Song Information
“Things Have Gone to Pieces” is a classic country ballad written by Leon Payne and recorded by George Jones in January 1965. It marked Jones’ first single for Musicor Records after moving from United Artists. The track was released to the public in March 1965, produced by Pappy Daily, and later included on the duet album “For the First Time! Two Great Stars – George Jones and Gene Pitney”.
Clocking in at just under 3 minutes, the song became a Top 10 hit, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It remains one of George Jones’ most beloved early works, helping establish his signature style of blending sorrow with subtle irony. The song also cemented Jones’ partnership with Payne’s writing, as he would later record an entire tribute album to Payne’s compositions.
Song Content
“Things Have Gone to Pieces” describes a man’s emotional unraveling after his lover walks out on him. But instead of speaking directly about heartbreak, he narrates the cascading collapse of his daily life. Everything seems to be falling apart — from his clothes in the closet falling to pieces, to a leaky roof, a broken wristwatch, and even the dog running off.
These seemingly small mishaps build a picture of complete devastation. Each broken item represents a fragment of his broken heart. The clever lyrical construction uses humor and exaggeration to express overwhelming sadness — a classic trait of country music storytelling.
George Jones’ voice gives weight to the absurdity. His delivery captures both despair and a sense of self-mocking awareness. Listeners can feel the pain, but they can also recognize the universal tendency to spiral when love is lost — how a bad day becomes a bad week, and how one goodbye makes the world feel hostile.
What makes this song powerful is that it doesn’t just tell us he’s sad — it shows it through everything around him going wrong. Even the smallest trouble is now unbearable because the one thing that gave life meaning is gone.
Explanation of the Curious Issue Raised
One of the most striking elements in “Things Have Gone to Pieces” is the over-the-top list of things going wrong — from socks with holes to phone lines going dead. On the surface, it might even sound comedic. But it provokes an important question: Why does everything fall apart when one person leaves?
The answer lies in how grief alters our perception of the world. When someone we love disappears from our lives, the brain starts to associate every corner of our environment with that absence. A squeaky floorboard becomes a reminder of their footsteps. A broken clock feels like time itself has stopped. What’s irrational becomes deeply symbolic.
This song captures that mental state with poetic brilliance. It exaggerates — yes — but in doing so, it captures an emotional truth. The narrator isn’t just lamenting his luck. He’s saying, “Without her, nothing makes sense.” The humor makes the sorrow more human, not less.
What makes the song linger in listeners’ minds is this duality: it’s tragic and slightly funny, realistic and metaphorical. It reflects a deeper human experience — that grief doesn’t always arrive with loud sobs. Sometimes, it shows up in the little things… going to pieces.
Lyrics
Oh, the faucet started
Drippin’ in the kitchen
And last night your picture
Fell down from the wall
Today the boss said “Sorry,
I can’t use you anymore.”
And tonight the light bulb
Went Out in the hall
[Chorus:]
Things have gone to pieces since you left me
Nothing turns out half-right now it seems
There ain’t nothing in my pocket,
But three nickels and a dime
But I’m holding to the pieces of my dream
Somebody threw a baseball
Through my window
And the arm fell off
My fav’rite chair, again
The man called me today and said,
“He’d haul my things away
If I didn’t get my payments made by ten.”
Things have gone to pieces since you left me
Nothing turns out half-right now it seems
There ain’t nothing in my pocket,
But three nickels and a dime
But I’m holding to the pieces of my dream…