You Don't Know Me
Van Morrison Lyrics
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And I can hardly speak, my heart is beating so
And anyone can tell you think you know me well
You don't know me.
Now you don't know one who longs for you each night
And longs to kiss your lips and longs to hold you tight
You know I am just a friend
That's all I've ever been.
You don't know me.
Refrain:
I never knew the art of making love
'Til my heart yearned with love you
Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by
The chance you might have loved me too
You give your hand to me and then you say good-bye.
I watch you walk away beside some lucky guy.
To never, never know the one who loves you so.
Cause you don't know me.
[Refrain]
Van Morrison's song You Don't Know Me speaks about a one-sided love that remains unexpressed. The lyrics depict a situation where the singer is overwhelmed by the presence of the person he loves. The song opens with the singer receiving a greeting from his love interest. The singer is filled with emotions that make it difficult for him to speak. However, the love interest appears to misunderstand the singer's feelings, assuming she knows him well. But this assumption is wrong, as the love interest does not seem to know anything about the singer's deep affection for her.
The singer desires his love interest deeply; he dreams of holding her tightly and kissing her. However, she is clueless about the depth of his emotions towards her, as he remains nothing more than a friend. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer has lost his chance of expressing his love to his love interest, which would have made things different. The song ends on a melancholic note, as the singer watches his love interest walk away with another man.
In summary, You Don't Know Me is a song about unrequited love and missed opportunities. The singer loves someone and desires her affection deeply but remains unable to express it. The song's lyrics are emotional and heartfelt, and Van Morrison's delivery of these lyrics is nothing short of spectacular.
Line by Line Meaning
You give your hand to me and then you say hello
You greet me warmly, shaking my hand, and saying hello
And I can hardly speak, my heart is beating so
I'm so nervous and my heart is racing that it's hard to speak
And anyone can tell you think you know me well
It seems like you believe you know me very well
You don't know me.
However, you don't really know me at all.
Now you don't know one who longs for you each night
You are not aware of the person who desires you every night
And longs to kiss your lips and longs to hold you tight
This person yearns to kiss your lips and hold you tightly
You know I am just a friend
You think of me only as a friend
That's all I've ever been.
I've never been anything more than a friend to you
You give your hand to me and then you say good-bye.
After a brief moment, you say goodbye and leave
I watch you walk away beside some lucky guy.
I see you leave with another man who is lucky enough to have your company
To never, never know the one who loves you so.
You will never know the person who loves you so much
Cause you don't know me.
Because you don't really know who I am.
I never knew the art of making love
I used to be clueless when it came to making love
'Til my heart yearned with love you
Until I met you and my heart yearned for you
Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by
Out of fear and shyness, I missed my opportunity
The chance you might have loved me too
The chance that you could have loved me as well
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cindy Walker, Eddy Arnold
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind