Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

I'll Believe You When
Matchbox Twenty Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've tried so many times
To tell you how I feel
But you're far too disbelieving
Are you tryin' to get even with me
Maybe once or twice
I wasn't fair, I wasn't nice
But now I've got myself together
When I promise to be better
You say

(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) when everything you say don't turn out wrong
(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) when everything you say don't turn out wrong, oh wrong

I could call you everyday
Give presents by the score
And I could send you pretty flowers
Have them waiting at your door

I could write up in the sky
Forgive me I apologize
Still if I went through every measure
With my promise to be better
You'd say

(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) when everything you say don't turn out wrong
(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) when everything you say don't turn out wrong

There's nothing you can say
That I haven't tried
And nothing I can do will ever change your mind
Yeah, maybe I'd do better
If I told somebody else

And I can hear you sing (whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) when everything you say don't turn out wrong
(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) when everything you say don't turn out wrong

(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) I'll believe you when when everything you tell me isn't wrong

(Whoa) I'll believe you when
(Whoa) and I'll believe you when
(Whoa) and I'll believe you when when everything you say don't turn out wrong

Overall Meaning

In this song, Matchbox Twenty's lead vocalist, Rob Thomas, sings about trying to regain the trust of his partner after a past mistake. Thomas acknowledges that he hasn't always been fair or nice in the past, but he promises to be better in the future. Despite his efforts, however, his partner remains sceptical and finds it difficult to believe him. He has tried to demonstrate his sincerity by offering gifts, apologising, and promising to change. But his partner still responds with doubt and disbelief, saying "I'll believe you when everything you say don't turn out wrong." The singer of the song seems defeated, concluding that there's nothing left that he can say or do to change his partner's mind. He even considers giving up and talking to someone else.


The lyrics of the song explore a common theme in relationships, which is the challenge of rebuilding trust once it has been broken. The song deals with the frustration and hopelessness that can accompany such situations, and explores the difficulty of convincing someone to give you a second chance. Despite its themes of heartbreak and disappointment, the song is delivered in a catchy and upbeat way, with its memorable chorus of "I'll believe you when" serving as a rallying cry for anyone who has been in a similar situation.


Line by Line Meaning

I've tried so many times
I have made numerous attempts


To tell you how I feel
to express my emotions towards you


But you're far too disbelieving
But you seem to lack faith in me,


Are you tryin' to get even with me
Is this some form of retribution?


Maybe once or twice
There may have been times


I wasn't fair, I wasn't nice
Where I was neither equitable nor kind


But now I've got myself together
But I've put myself in order now,


When I promise to be better
And pledge to improve,


You say
You reply by saying,


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
I will accept your words only when


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
I will trust you solely when


(Whoa) when everything you say don't turn out wrong
your statements don't prove to be inaccurate


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
I will give you my faith only when


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
I will confide in you merely when


(Whoa) when everything you say don't turn out wrong, oh wrong
Your declarations remain true and accurate.


I could call you every day
I could communicate with you endlessly,


Give presents by the score
Present you with numerous gifts,


And I could send you pretty flowers
And send you charming blooms,


Have them waiting at your door
So they await for you at your doorstep,


I could write up in the sky
I could write it up in the sky


Forgive me I apologize
Apologize and ask for forgiveness


Still if I went through every measure
Nevertheless, even if I had gone through every action,


With my promise to be better
with my guarantee to improve,


You'd say
You would reply,


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
You will believe me only when


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
You will trust me solely when


(Whoa) when everything you say don't turn out wrong
my statements are correct.


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
I will give you my faith only when


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
I will confide in you merely when


(Whoa) when everything you say don't turn out wrong
Your declarations remain true and accurate


There's nothing you can say
There's nothing you could utter


That I haven't tried
That I haven't attempted already,


And nothing I can do will ever change your mind
And nothing I do could ever persuade you to change your thought process.


Yeah, maybe I'd do better
Perhaps it would be better if I,


If I told somebody else
If I confided in someone else,


And I can hear you sing (whoa) I'll believe you when
And I can hear you singing,(Whoa) I will give you my faith only when


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
You will believe me only when,


(Whoa) when everything you say don't turn out wrong
My declarations remain true and accurate.


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
I will trust you solely when


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
I will confide in you merely when


(Whoa) when everything you say don't turn out wrong
Your declarations remain true and accurate.


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
I will give you my faith only when


(Whoa) and I'll believe you when
And I will believe in you solely when


(Whoa) and I'll believe you when
And I will have confidence in you merely when,


when everything you tell me isn't wrong
The account provided is an accurate representation of events.


(Whoa) I'll believe you when
I will trust you solely when,


(Whoa) and I'll believe you when
And I will have confidence in you solely when


(Whoa) and I'll believe you when
And I will give you my faith only when


when everything you say don't turn out wrong
Your declarations remain true and accurate.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KYLE COOK, PAUL DOUCETTE, ROB THOMAS, ROBERT THOMAS, BRIAN YALE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

More Versions