“Sacrifice” by Elton John is a powerful ballad about the challenges of love and commitment in marriage. Released in 1989, it became one of Elton John’s most commercially successful and critically acclaimed songs.
The song’s lyrics explore the complexities of staying faithful in a long-term relationship, particularly when faced with temptation. The lines “It’s a human sign/ When things go wrong/ When the scent of her lingers/ And temptation’s strong” paint a vivid picture of the internal struggle between desire and loyalty.
Lyrics
It’s a human sign
When things go wrong
When the scent of her lingers
And temptations strong
Into the boundary
Of each married man
Sweet deceit comes a callin’
And negativity lands
Cold, cold heart
Hard done by you
Some things looking better baby
Just passin’ through
And it’s no sacrifice
Just a simple word
It’s two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But it’s no sacrifice
No sacrifice
It’s no sacrifice at all
Mutual misunderstanding
After the fact
Sensitivity builds a prison
In the final act
We lose direction
No stone unturned
No tears to damn you
When jealousy burns
Cold, cold heart
Hard done by you
Some things looking better, baby
Just passin’ through
And it’s no sacrifice
Just a simple word
It’s two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But, it’s no sacrifice
No sacrifice
It’s no sacrifice, at all
Cold, cold heart
Hard done by you
Some things looking better, baby
Just passin’ through
And it’s no sacrifice
Just a simple word
It’s two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But, it’s no sacrifice
No sacrifice
It’s no sacrifice, at all
No sacrifice, at all
No sacrifice, at all
No sacrifice, at all
No sacrifice, at all
Meaning Of The Song
In these lyrics, Elton John sings how his heart has been turned cold or ‘dead’ by the actions of this other person. Often we have to turn our emotions off to prevent us from getting hurt. ‘Things that look better’ could be other men and women, whom Elton pleads to be just be by-gones.
‘Giving up’ is not a sacrifice. It’s a temporary fix to a series of temporary problems. They loved each other at one point and something is causing them to forget that. The simple word Elton refers to here could be ‘love.’ Or is it ‘sacrifice’ itself? Or could it be ‘loneliness’ which is the feeling that they could be stuck in “two separate worlds”?
‘Mutual understanding’ is a strong pillar of a successful marriage. On the flipside ‘mutual misunderstanding’ is not. When misunderstanding sets in, it eats up the relationship. Being hurt continuously is something no one can endure forever. Either they break or turn cold. In the song, we learn that being hurt too much makes one build a prison around themselves; not necessarily to restrict them, but to prevent them from dealing with things that hurt them.
In the final act, as in the last stage of their marriage, they find themselves in a situation where nothing is left to be done to salvage it. Every possible opportunity and possibility is tried and failed. All the tears are shed and all curses are thrown out.
The stronger you hold on to something/someone the harder it will be to let them go. The stronger the bond, the more jealousy it results and the more pain it causes.
Elton Jon might be suggesting that even in the final act, it is important to have a clear vision of the ‘direction’ that the couple is taking on. There is “no sacrifice” in giving up on a marriage, except for the trauma endured by the child. There is also no purpose in grinning through it “for the child,” but it is important to re-evaluate their choices and decisions and find their sense of direction.