Rascal Flatts - Let It Hurt Lyrics
Lyrics
7:42 in the morning
8 seconds before it all sinks in
Put your best face on for the world
Fake another smile and just pretend
But you're just puttin' off the pain
Nothing's ever really gonna change
So let it hurt, let it bleed
Let it take you right down to your knees
Let it burn to the worst degree
May not be what you want, but it's what you need
Sometimes the only way around it
Is to let love do it's work
And let it hurt
Yeah, let it hurt
3:28 in the morning
Countin' up the spaces between the rain
You're gettin' used to the rocks at the bottom
Your heart goes numb, but the lonely stays the same
And that's the price you're bound to pay
And there's really nothing anyone can say
Oh, there's only just one way
So let it hurt, let it bleed
Let it take you right down to your knees
Let it burn to the worst degree
May not be what you want, but it's what you need
Sometimes the only way around it
Is to let love do it's work
So go on
Yeah, let it hurt
You might just find you're better for it
When you let go and you learn
To let it hurt, let it bleed
Let it take you right down to your knees
Oh...
Sometimes the only way around it
Is to let love do it's work
So go on
And let it hurt
Oh, let it hurt
7:42 in the morning
8 seconds before it all sinks in
Video
Let It Hurt - Rascal Flatts
Meaning & Inspiration
Released in 2012 as part of the *Changed (Deluxe Edition)* album, Rascal Flatts' "Let It Hurt" offers a profound, albeit secular, meditation on navigating the unavoidable pain and grief that life presents. While not explicitly Christian, the song's core message resonates deeply with biblical principles of embracing hardship as a catalyst for growth and healing. The narrative of the song centers on the futility of suppression, illustrating how attempts to mask or delay emotional suffering only prolong the agony. The opening verses paint a picture of forced smiles and feigned normalcy, acknowledging that this pretense is merely a temporary postponement of inevitable pain. The recurring lines about time – 7:42 in the morning and 3:28 in the morning – serve not as literal markers but as symbolic representations of those quiet, often dark hours where pain can feel most acute and overwhelming, when the distractions of the day have faded.
The central thesis of "Let It Hurt" is encapsulated in its powerful chorus, urging listeners to surrender to their pain rather than resist it. The repetition of "let it hurt, let it bleed, let it take you right down to your knees" is a raw invitation to embrace the full spectrum of emotional experience. This stark imagery, while intense, speaks to a truth echoed in Scripture: that true healing often comes not from avoidance but from confronting the wounds. The song suggests that this raw experience, this "burning to the worst degree," might not be what we desire, but it is precisely what is needed for genuine transformation. This aligns with the biblical understanding that trials and tribulations refine us, much like gold is purified by fire. Proverbs 17:3, for instance, states, "The finery of a crucible is for silver, and a furnace for gold, but the Lord tests hearts." The song posits that allowing oneself to "hurt" is a necessary step, a form of allowing "love to do its work." This is reminiscent of Romans 5:3-5, which speaks of boasting in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. The song’s assertion that "sometimes the only way around it is to let love do its work" suggests a faith that transcends the immediate pain, hinting at a redemptive process. The closing lines, "You might just find you're better for it, when you let go and you learn," offer a hopeful conclusion, suggesting that by embracing the difficult, we emerge stronger and more resilient. This echoes the sentiment found in James 1:2-4, encouraging believers to "consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." "Let It Hurt", therefore, serves as an anthem for courageous vulnerability, reminding us that in allowing ourselves to fully feel our pain, we create the space for true healing and growth, a testament to the enduring power of confronting hardship head-on, a principle deeply rooted in faith and the human condition.