I Can't Make You Love Me
Kimberley Locke Lyrics
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Turn down the bed
Turn down these voices
Inside my head
Lay down with me
And tell me no lies.
Just hold me close
Don't patronize
Don't patronize me.
[Chorus]
I can't make you love me if you don't
You can't make your heart feel
Something it won't
Here in the dark in these final hours
I will lay down my heart
And I'll feel the power
But you won't, no, you won't.
I can't make you love me
If you don't.
I'll close my eyes
Then I won't see
The love you don't feel
When you're holding me
Morning will come,
I'll do what's right
Just give me till then
To give up this fight
And I will give up this fight.
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Kimberley Locke's song "I Can't Make You Love Me" depict a person's struggle to accept the fact that their partner doesn't feel the same way about them. The opening lines "Turn down the lights, turn down the bed, turn down these voices inside my head" suggest that the person is trying to create a peaceful and romantic environment. They ask their partner to lie down beside them and to hold them close, but they also ask for honesty, to "tell me no lies, don't patronize me".
The chorus is a powerful statement of the main theme of the song, that love cannot be forced; "I can't make you love me if you don't, you can't make your heart feel something it won't." The metaphor in the line "Here in the dark in these final hours, I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power, but you won't, no, you won't" suggests a sense of desperation and resignation that the person cannot change the way their partner feels.
The final verse "I'll close my eyes, then I won't see the love you don't feel when you're holding me. Morning will come, I'll do what's right, just give me till then to give up this fight, and I will give up this fight" is a poignant admission that the person knows they need to move on, but they need time to let go.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Can't Make You Love Me" are a beautifully crafted expression of the pain of unrequited love and the complex emotions that accompany it.
Line by Line Meaning
Turn down the lights
Reduce the brightness surrounding me
Turn down the bed
Lower the bed's surface
Turn down these voices inside my head
Diminish the inner thoughts that keep haunting me
Lay down with me
Join me in bed
And tell me no lies.
Speak only the truth
Just hold me close
Embrace me tightly
Don't patronize
Don't treat me as if I'm stupid
Don't patronize me.
Don't treat me as if I'm stupid
I can't make you love me if you don't
I'm not able to create feelings of love within you if they don't already exist
You can't make your heart feel something it won't
It's impossible to force yourself to feel something that you don't want to feel emotionally
Here in the dark in these final hours
During this late period in the evening, in the dark of night
I will lay down my heart
I'll reveal my true emotions
And I'll feel the power
I'll experience a great emotional release
But you won't, no, you won't.
You won't feel the same as me
I can't make you love me
I cannot force you to love me
If you don't.
Unless you already have those feelings for me
I'll close my eyes
I'll shut my eyes
Then I won't see
As a result, I won't have to look at
The love you don't feel
Love that you're not capable of feeling
When you're holding me
Even though you're physically present with me
Morning will come,
When it gets to the next day,
I'll do what's right
I'll take the correct action
Just give me till then
Just allow me until that moment in time
To give up this fight
To abandon these attempts
And I will give up this fight.
I won't struggle in this way anymore
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Unison Rights S.L., AMPLIFIED ADMINISTRATION, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Allen Shamblin, Michael Reid
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
carisma rhodes
Thank you for uploading… her performance of this song always stuck with me… incredibly beautiful performance
Pamela Jett
I voted for her and I love her version of this song!
carisma rhodes
Me too!
Mark Phillip
She should have one idol title period.
Nashanta Stanley
I agree
Gregory A.Champion
She's so beautiful ❤️
KellyAnn Dean
She shld have won!!
DLCLCN
no way! Clay is WAY better than she is! Clay totally beats her on this song!
Jordo Jumpman
I loved Kimberly!
Chakita Porter
So beautiful