One, two, three, hit it!
Keep, keep it together
Forever, keep people together
Keep, keep it together
Forever, keep people together
Keep, keep it together
Forever, keep people together
Keep, keep it together
Forever, keep people together
[Verse 1]
I got brothers, I got some sisters too
Stuck in the middle, tell you what I'm gonna do
Gonna get out of here, I'm gonna leave this place
So I can forget every single hungry face
[Pre-Chorus]
I'm tired of sharing all the hand-me-downs
To get attention, I must always be the clown
I wanna be different, I wanna be on my own
But Daddy said, 'Listen, you will always have a home"
[Chorus]
Keep it together in the family
They're a reminder of your history
Brothers and sisters they hold the key
To your heart and your soul
Don't forget that your family is gold
I hit the big time, but I still get the blues
Everyone's a stranger, city life can get to you
People can be so cold, never want to turn your back
Just giving to get something, always wanting something back
[Pre-Chorus]
When I get lonely and I need to be
Loved for who I am, not what they want to see
Brothers and sisters, they've always been there for me
We have a connection, home is where the heart should be
[Chorus]
Keep it together in the family
They're a reminder of your history
Brothers and sisters they hold the key
To your heart and your soul
Don't forget that your family is gold
[Bridge]
When I look back on all the misery
And all the heartache that they brought to me
I wouldn't change it for another chance
Because blood is thicker than any other circumstance
[Refrain]
Keep, keep it together
Forever, keep people together
Keep, keep it together
Forever, keep people together
When I get lonely and I need to be
Loved for who I am, not what they want to see
Brothers and sisters, they've always been there for me
We have a connection, home is where the heart should be
[Bridge]
When I look back on all the misery
And all the heartache that they brought to me
I wouldn't change it for another chance
Because blood is thicker than any other circumstance
[Chorus]
Keep it together in the family
They're a reminder of your history
Brothers and sisters they hold the key
To your heart and your soul
Don't forget that your family is gold
[Outro]
Keep, keep it together
Keep people together forever and ever
Keep, keep it together
Keep people together forever and ever
Keep, keep it together
Keep people together forever and ever
Keep, keep it together
Keep people together forever and ever
Keep, keep it together
Keep people together forever and ever
Keep, keep it together
Keep people together forever and ever
Keep, keep it together
Keep people together forever and ever
Keep, keep it together
Keep people together forever and ever
Keep, keep it together
Keep people together forever and ever
Keep, keep it together
Keep people together forever and ever
About
“Keep It Together” is the sixth and final single from Like A Prayer. Written shortly after Madonna’s divorce with American actor Sean Penn, the song’s lyrical content shows the singer looking back on her relationship with her family.
In Interview Magazine, Madonna told Becky Johnson:
I didn’t feel close to anybody in my family when I was growing up. […] I didn’t feel close to my older brothers, they were just typical older brothers who tortured me all the time. And I didn’t feel close to my sisters. There was a lot of competition in our family, […] so, I worked really hard in school. I was a straight-A student, and they all hated me for it because I did it more for the position I was going to have in my father’s eyes that for whatever I was going to learn by studying. Then when I got a little older—when I was in high school and started dancing really seriously—I’d say I got closer to my brothers. My oldest brother opened my eyes to lots of things […].
Sonically, the track is a tribute to American funk band Sly and The Family Stone. During her 1990 Blond Ambition Tour, Madonna would sing a verse of the band’s “Family Affair” as an introduction to “Keep It Together”, the closing number of the show.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 3.Love Song
- 6.Cherish
- 7.Dear Jessie
- 8.Oh Father
- 9.Keep It Together
