Betrayal
Lyrics
When the book of love is written, I am the writer
And by the last page, you will not be mentioned
It's not because you never loved me
It's just because you lost your faith
This is a story of betrayal
You couldn't see your fall from grace
So take the hammer, hit the nail
You'll never take my mother's place
Open the dam, let the water crash in
Let it go, let it go, let it go
Open the dam, let the watеr rush in
Let it go, let it go, let it go
Thе chapters, they are many, the verses, they are few
I hope that when it's over, I'll still think of you
It's not because I can't forgive you
It's just because I lost my faith
This is the story of survival
You couldn't see your fall from grace
So take the hammer, hit the nail
You'll never take my mother's place
Open the dam, let the water crash in
Let it go, let it go, let it go
Open the dam, let the water rush in
Let it go, let it go, let it go
Open the dam, let the water crash in
Let it go, let it go, let it go
Open the dam, let the water rush in
Let it go, let it go, let it go
And we're dancing, yes we're dancing
But together, forever
You betrayed me, you enslaved me
One together, till the end
And we're dancing, yes we're dancing
But together, forever
Used to hate you, I don't hate you
But forever, till the end
Open the dam, let the water crash in
Let it go, let it go, let it go
Credits
Written by Madonna, Stuart Price, Mirwais and Erik Satie
Produced by Madonna, Stuart Price, Mirwais and Parisi
Bass, keyboards by Stuart Price
Keyboards by Mirwais
Piano by Kamilla Arku
Keyboards by Marco Parisi
The piano riff is taken from the composition 'Gnossienne no. 1' by French composer Erik Satie, written in 1893.
Album
Song
Some of the lyrics, especially the line 'You'll never take my mother's place', seem to refer to her stepmother Joan Gustafson Ciccone, who passed away in 2024 after a battle with cancer. In interviews Madonna mentioned that the passing of her stepmother and her brother Christopher were inspirations for the album.