Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwrit… Read Full Bio ↴Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. They rose to prominence in October 2012 after being featured on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart. Smith was subsequently featured on Naughty Boy's "La La La", which became a number one single in May 2013. In December 2013, they were nominated for the 2014 Brit Critics' Choice Award and the BBC's Sound of 2014 poll, winning both.

Smith's debut studio album, In the Lonely Hour, was released in May 2014 on Capitol Records UK. The album's lead single, "Lay Me Down", was released prior to "La La La". The album's second single, "Money on My Mind", became Smith's second number one single in the UK. The third single, "Stay with Me", was an international success, reaching number one in the UK and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, while their singles "I'm Not the Only One" and "Like I Can" reached the top ten in the UK. The album won four awards, at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album, Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.

For Smith's and Jimmy Napes's song "Writing's on the Wall", the theme for the James Bond film Spectre (2015), Smith won the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Smith's second studio album, The Thrill of It All, was released in November 2017 and debuted atop the UK and US album charts. The lead single, "Too Good at Goodbyes", reached number one in the UK and Australia and number four in the US. They released the single "Promises" with Calvin Harris, which peaked at number one in the UK. Smith released "Dancing with a Stranger" with Normani in 2019, which reached the top ten in the UK and the US and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2020 Brit Awards, and followed it by releasing a string of commercially successful singles "How Do You Sleep?", "To Die For" and "I'm Ready" with Demi Lovato; all of which feature on Smith's third album, Love Goes.

Smith has won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, and an American Music Award, as well as a Golden Globe and an Academy Award through their career. Smith has been publicly gay since 2014, genderqueer since 2017, and has used they/them pronouns since 2019.

I've Told You Now
Sam Smith Lyrics

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You know what I mean
It's like walking in the heat all day with no water
It's like waiting for a friend
Watching everybody else meet theirs on that corner
Or losing in an argument
Although you're right can't get your thoughts in order

Still I refrain

From talking at you, talking on
You know me well
I don't explain

But what the hell
Why do you think I come 'round here on my free will?
Wasting all my precious time
Oh, the truth spills out
And oh I
I've told you now

You know what I mean
Although I try my best I still let down the team
You're everything I want
Why should I resist when you are there for me?

Still I refrain
From talking at you, talking on
You know me well
I don't explain

But what the hell
Why do you think I come 'round here on my free will?
Wasting all my precious time
Oh the truth spills out
And oh I
I've told you now

I've told you now
And I've told you now!
And I've told you now!

Still I refrain
From talking at you, talking on
You know me well
I don't explain

So what the hell
Why do you think I come 'round here on my free will?
Wasting all my precious time
What the hell
Why do you think I come 'round here on my free will?
Wasting all my precious time

Oh, the truth spills out

And oh I
I've told you now

Overall Meaning

Sam Smith's "I've Told You Now" is an emotional song about unrequited love and the collapse of communication between two people. The lyrics are a lament, describing the struggle of trying to convey the depths of one's feelings to somebody who doesn't understand or reciprocate. Smith compares this feeling to walking in the heat without water, watching others connect with friends on a street corner, or losing an argument despite being right. Despite these difficulties, Smith still finds himself drawn to the other person and unable to stop coming around, even if it means wasting his precious time.

In the chorus, Smith repeats "I've told you now," emphasizing the futility of his attempts to make the other person understand how he feels. The repetition of this phrase, along with the drawn-out notes of the melody, evokes a sense of desperation and frustration. Smith recognizes that he has failed in his attempts to communicate his emotions, yet he still can't help himself from trying.

Overall, "I've Told You Now" is a poignant depiction of unrequited love and the challenges of communication, touching on universal feelings that many listeners can likely relate to.

Line by Line Meaning

You know what I mean
This feeling is familiar to you

It's like walking in the heat all day with no water
It's a feeling of being exhausted and unfulfilled

It's like waiting for a friend Watching everybody else meet theirs on that corner
It's a feeling of being left behind while everyone else moves ahead

Or losing in an argument Although you're right can't get your thoughts in order
It's a feeling of being intellectually powerless

Still I refrain From talking at you, talking on
Even though I want to tell you, I hold back and stay silent

You know me well I don't explain
You already understand that I don't usually give explanations

But what the hell Why do you think I come 'round here on my free will? Wasting all my precious time
I don't know why I keep coming back to you even though it's wasting my time

Oh, the truth spills out And oh I I've told you now
I can't keep the truth from coming out anymore, and I've finally told you how I feel

Although I try my best I still let down the team
Even when I give my all, I still disappoint those around me

You're everything I want Why should I resist when you are there for me?
You're everything I desire, so why should I fight it when you're always there for me?

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sam Smith, Francis White

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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