Lonely Child is from my favourite balladeer and troubadour Christina Perri. The song is the 9th track from her 2nd studio album Head or Heart and the 4th song to be presented here so far from that wonderful album. Following the whirlwind success of her debut album Lovestrong, Perri found herself grappling with the pressures of fame and personal turmoil.
Lonely Child is a hauntingly beautiful song which has such penetrative and poignant lyrics about a fleeting romance that went as fast as it came, but Perri’s on the attack here:
May your untamed heart stay restless running wild / ‘Cause you’re only, just a lonely, lonely child.
I love the enticing drum rhythm here not to mention how the song morphs into western music with that magnetic guitar which opens the Bridge. It’s Perri doing what she does best which is honing her art to blend raw emotion with haunting melodies. As a listener it puts you smack-bang into her thinking process and given dilema. It’s just fantastic songwriting. Below the original version (with Spanish subtitles) I have included a live performance of Lonely Child which opens with ‘Lollypop‘. While Lonely Child may not have achieved the same commercial success as some of Perri’s more mainstream hits, it has garnered my attention amongst other dedicated fans because of its emotional depth and relatable lyrics. It’s heaven for those who love Perri’s introspective style.
[Verse 1]
Just as fast as you came
Just as fast as the sunset
You pushed me away, you pushed me down
Down, down, down
Where my dreams lay
And just as quick as you left
Just as quick as you left my heart undressed
And I fell down, down, down, down
You took my wish back to the well
And I remember all the words that you said
That love is just a spark that starts in your heart
And ends in your head
[Chorus]
Darling, come down, come down
You’ll lose yourself in the clouds
Slow down, slow down
Your world’s spinning around
May your untamed heart stay restless running wild
‘Cause you’re only, just a lonely, lonely child
[Verse 2]
Just as dark as the night
Just as dark as the night
When I lost my mind, I lost control
Down, down, down
You let me sell my love for my soul
And I remember all the words that you wrote
That love is just a sound that plays in your heart
And gets caught in your throat
[Chorus]
Darling, come down, come down
You’ll lose yourself in the clouds
Slow down, slow down
Your world’s spinning around
May your untamed heart stay restless running wild
‘Cause you’re only, just a lonely, lonely child
[Bridge]
And I remember all the words that you said
That love is just a spark that starts in your heart and ends your head
[Chorus]
[Outro]
Cha-cha-cha!
References:
1. Head or Heart – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Great song! Though it’s new to me, it’s definitely one of my favorites that I’ve heard by Christina Perri. Love the lively guitar-driven groove and her vocals are wonderful.
My kids and I were listening to both versions yesterday morning; the original and live. My son isn’t a fan of Perri at all, but my daughter loved it and started singing it in no time.
This song definitely wasn’t well received here with just 4 likes up to now which is even low by my meagre following. Moreover Perri seems a fairly divisive artist in so far people either really take to her or are easily put off. I’m obviously in the former camp. Apart from you and ‘Tom’ (dylan6111), her music hasn’t really grabbed anyone else despite so much exposure here. I’m delighted you thought so highly of this as do I.