Secret To The End

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Secret To The End
Song	Secret To The End
By	Depeche Mode
Songwriter	Dave Gahan Kurt Uenala
Produced by	Ben Hillier
Recorded at	Sound Design (Santa Barbara) Jungle City (New York)
Length (mm:ss)	5:12
Tempo	95 BPM
Time signature	4 4
Key	F Minor
Programmed by	Christoffer Berg
Engineered by	Ferg Peterkin
Engineering assistance	Tomas del Toro-Diaz Will Loomis Dan Tobiason
Mixed by	Flood
Mix engineering	Rob Kirwan
Mixing assistance	Drew Smith
Vocal recording	Kurt Uenala
Mastered by	Bunt Stafford-Clark
Design	Anton Corbijn
Photography	Anton Corbijn
Backprojection images	Anja Grabert
Recorded	March–October 2012
Originally released	22 March 2013
Live performances as Depeche Mode	33 times *
Total live performances	33 times *

"Secret To The End" is a song from the 2013 album Delta Machine by Depeche Mode.

Notes

Dave Gahan told Q magazine in March 2013:

"[Getting cancer] certainly did affect what I wrote. When that phrase came out, "I can feel the presence of God" [from 'Presence Of God'] I'm thinking, I can't sing that! And 'Secret To The End' for Delta Machine, every verse ending with, "Is this the end? Should this be the end?" It was seeing myself for the first time. The wondering "Why, why, why? What's it all about?" I'm going to do something useful with it, try to be the best father and husband I can be... and the best musician. I wrote myself back into life."

In March 2023, most of the demos for Delta Machine were leaked, including two versions of Secret To The End. The first demo contains lyrics that were slightly different from the final version, most notably the the absence of the refrain where Dave and Martin sing "The problem // Should have been you (should have been you)..."

Lyrics

Secret To The End

Oh when I look at you

I'm probably the same way too

I got a feeling that it's coming soon

Could this be the end

When I look around this room

There must be something I can do

Can I convince you that it isn't true

We've come to the end

Did I disappoint you

I wanted to believe it's true

Oh the book of love was not enough

To see us through

The problem

Should have been you (should have been you)

Should have been you (could have been you)

Should have been you (would have been you)

(Should have been you, would have been you)

If it hadn't been me

(Would have been you, could have been you)

Should have been you (should have been you)

Should have been you (would have been you)

(Should have been you)

If it hadn't been me

It seems so obvious to you

You're feeling what I am feeling too

The final chapter in the contract expires soon

We've come to the end

Thank God I'm not the same as you

You always know exactly what to do

It's who I am, it's not like you

We've come to the end

Did I disappoint you

I wanted to believe it's true

The book of love was not enough

To see us through

The problem

Should have been you (should have been you)

Should have been you (could have been you)

Should have been you (would have been you)

(Should have been you, could have been you)

If it hadn't been me

(Would have been you, could have been you)

Should have been you (should have been you)

Should have been you (would have been you)

(Should have been you)

If it hadn't been me

Songwriter: Dave Gahan / Kurt Uenala
Publishing Information: ©2013 EMI Blackwood Music Inc. o/b/o / JJSR Productions Inc. (BMI) / Chocolate Robot (ASCAP). All rights reserved.

Lyrics of the demo version (differences highlighted in bold):

Oh when I look at you

I'm probably the same way too

I've got a feeling that it's coming soon

Could this be the end

When I look around this room

There must be something I can do

I can't convince you that it isn't true

We've come to the end

Did I disappoint you

I wanted to believe it's true

Oh the book of love was not enough

To see us through

You must have a secret

Is there a secret

The secret for love

It seems so obvious to you

You're feeling what I am feeling too

The final chapter in the contract expires soon

We've come to the end

I know I'm not the same as you

You always know exactly what to do

[...] who I am is not for you

So we come to the end

Did I disappoint you

I wanted to believe in you

The book of love was not enough

To see us through

You must have the secret

Is there a secret

A secret for love

Secret

Secret

Secret

Oh...

Secret

Secret

Secret

Oh...

Secret

Secret

Secret

Oh...

Oh...

Secret

You must have the secret

Is there a secret

Oh...

Live performances

Main article: Available recordings of "Secret To The End"

Main article: List of dates where "Secret To The End" was played