How Insensitive
Antonio Carlos Jobim Lyrics
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When she told me that she loved me
How unmoved an' cold I must have seemed
When she told me so sincerely
Why she must have asked
Do I just turn an' stare in icy silence?
What was I to say
Now, she's gone away
And I'm alone with a memory of her last look
Vague an' drawn an' sad I see it still
All her heartbreak in that last look
How she must have asked
Could I just turn an' stare in icy silence?
What was I to do
What can one do when a love affair is over?
What can you do
When a love affair is over?
It's over
The song 'How Insensitive,' written by Brazilian composer and musician Antonio Carlos Jobim, is a lament about the end of a love affair. The persona in the song confesses to having been seemingly insensitive to the feelings of his former lover when she declared her love for him. He appears remorseful about his cold response, and the fact that he did not say or do anything to salvage the relationship. The persona now finds himself alone, haunted by memories of their last moment together, and he wonders if he could have done something differently to prevent the relationship from ending.
The song's lyrics are poignant and express the emotions of grief and regret over a lost love. The persona's admission of insensitivity and coldness toward his former lover reveals that he is aware of his shortcomings and that he is grappling with the consequences of his actions. The use of the rhetorical question "What was I to say/What can you say when a love affair is over?" highlights the helplessness and despair associated with the end of a relationship. The final lines of the song, "What can you do/When a love affair is over?" underscore the inevitability of lost love and the pain that accompanies it.
Line by Line Meaning
How insensitive I must have seemed
I can't imagine how unfeeling and unsympathetic I appeared
When she told me that she loved me
When she expressed her love to me
How unmoved an' cold I must have seemed
I must have been incredibly unresponsive and cold
When she told me so sincerely
When she expressed her love so genuinely
Why she must have asked
She probably wondered
Do I just turn an' stare in icy silence?
If I just looked at her in silence with no emotion
What was I to say
What could I have possibly said
What can you say when a love affair is over?
There are no adequate words to express the end of a relationship
Now, she's gone away
She has left and isn't here anymore
And I'm alone with a memory of her last look
I am by myself with just the memory of her final expression
Vague an' drawn an' sad I see it still
The memory is fuzzy, but still visible and emotionally intense
All her heartbreak in that last look
Her sorrow was evident in the final gaze
How she must have asked
I can only imagine she would have inquired
Could I just turn an' stare in icy silence?
If I had just looked at her with cold eyes and no response
What was I to do
What actions were available to me
What can one do when a love affair is over?
What options are there when a relationship has concluded
What can you do
There is nothing to be done
When a love affair is over?
Once a relationship has come to an end
It's over
The relationship has officially ended
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM, VINICIUS DE MORAES, NORMAN GIMBEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind