What does Rolling in the Deep mean?

Adele: Rolling in the Deep Meaning

Album cover for Rolling in the Deep album cover

Song Released: 2010


Rolling in the Deep Lyrics

There's a fire starting in my heart,
Reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out of the dark

Finally, I can see you crystal clear.
Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your shit bare.
See how I leave, with every piece of you
Don't...

  1. anonymous
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    Jul 10th 2011 !⃝

    I feel like this song is about a woman who discovered that her husband has been cheating on her. The lyrics are the things she is thinking while waiting for him to come home (he doesn't know she knows yet). She thought they had a good relationship and gave herself totaly to this love. A few sentences like:
    Don't underestimate the things that I will do.

    There's a fire starting in my heart,
    Reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark

    You're gonna wish you, never had met me.


    They make me think She is going to kill him or at least take serious revenge.

  2. anonymous
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    Jul 9th 2011 !⃝

    "Played it to the beat"

    Whenever you catch someone cheating, it is like finally seeing someone crystal clear. Then your mind brings back all those thousands of little lies leading up to that moment, and you put them all together into one big picture. Just like seeing clearly through those thousands of glasses on the floor in the video, each one dancing to the same beat. That beat is the theme of what our society calls a hot guy (or girl). So yeah, kind of like a musician with no real emotion, just playing to the beat.

    She may really be thinking of killing him... not seriously though.

    This song really touches a raw nerve. If you can step back and look at it, its funny so many identify; though their pain is not funny, it colors their responses. I agree that this can be a serious downside of having sex. Almost by definition, cheaters cant wait.

  3. anonymous
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    Jul 9th 2011 !⃝

    She loved a guy who didn`t love her. In this song she shows her anger with the guy, because she thought he`d loved her, but he was only playing with her emotions!

  4. anonymous
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    Jul 9th 2011 !⃝

    She's talking about how she flirted with him and made a spark(there's a fire starting my heart) that's bring me out the dark. That's bringing me 2 u.and how he used him and isn't afraid of you.....

  5. anonymous
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    Jul 9th 2011 !⃝

    me <---- probably one of the reasons people write songs like this...

    anyway... i was wondering about interpretations of "played it to the beat"

    could that be along the lines of a musician who lacks true emotion?

    if so, there was no "all" to have. only the imagination of what sounds like someone with serious anger management issues. a good reason to get out.

    never the less, that sex-trap game is a double edged sword. everyone gets wet rolling in the deep.

  6. anonymous
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    Jul 8th 2011 !⃝

    He cheated on her and she is one pissed lady.
    "But I've heard one of you and I'm gonna make your head burn. Think of me in the depths of your despair. Making a home down there, as mine sure won't be shared." ...."(you're gonna wish you never had met me)"
    Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. She's hurt, angry and going to get even with him. "Don't underestimate the things that I will do."
    Once I read the lyrics, it kind of all made sense, and now I like the song even more! She's feisty!

  7. anonymous
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    Jul 7th 2011 !⃝

    There is no deeper meaning to this song. It's just another bland dime-a-dozen song that is played every 20 minutes or so at work on the radio. This is Adele, the singer with the million-dollar voice who refuses to stop smoking. All she sings about is relationships that have gone down the toilet.

  8. anonymous
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    Jul 7th 2011 !⃝

    I think this song means two people in a relashionship that went wrong. Like the meaning we could of had it all rolling in the deep. It's like her love and her could of had everything but her love chose drugs and they lost everything because he was rolling in the deep. Lots of relationship has that problem when there loved one gets into drugs.

  9. anonymous
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    Jul 7th 2011 !⃝

    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=roll%20deep

  10. anonymous
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    Jul 7th 2011 !⃝

    It's about getting revenge on the guy who broke your heart. Like, when someone breaks up with you, and you realize that they were only playing with your heart. And then you get angry and you want revenge, and this song basically talks about it.

