Lyrics
Verse
Two broken hearts lonely looking like houses where nobody lives
Two people both having so much pride inside
Neither side forgives
Angry words spoken in haste
Such a waste of two lives
It's my belief pride is the chief cause
In the decline
In the number of husbands and wives
Chorus
A man and a woman, woman and a man
Some can, some can't, some can
Verse (Repeat)
Outro
It's my belief pride is the chief cause
In the decline
In the number of husbands and wives
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"Husbands and Wives" names pride as the reason marriages break down, describing two people so certain of being right that neither offers forgiveness. B.J. Thomas keeps the picture general, "a man and a woman, woman and a man," so the song reads as commentary on marriage itself rather than one particular relationship.
The repeated line "pride is the chief cause in the decline in the number of husbands and wives" functions as the song's argument, blunt rather than sentimental. Where many wedding songs picture the beginning of a marriage, this one looks at what erodes marriages already established, treating humility as the quality most often missing when a household falls apart.
Set among songs about Christian love and marriage, it works as a caution rather than a celebration, naming a failure pattern plainly so it can be recognized and resisted rather than glossed over with romantic language.
Related Scripture
- Proverbs 13:10 The song names pride as the cause of marital breakdown, matching the proverb's warning that pride produces only strife.