Secret To The End

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3. Heaven
4. Secret To The End
List of Delta Machine songs
5. My Little Universe
Secret To The End
Album-Delta.jpg
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)..." and the presence of Dave singing "You must have the secret // Is there a secret // The secret for love...".

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.

Live performances

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