  11. anonymous
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    Jul 2nd 2011 !⃝

    Ok, I'm pretty high right now so try and stay with me on this one.... Rolling in the Deep is referring to the wealth that her and her loved one "could" have had if only he didn't play her out and ruin everything. The means to being wealthy was dealing drugs, probably cocaine, suggested and portrayed by the ninja with a sword dancing around in a room with white powder all over the floor. His dance moves resemble their skill, their knowledge, their professionalism in the business that would have taken them so far and have made them so wealthy and successful they would have been "rolling in the deep" life of money and glamour. The main beat throughout the song is the same rhythm of the human heart. "You had my heart in your hand," Meaning, you had all of my love and trust susceptible to you. "And you played it," meaning, At one point we loved each other and we were so good at what we do that we could own it all but you played me because you were selfish and ruined it all. The white pottery being tossed down their stairs and breaking into a pile on the landing exemplifies all the wealth and money going down the drain and being lost due to the fact the he ruined everything by going against their love. The countless crystal glasses full of water literally showing the beat (of her heart) portray him leading her into a position where he would hope to prosper while screwing over her. But she could see through his ploy (crystal clear glass), and prepared herself to not be manipulated. At the beginning of the song she warns him to not underestimate her and what she can do and what she is capable of. There's a fire burning in her heart thats reaching a fever pitch thats bringing her out of the dark is a metaphor for her starting to realize all the small clues as to what he is going to do to her so she puts the puzzle together and gets out of the dark before he can screw her over. Then this is where she warns him as to what she is capable of and she threatens that she can "leave his ship bare" if he "sells her out." The house is their ship that they could have had together or what they were about to have. It was their place of business as well as their home where they lived. A big decorated home with nothing in it. The status of their current relationship -- Empty. And one more thing. The white model of the big city represented the big city in which they would have taken over with the cocaine trade. And what happens next? White power sprinkles down all over the city. (Them being the main cocaine distributors and Rolling in the Deeeeep.) Damn, I wish I smoked more when I used to write papers in college because this stuff is deep!!!

  12. anonymous
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    Jul 1st 2011 !⃝

    I agree with the interpretation that she is planning to kill the guy as her revenge...like he is going to hell and make his home down there and gonna be rolling in the deep with tears falling.

  13. anonymous
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    Jun 29th 2011 !⃝

    Adele described the song to Spin Magazine as a kiss-off to an unfaithful dude. "It's me saying, 'Get the f--- out of my house instead of me begging him to come back."

  14. anonymous
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    Jun 29th 2011 !⃝

    Perhaps... And I haven't seen this interpretation anywhere so please feel free to counter it :)

    "There's a fire starting in my heart,
    Reaching a fever pitch
    - and it's bringing me out of the dark
    Finally, I can see you crystal clear."
    She has found a new love. Heart usually refers to love and not anger. And it's letting her see her former love in a new light.

    "Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your shit bare."
    She knows what she is doing is wrong but he has done so much worse.

    "See how I leave, with every piece of you.
    Don't underestimate the things that I will do to you."
    She is coming out on top and if he tries to hurt her she'll get back at him.

    "The scars of your love, remind me of us.
    They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
    The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
    I can't help feeling...
    We could have had it all..."
    She still loves him deeply but he is in some way damaged beon repair/love.

    "(you're gonna wish you, never had met me)..."
    He's going to be hurt by her actions.

    "Rolling in the Deep
    (Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)"
    I think he is the one Rolling in the deep. Perhaps meaning some kind of substance abuse but the song isn’t clear about the specific reason.

    "Your had my heart...
    (you're gonna wish you)...
    Inside of your hand
    (Never had met me)
    And you played it...
    (Tears are gonna fall)...
    To the beat
    (Rolling in the deep)"
    He had the key to her heart and did everything right. But he is "rolling in the deep".

    “Baby I have no story to be told,
    But I've heard one of you and I'm gonna make your head burn.”
    She has nothing to be ashamed of even though she is the one leaving. She is leaving a broken man – and she knows his secret whatever that may be.

    “Think of me in the depths of your despair.
    Making a home down there, as mine sure won't be shared.”
    He has dug his own grave and she won’t be taking him in or be helping him anymore.

    “Throw your soul through every open door (Whoa)
    Count your blessings to find what look for (Whoa-uh)
    Turn my sorrow into treasured gold (Whoa)
    And pay me back in kind
    - You'll reap just what you sow.”
    She hopes that he will keep trying to find love or happiness. Through himself at everything and prey for a better outcome. And she will be glad if he succeeds and turns her sorrow into gold. If he shows he that he was better than she took him fore. Pays her back by hurting her just as she is hurting him. It would in some way be just.

    I’ve left out some repeats…
    Please tell me what you think :)

  15. anonymous
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    Jun 28th 2011 !⃝

    I think Adele uses the term Rolling in the Deep as a nautical term ...when the sea is rough in deep water and it takes everything you have to fight the constant rolling..she references laying your ship bare earlier in the song...




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