Cruel

"**Cruel**" is a song by English singer-songwriter Foxes from her second studio album, *All I Need*. The song was the fourth track on the album.

## Background

“Cruel” is one of the more upbeat tracks from Foxes' second album, similar to “Wicked Love”. Note that though the song has a video, it wasn’t made a single. It’s rumoured that Foxes and her label had disputes about it.

Foxes was in London, where she primarily wanted the album to be recorded, when the song was made. Though she had already recorded most of the album in Los Angeles, Sweden, and Wales, she wanted to finish it off in London.

She called up producer Kid Harpoon, who she had previously worked with on “Let Go for Tonight”, and they wrote “Cruel” together.

Foxes talks about working with Kid Harpoon:

"*I love the work he’s done with Florence and… you know, with Jessie Ware and some great, great people. So, he’s great to bring out that… you know, I’ll have kind of like a ‘sadness’ I’ll write about and he makes things feel uplifting at the same time, which I think is really great."*

The track was debuted on her Autumn 2015 UK Tour on the first gig in Glasgow. Within the same tour, lyrics in the second verse were modified. See the alternate lyrics here

## Lyrics

Ah, ah
Ah, ah
Tell a lie, tell a lie that makes me want to stay
Give me something out of nothing, if it's not too late
If it's real, if it's real, I guess I'll feel the pain
Come in closer, out of focus
Oh, and it's hard to
It's hard to love someone who can't be loved (can't be loved, can't be loved)
But it's what you do, it's what you do
Baby, you're so cruel, you're so cruel (you're so cruel)
'Cause you got me bound to you, bound to you (bound to you)
This love I can't undo, can't undo (can't undo)
'Cause you got me bound to you, bound to you (bound to you)
Ah (ah-ah-ah-a-ah-ah-ah)
Ah (ah-ah-ah-a-ah-ah-ah)
Losing me, carelessly, you sacrifice
Give me something out of nothing, if it's not too late
Did you steal or borrow me, it's on my life
Come in closer, out of focus
Oh, and it's hard to
It's hard to love someone who can't be loved (can't be loved, can't be loved)
But it's what you do, it's what you do
Baby, you're so cruel, you're so cruel (so cruel)
'Cause you got me bound to you, bound to you (bound to you)
This love I can't undo, can't undo (can't undo)
'Cause you got me bound to you, bound to you (bound to you)
All I do is pray and it's keeping me awake
When I try to leave, I think that you need me
Do you?
Baby, you're so cruel, you're so cruel
But I'm still bound to you, bound to you (bound to you)
There's a line that pulls me back to you
There's only so much I can do
A bind that holds the spark
Wrapped around my heart
There's only so much I can do
When you got me bound to you
Baby, you're so cruel, you're so cruel (you're so cruel)
'Cause you got me bound to you, bound to you (bound to you)
This love I can't undo, can't undo (can't undo)
'Cause you got me bound to you, bound to you (bound to you)
All I do is pray and it's keeping me awake
When I try to leave, I think that you need me
Do you?
Baby, you're so cruel, you're so cruel
But I'm still bound to you, bound to you
I'm still bound to you, bound to you
I'm still bound to you (ah)
I'm still bound to you (ah)
I'm still bound to you (ah)

## Music video

A music video to "Cruel" was released on YouTube

**Track listing:**
"Rise Up (Intro)" • "Better Love" • "Body Talk" • "**Cruel**" • "If You Leave Me Now" • "Amazing" • "Devil Side" • "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" • "Wicked" • "Scar" • "Money" • "On My Way" • "Shoot Me Down" • "Lose My Cool" • "All I Need" • "Rise Up (Reprise)"