Wild Side of Life

Journey Through the Wild Side: Unveiling the Heartache in Burl Ives' Ballad
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Lyrics

Well, you wouldn't read my letters if I wrote you

Expressing frustration that the recipient doesn't read the letters.

You asked me not to call you on the phone

Recipient requested not to be called on the phone.

There's something I've been waiting for to tell you

Waiting for the right moment to convey something important.

So I wrote it in the words of this song

Choosing to express feelings through a song instead of direct communication.


You never knew there were honky tonk angels

Revealing the existence of other women ('honky tonk angels').

Or you might have known I'd never make a wife

If aware of these 'angels,' the partner might have expected a non-marriage commitment.

You walked out on the only one who ever loved you

Expressing the pain of being abandoned by the one who was loved.

So I went back to the wild side of life

Returning to a lifestyle associated with recklessness and freedom ('wild side of life').


Now the glamor of the good life always lead me

Acknowledging the allure of a luxurious lifestyle and its influence.

To the places where the wild liquor flows

Mentioning places where excessive drinking is prevalent.

I tried to be your one and only angel

Expressing the desire to be a unique and special person to the partner.

But I'm not that kind of angel, heaven knows

Admitting not fitting the traditional image of an angel.


I cried so hard the day you went and left me

Describing the intense emotional pain caused by the partner's departure.

'Cause some things you said, they cut me like a knife

Feeling hurt by the partner's hurtful words.

What you wanted was another kind of angel

Understanding the partner's desire for a different type of companion.

And you should be back to the wild side of life

Suggesting the partner return to a carefree and wild lifestyle.


No, well, I guess I'm just a honky tonk angel

Accepting the role of a 'honky tonk angel' without expectations of marriage.

I might have known I'd never make a wife

Reflecting on the realization that marriage may not be suitable.

Well, you left the only one who ever loved you

Emphasizing being the one who truly loved the partner.

And I'm back here on the wild side of life

Remaining in the carefree and unrestrained 'wild side of life.'


I'm only a honky tonk angel

Reiterating the identity as a 'honky tonk angel' with no expectations of marriage.

I might have known I'd never make a wife

Acknowledging the unsuitability for the role of a wife.

You walked out on the only one who ever loved you

Expressing the pain of being abandoned by the one who was loved.

And you left me here on the wild side of life

Being left behind in the unrestrained and carefree 'wild side of life.'

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