Behind the Forgiving Meaning of “All Night” by Beyoncé

“All Night” is one of the most powerful songs on Beyoncé’s Lemonade. Acting as the unofficial end to Beyoncé’s concept record, “All Night” is a welcomed exhale after taking on Beyoncé’s pain throughout the rest of the tracks. Beyoncé buries the hatchet with this song and decides to forgive and forget.

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Uncover the meaning behind the powerful lyrics to “All Night” below.

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Behind the Meaning

Found the truth beneath your lies
And true love never has to hide
I’ll trade your broken wings for mine
I’ve seen your scars and kissed your crime

Like the rest of Lemonade, “All Night” speaks to Beyoncé’s marriage around the time of the album’s release. One of the final songs on the album, the track is a sort of resolution to the period of strife Beyoncé describes throughout the rest of the album.

As any Beyoncé fan will know, Lemonade is mostly concerned with Jay-Z’s cheating scandal. In the first few tracks, she lays the groundwork, revealing the betrayal she felt when she learned of her husband’s infidelity. By the time she gets around to “All Night” though, the pair have made up and come out the other side a stronger couple than ever before.

Beyoncé mirrors that hopefulness with groovy musicality and anthemic horns. She paired each song on Lemonade with an accompanying visual. In the video for “All Night,” she delivers a powerful message of forgiveness.

“My grandma said nothing real can be threatened – true love brought salvation back into me,” Beyoncé says over striking black and white footage. “With every tear came redemption, and my torturer became my remedy.

“So we’re going to heal,” she continued. “We’re going to start again. You’ve brought the orchestra. Synchronize the swimmers. You’re the magician – pull me back together again the way you cut me in half. Make the woman in doubt disappear. Pull the sorrow from between my legs like silk, knot after knot after knot. The audience applauds. But we can’t hear them.”

In the chorus of the song, Beyoncé sings about making up in the most passionate of ways: Sweet love, all night long.

They say true love’s the greatest weapon
To win the war caused by pain
But every diamond has imperfections
But my love’s too pure to watch it chip away
Boy, nothing real can be threatened
True love breathes salvation back into me
With every tear came redemption
And my torturer became my remedy

(Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood)