"The Winner Takes It All" lyrics

"The Winner Takes It All"

I don't wanna talk
About things we've gone through
Though it's hurting me
Now it's history
I've played all my cards
And that's what you've done too
Nothing more to say
No more ace to play

The winner takes it all
The loser's standing small
Beside the victory
That's her destiny

I was in your arms
Thinking I belonged there
I figured it made sense
Building me a fence
Building me a home
Thinking I'd be strong there
But I was a fool
Playing by the rules

The gods may throw a dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear
The winner takes it all
The loser has to fall
It's simple and it's plain
Why should I complain?

But tell me does she kiss
Like I used to kiss you?
Does it feel the same
When she calls your name?
Somewhere deep inside
You must know I miss you
But what can I say?
Rules must be obeyed

The judges will decide
The likes of me abide
Spectators of the show
Always staying low
The game is on again
A lover or a friend
A big thing or a small
The winner takes it all

I don't wanna talk
If it makes you feel sad
And I understand
You've come to shake my hand
I apologize
If it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense
No self-confidence
But you see
The winner takes it all
The winner takes it all

So the winner takes it all
And the loser has to fall
Throw a dice, cold as ice
Way down here, someone dear
Takes it all, has to fall
It seems plain to me


Thanks to Angela, Ninnerz, Notary Sojac for correcting these lyrics.
Writer(s): Benny Goran Bror Andersson, Bjoern K. Ulvaeus
This is the first single from their album "Super Trouper" (1980).
Björn Ulvaeus wrote this after he and ABBA's Agnetha Fältskog got divorced. He was unsure about whether she should sing it at all, but she did after he went to the studio and played the song. The song, of course, was very personal for both of them though it's not merely autobiographical but rather a reflection of a divorce. Ulvaeus explained, "A lot of people think it's straight out of reality, but it's not."
Though this song is about the sad matter, Agnetha Fältskog said in May 2013 that it was her favourite ABBA song and added, "Björn wrote it about us after the breakdown of our marriage. The fact that he wrote it exactly when we divorced is touching really."
When Meryl Streep was recording this song for the musical "Mamma Mia!" (2008) she did it in just one take. Björn Ulvaeus praised her performance in an interview for The Telegraph, "To hear her delivering the songs with all the emotion we put in the lyrics is more than we could have dreamed of."
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