I'm sittin' in the window of a street cafe
Watchin' you walking by each day
It seems that you always wanna look my way
Hey, you can't deny, boy
You're such a shy boy

So good looking you seem to be
But you're too tongue-tied to say hi to me
You could make it happen so easily
Whoa, I'll tell you why boy
'Cause I'm looking for a shy boy

Most guys advertise
By making eyes and telling lies
If you only knew
You could make your dreams come true
All you gotta do is ask me to

If this was a quiz on a TV show
And the prize was a guy who would love me so
Whatever they ask, the answer I know
Hey, my reply, boy
Is gimme a shy boy

Most guys advertise
By making eyes and telling lies
If you only knew
You could make your dreams come true
All you gotta do is ask me to

Some guys act a bit too sure
And maybe you're thinkin' that less is more
But honey, you still gotta knock on my door
Hey, just try boy
And you could be my boy

I'll tell you why boy
'Cause I'm looking for a shy boy
Just try boy, you're such a shy boy

Overall Meaning

In 'Shy Boy', Katie Melua sings about a man she sees every day but who is too shy to approach her. She sits in a street cafe, watching him walk by, looking her way but never saying hello. She admires his good looks and believes he could have a chance with her if he were to make a move. Katie urges the man to be confident and ask her out instead of relying on the typical tactics of making eyes and telling lies. She reminisces about a time when finding a man like this would have been a trivia question she knew the answer to, emphasizing that she is looking for a shy boy.

The lyrics of 'Shy Boy' are playful and romantic, emphasizing the importance of confidence and the courage to ask for what you want, even if it may be scary. The song encourages the man to take a chance and try to win Katie's heart. It also shows that even someone as beautiful and famous as Katie Melua could be waiting for that special someone who is confident enough to approach her.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm sittin' in the window of a street cafe
The singer is sitting in a street cafe and observing someone who walks by every day.

Watchin' you walking by each day
The singer is carefully observing the actions of the person who walks by the street cafe.

It seems that you always wanna look my way
The person walking by the street cafe appears to be interested in the singer.

Hey, you can't deny, boy
The singer is calling out the person walking by the street cafe.

You're such a shy boy
The singer believes the person walking by the street cafe is shy.

So good looking you seem to be
The singer finds the person walking by the street cafe to be attractive.

But you're too tongue-tied to say hi to me
The singer thinks the person walking by the street cafe is too nervous or shy to talk to her.

You could make it happen so easily
The singer believes that if the person walking by the street cafe wanted to talk to her, it would be easy.

Whoa, I'll tell you why boy
The singer is about to explain why she prefers a shy boy.

'Cause I'm looking for a shy boy
The singer prefers shy boys over other types of guys.

Most guys advertise
The singer believes that most guys make their intentions known without being genuine.

By making eyes and telling lies
The singer thinks that guys are insincere and try to impress by giving the wrong impressions.

If you only knew
The singer believes that the person walking by the street cafe is unaware of the fact that she wants to talk to him.

You could make your dreams come true
The singer is suggesting that if the person walking by the street cafe would talk to her, they might end up in a relationship.

All you gotta do is ask me to
The singer is providing an invitation for the person walking by the street cafe to talk to her.

If this was a quiz on a TV show
The singer is giving an example of a hypothetical quiz on TV.

And the prize was a guy who would love me so
The singer is providing a hypothetical prize for winning the quiz.

Whatever they ask, the answer I know
The singer is saying that she would know the answer to any question in the hypothetical TV show quiz.

Hey, my reply, boy
The singer is providing an answer to the hypothetical question from the TV show quiz.

Is gimme a shy boy
The singer's answer to the hypothetical question is that she wants a shy boy.

Some guys act a bit too sure
The singer thinks that some guys are too confident and might even seem arrogant.

And maybe you're thinkin' that less is more
The singer believes that the person walking by the street cafe might be shy because he thinks that talking less is better.

But honey, you still gotta knock on my door
Despite being shy, the singer believes that the person walking by the street cafe should still make an effort to talk to her.

Hey, just try boy
The singer is still encouraging the person walking by the street cafe to try.

And you could be my boy
The singer is implying that if the person walking by the street cafe talks to her, they might enter into a relationship.

I'll tell you why boy
The singer is about to tell the person walking by the street cafe why she prefers shy boys.

'Cause I'm looking for a shy boy
The singer prefers shy boys because they are different than other guys.

Just try boy, you're such a shy boy
The singer is still encouraging the person walking by the street cafe to try talking to her.

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