TEARS FOR FEARS – Suffer The Children / Watch Me Bleed (1983)

“Suffer the Children” marks the expression of the group’s distinct blend of emotional intensity and synth-driven new wave, foreshadowing their later commercial and critical success. The lyrics focus on the pain carried from childhood into adulthood, suggesting that unhealed childhood wounds lead to emotional dysfunction. The song’s title is an ironic twist on the biblical phrase “Suffer the little children to come unto me” (Mark 10:14), reframed to highlight neglect rather than compassion.

“Watch Me Bleed” is a plea for recognition, a cry for someone to witness the narrator’s inner pain. The repeated refrain “watch me bleed” is not literal but emotional: it refers to psychic or emotional suffering, often invisible to others, yet deeply real to the person experiencing it. Lines like “Heaven only knows what you do to me” convey helplessness and powerlessness in a relationship—or in the face of parental or societal neglect. The Hurting is often described as one of the most emotionally literate pop albums of the 1980s. “Watch Me Bleed” contributes to this by offering a personal snapshot of despair, not in dramatic theatrics, but in subdued pain.

SUFFER THE CHILDREN

It’s a sad affair When there’s no one there He calls out in the night And it’s so unfair At least it seems that way When you gave him his life

And all this time he’s been getting you down You ought to pick him up when there’s no one around And convince him Just talk to him ’cause he knows in his heart you won’t be home soon He’s an only child in an only room And he’s dependent on you Oh he’s dependent on you

And it seems so strange That at the end of the day Making love can be so good But the Pain of birth What is it worth When it don’t turn out the way it should

And all this time he’s been getting you down You ought to pick him up when there’s no one around And convince him Just talk to him ’cause he knows in his heart you won’t be home soon He’s an only child in an only room And he’s dependent on you Oh, he’s dependent on you

la la la la la la la, la la la la la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la la la la la la la, la la la la la

Suffer, suffer the children Suffer, suffer the children Suffer, suffer the children Suffer, suffer the children Suffer, suffer the children Suffer, suffer the children Suffer, suffer the children

WATCH ME BLEED

Heaven comes to he who waits But I know I’m getting nowhere And all the deeds of yesterday Have really helped to pave my way

Though there’s no one near me now How come everyone can touch me You see the torture on my brow Relates to neither here nor now

Watch me bleed Bleed forever Watch me bleed Bleed forever Although my face is straight, it lies My body feels the pain and cries

Here the table is not bare I am full but feeling empty For all the warmth it feels so cold For one so young I feel so old

Watch me bleed Bleed forever Watch me bleed Bleed forever It’s not allowed to be unkind But still the hate lives in my mind

I’ll make no noise I’ll hide my pain I’ll close my eyes I won’t complain I’ll lie right back and take the blame And try to tell myself I’m living (And when it’s all been said or done) Where do I go? Where do I run? (What’s left of me or anyone) When we’ve denied the hurting?

(And when it’s all been said or done) Where do I go? Where do I run? (What’s left of me or anyone) When we’ve denied the hurting?

Watch me bleed Bleed forever Watch me bleed Bleed forever

And all the deeds of yesterday Have really helped to pave my way

Watch me bleed Bleed forever Watch me bleed Bleed forever And all the deeds of yesterday Have really helped to pave my way