah but it's better not to lose)
Then to never have loved at all
(Never have loved, never have loved at all)
Well it's better to have loved and lost
(Ah but it's better not to lose)
Then to always be alone
(Always be alone)
In your heart
Here, in the chorus, Stevie refers to Tennyson’s famous line, "'Tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all." She believes that people must experience love, even though it may lead to heartbreak. Love is very intense and sometimes hurtful, but it is better to experience these emotions than to never even love. The experience of love is associated with the pink and grey door. It has its advantages and disadvantages, ups and downs, and it also involves taking risks. The honey doors refer to an appearance of happiness without feeling heartbreak. There is no heartbreak because a person who lives his life through the honey doors may never allow himself to love. If a person is alone, he will never get his heart broken, but will never feel the emotions involved with love. He may think that he has found happiness, but nobody can experience true happiness until he knows what pain is.

I thought that there was more involved
Through all that time and all these months
I stopped many times to question you
Well I told you that it was the right thing to do
At this point in the song Stevie has begun to address a lover. This lover does not have the right perception of what true love actually is. He does not realize how serious it is and that it can be hard. Stevie knows that there is more involved in love, but he does not. The relationship ended because of this, and Stevie knows that it was the right thing to do by breaking up.

Well it's better to have loved and lost
(Ah but it's better not to lose)
Then to never have loved at all
(Never have loved, never have loved at all)
Well it's better to have loved and lost
(Ah but it's better not to lose)
Then to always be alone
(Always be alone)
In your heart
But I knew that this was just for now
And the time would take its toll upon us all
Well it would break our hearts
Tear it apart
But no one understood
The affairs of the heart
Stevie’s feeling of heartbreak is very strong at first, but over time it will heal, because this relationship was never meant to be. Stevie had given so much to this relationship, and now it is over. She knows in her heart that she made the right decision to end the relationship, but she just can’t explain exactly how or why she knew that in her heart she knew it was over.

Well it's better to have loved and lost
Then to never have loved at all
(Never have loved, never have loved at all)
Well it'll break your heart
Tear it apart
But no one understands
(No one understands)
The affairs of the heart
The emotions of love are impossible to understand, but it is more important to at least try to love than to shy away from it. Love hurts, but it is also beautiful. Stevie believes that everybody needs to experience the good and the bad of life and love in order to live a fulfilling life.

Transcribed to HTML by Marty Adelson.