What does Heartbreak Warfare mean?

John Mayer: Heartbreak Warfare Meaning

Album cover for Heartbreak Warfare album cover

Song Released: 2009


Heartbreak Warfare Lyrics

Lightning strikes
Inside, my chest to keep me up at night
Dream of ways
To make you understand my pain

Clouds of sulfur in the air
Bombs are falling everywhere
It's heartbreak warfare
Once you want it to begin,
No one really ever...

  1. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 20th 2020 !⃝

    Its all about pride, they love or like each other but no one is willing to show how serious that feelings is, instead they are trying to use other means to get the reaction of one another by doing things that would hurt just to know how the other one truly felt, and so the other one will pretend feeling nothing and that the other person will feel bad and the emotional war begins, by breaking hearts. If only one will let go of his/her pride and confess what he/she truly felt then the heartbreak warfare will end.

  2. anonymous
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    May 25th 2018 !⃝

    This song has a heartbreaking effect on me... My husband use to send this to me before we were married and I never could understand the meaning until we married 2 years later and then 6 months later he committed suicide in our bedroom with me home... I didn't know he was in such a dark place ....After his suicide I truly considered it too bc of the freaking PAIN ...

  3. anonymous
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    Apr 21st 2018 !⃝

    According to Mayer Heartbreak Warfare is "about when you cant get through to someone by loving them you try to get through by hurting them". I see it as the art of trying to destroy each other within a relationship in an attempt to make the other person feel as much pain as they have caused in you. But neither want the relationship to end - they feed off it - they really just want the other person to get how they feel because once you do they will obviously feel horrible and fight to prove they are just as invested in you and they didnt mean to hurt you either.
    The bombs being lobbied are those little things you know pisses the other person off. Mayer specifies "drop his name" - I dont think it refers to cheating necessarily- he may be an ex, a friend or coworker whom she knows he is jealous of (Mayer has introduced this song referring to himself as the one who has pulled the 'another girl' card to make someone jealous and how it never works out well).
    The red wine and ambien... talking shit again... doesnt, to me imply things are good again as, suggested above, but now she is intoxicated and now makes no sense; one could also infer one of his issues with her is her use of wine and Ambien and how those 2 things make things worse - because he says "good to know its a game" - he feels as though he is trying to make an effort to work it out and he realises there is no point.

  4. anonymous
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    Oct 11th 2012 !⃝

    To be honest i think this song is about cheating.

    She confesses that she is cheating, with another because she doesn't get the 'love' that she 'needs'.

    Drop his name
    Push it in and twist the knife again
    Watch my face
    As I pretend to feel no pain

    He is truly hurt by all this and they start to fight,

    Clouds of sulfur in the air
    Bombs are falling everywhere
    It's heartbreak warfare
    Once you want it to begin,
    No one really ever wins
    In heartbreak warfare

    He blames her for not asking for what she needs;

    If you want more love,
    why don't you say so?
    If you want more love,
    why don't you say so?

    With other words, don't go seek love anywhere else just say so.

    I don't care if we don't sleep at all tonight
    Let's just fix this whole thing now
    I swear to God we're gonna get it right
    If you lay your weapon down
    Red wine and ambien
    You're talking shit again, it's heartbreak warfare
    Good to know it's all a game
    Disappointment has a name, it's heartbreak, heartbreak.

    He wants to fix it all, but is dissapointend in his relation. He blames the lover for being in this situation.


    (Best english I can offer you, sorry ;)

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 16th 2012 !⃝

    Well, I can see this single represents the whole album since its comparing romance to war. But the interpretation is kinda similar to "Slow dancing in a burning room." but it has a proper plot line.

    "Lightning strikes
    Inside, my chest to keep me up at night
    Dream of ways
    To make you understand my pain"

    the emotional feelings are keeping him awake since the electrifying anger is in his heart and he's desperate to show how much he is hurt by this harsh breakup

    "Clouds of sulfur in the air
    Bombs are falling everywhere
    It's heartbreak warfare
    Once you want it to begin,
    No one really ever wins
    In heartbreak warfare"

    this metaphor of course describes the relationship/breakup. And it's pointless to make this breakup harmful since no one wins and someone gets really damaged from "Clouds of sulfur in the air [and the] bombs [that] are falling everywhere.

    "If you want more love,
    why don't you say so?
    If you want more love,
    why don't you say so?"

    She did it because she was mad since she thought that he wasn't interested in her allot "If you want more love." but he really was or can be "why don't you say so?"

    "How come the only way to know how high you get me
    is to see how far I fall
    God only knows how much I'd love you if you let me
    but I can't break through at all."

    he's saying questioning her about how hurting him is going make him love. He does love her, she's not allowing him to show his love.

    "I don't care if we don't sleep at all tonight
    Let's just fix this whole thing now
    I swear to God we're gonna get it right
    If you lay your weapon down
    Red wine and ambien
    You're talking sh*t again, it's heartbreak warfare
    Good to know it's all a game
    Disappointment has a name, it's heartbreak, heartbreak."

    In this imagery, he simply wants to mend the relationship back by asking her to stop harming and speaking about hatred "Red wine and ambien You're talking sh*t again." Finally, everything is back on track that its just a mistake or thats its not taken seriously anymore since "it's all a game." but heartbreaks do lead to disappointment.


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