What does Two Out of Three Ain't Bad mean?

Meat Loaf: Two Out of Three Ain't Bad Meaning

Album cover for Two Out of Three Ain't Bad album cover

Song Released: 1978


Two Out of Three Ain't Bad Lyrics

Baby we can talk all night
But that ain’t getting us nowhere
I told you everything I possibly can
There’s nothing left inside of here
And maybe you can cry all night
But that’ll never change the way that I feel
The snow is really piling up...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 16th 2008 !⃝

    At first, I thought he was talking about a different woman in the last verse (there's only one girl that I will ever love), but I think it's about the same girl. If you notice in the first verse, he says "but you've been cold to me so long, I'm crying icycles instead of tears", and "I poured it on and I poured it out. I tried to show you just how much I care". I just think its a couple that has tried to make it work for a long time and he has finally realized he feels the same way that she used to feel. She was the one that left the first time. She came back to him, and now the tide has turned. The bridge of the song-"you'll never find your gold on a sandy beach..." tells they were never right for each other. He can't be someone he's not, etc.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 9th 2012 !⃝

    Few people understand this, but someone here has already nailed it. There is not a past love and a current girl in this. It's the same girl. She has changed her mind about him, but her inability to love him in the past has ruined it for him, so now even though she has changed her mind, the girl he once loved is gone as far as he is concerned... Even though physically she is the same person. When she "left" before it could be that she changed, and didn't physically leave at all...

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Dec 4th 2017 !⃝

    Agreed it amazes me how so many people appear to misunderstand this song. The present and past girl are the same girl, she left him years earlier, breaking his heart very badly. And now she[the same girl] returns to him trying to get back together but the pain she has caused was too great and time has moved on changing him so he cannot love her again. He sings about her in the 3rd person 'there is only one girl I ever loved' because although still the same physical person, she is a different person to him now as she caused him so much pain and rejected his love that she shattered the image of the perfect girl he once loved and he has lost his ability to love her anymore. He still loves the younger version of the girl who was perfect before she abandoned him but he cannot love the girl who broke his heart.

  4. anonymous
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    Dec 15th !⃝

    He lost the love of his life years ago and though he cares for the current woman he wants her to know he’ll never love her like he did the other woman. So, she’s kicking him out.

  5. anonymous
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    Jul 9th 2023 !⃝

    The soft rock power ballad was the final song written for Meat Loaf’s debut album “Bat Out of Hell“, and details the story of a character breaking up with their girlfriend in first person. The song also highlights the importance of a genuine romantic connection, rather than just a physical and sexual one. In 2003, VH1 created a documentary series discussing and covering the best albums created (titled “Ultimate Albums”), in which the writer of Meat Loaf’s songs – Jim Steinman – recalled the writing and inspiration of the song:

    “[…] the oldies station was on the radio and it was playing that old Elvis song, ‘I Want You, I Need,’ whatever it was. ‘I Want You, I Need You, I Love You’, you know. I just started singing my own song but it was ‘I Want You, I Need You, I Love You.’… I remember going home and I tried so hard but the best I could do was: ‘I want you, I need you but there ain’t no way I’m ever gonna love you, don’t be sad, ’cause two out of three ain’t bad’.”

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 5th 2022 !⃝

    There's only one girl in this song. His words are seemingly being said to a 'current' woman, but in reality, he's
    just repeating the exact words said to him in the past.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 1st 2022 !⃝

    I think this song is about only having one true love ,in the past ,he wants this chic and needs her but he can't love it trust her this song reminds me of my husband that sent the damn thing to me a week ago and it's tore my ass up now I can't even text him I'm hurt pissed and I can't even think straight shit !

  8. anonymous
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    Jan 29th 2022 !⃝

    The lyrics is correct. who ever wrote this song, was a extremely smart individual that knew about Life. I see myself sadly to say in the song, because of 36 years, which was a beautiful beginning, but transformed into a sad ending!

  9. anonymous
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    Jan 22nd 2022 !⃝

    Up until he says "Don't be sad 'cause two outta three ain't bad" I might think it was sincere. But I think it's satire. It's like saying "sorry your kid died but you have two others, so don't be sad."

  10. anonymous
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    Jun 11th 2021 !⃝

    she's the constant, and he's over her so... too little too late; they've been together all along him hoping she'd eventually love him the same but over the years, it hasn't happened, snow's piling up and he don't wanna leave cause to him he's been hanging in all this time so hey she can suck it up now and face the music that because of her he feels like he feels and he stuck it out anyway so she should too. Accept it.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 5th 2021 !⃝

    Always thought that the from the first line "Baby we can talk all night" until "Something that I just haven't got" is the singer explaining to his current girl why they are not right for each other, he has no love for her.
    From the line "Well there's only one girl that I will ever love" until the end of the song is the singer now revealing to his current girl that everything he just said to justify his feelings in his current relationship was said to him "so many years ago" by a woman from a previous relationship. The current girlfriend is now in the same position as the singer was previously and listening to the same words he heard from someone that could not love him even though that's where his heart still is.

  12. anonymous
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    Sep 8th 2020 !⃝

    As a teenager back in the 70's, I interpreted the song as three different relationships.

    1st verse he is telling who his in a relationship with that he could never love her.

    In another verse,a woman told him she could never love him.

    There was a man who had told her those same words;"I want you, I need you, but there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you".

    History repeats itself over and over again.

  13. anonymous
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    Sep 7th 2020 !⃝

    He says he tries to show how much he cares. Caring is love, right? I love the song but it is unkind to say I am never gonna love You. He wants her. Is this lust? He needs her. I certainly do not want to be needed but not loved in a romantic relationship. He needs to go. The snow is piling up outside so maybe wait until it is safe to leave. If she is the same girl that he loved and she said that unkind Two out of Three ain’t bad and he wants to love her, maybe counseling would help. If he is still in love with another girl who is never gonna love him, let him go.

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 25th 2020 !⃝

    Maybe the line 'the snow is really piling up outside. I wish you wouldn't make me leave here .'metaphorically saying that it's a cold world out there and he's more comfortable with taking his chances then staying in a relationship that hes certain'is not ' a relationship that essentially never was and he's accepted that. No hard feelings but I'm better off taking my chances out there in the cold cruel world then staying here and living in emotional torment. Life's too short sweetie. . . Gotta go, good luck. LYLAS!

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 25th 2020 !⃝

    Maybe the line the snow is really piling up outside I wish you wouldn't make me leave here is is metaphorically saying that it's a cold world out there and he's more comfortable with taking his chances then staying in a relationship that hes certain'is not ' a relationship never was and he's accepted that. No hard feelings but I'm better off taking my chances out there in the cold cruel world and staying here and living in emotional torment Life's too short got to go

  16. anonymous
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    May 6th 2020 !⃝

    Everyone misses the real point, but it’s Psychiatry 101.
    This is text book “Reaction Formation”
    A Psychiatrist’s wet dream.
    The reaction is being told he will never be loved. The formation is the result that he will never love.

  17. anonymous
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    Apr 17th 2020 !⃝

    I think he means he can only love once but he still needs someone in his life, so having loved and lost he is unwilling to love again

  18. anonymous
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    Jan 2nd 2020 !⃝

    Lol, He lives can’t commit, because he’s a priest?

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