You Don't Love Me
Al Kooper/Michael Bloomfield/Steve Stills Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, baby
Girl, don't pull the rug from under my feet (don't do it baby)
Don't leave, don't leave me so, I'm talking in my sleep
This could be the start of a nightmare
Waking up and not finding you there
It would be more that i could stand
Oh, baby
Girl, don't leave me so I'm pacing the floor (don't do it baby)
'Cause that's, that's what I'll do if you close the door
Maybe I've been too hung-up on myself
But don't change me by putting my heart on a shelf
'Cause that's more than I could stand
Why you wanna leave me?
Why you wanna go?
I promise not
To never never hurt you no more
Oh, please don't leave me
Please don't go
By causin' my heart to ache
Causin' it to break
We, we've still got, a lot of love to give (yeah)
So turn around, baby (turn around)
While there's a lot of life to live
Leavin' me would ruin all of my plans
It would be like tying the both of my hands
And that's more baby than I could stand




Why you wanna leave me?
Why you wanna go?

Overall Meaning

In "You Don't Love Me," the singer, who seems to be in a romantic relationship with the addressee, pleads with her not to break up with him. He fears that if she leaves him, he will be unable to cope with the heartache that will ensue. He asks her to reconsider, saying that they still have a lot of love to give and a lot of life to live. He promises not to hurt her anymore and begs her not to leave him, telling her that her departure would ruin all of his plans for the future. He implores her to turn around and work things out while they still have the chance. Overall, the song conveys a sense of desperation, fear, and vulnerability.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh, baby
Addressing his significant other and setting the tone for the rest of the song.


Girl, don't pull the rug from under my feet (don't do it baby)
Asking his significant other not to deceive or betray him, as it would lead to a catastrophe.


Don't leave, don't leave me so, I'm talking in my sleep
He is struggling to sleep because he is afraid of his significant other leaving him.


This could be the start of a nightmare
The thought of his significant other leaving him is so terrifying that it could become his worst nightmare.


Waking up and not finding you there
The thought of waking up without his significant other beside him is unbearable.


It would be more that i could stand
He is saying that he would not be able to cope if his significant other leaves him.


Girl, don't leave me so I'm pacing the floor (don't do it baby)
He tells his significant other that he struggles to contain his emotions and even paces the floor when she threatens to leave him.


'Cause that's, that's what I'll do if you close the door
He will lose his mind if his significant other closes the door and walks out of his life.


Maybe I've been too hung-up on myself
He is acknowledging that he might have been self-centered in the past


But don't change me by putting my heart on a shelf
He is asking his significant other not to give up on him, even if he is flawed.


'Cause that's more than I could stand
He is asking his significant other not to give up on him because he wouldn't be able to deal with the pain of losing her.


Why you wanna leave me?
He is asking his significant other why she wants to leave him.


Why you wanna go?
He is asking his significant other why she wants to leave him.


I promise not
He assures his significant other that he will not harm her or cause her any pain.


To never never hurt you no more
He promises to never hurt his significant other again.


Oh, please don't leave me
He begs his significant other not to leave him.


Please don't go
He begs his significant other not to go away from him.


By causin' my heart to ache
He tells his significant other that his heart will be in pain if she leaves him.


Causin' it to break
He tells his significant other that his heart will shatter into pieces if she leaves him.


We, we've still got, a lot of love to give (yeah)
He reminds his significant other that they still have a lot of love left to share.


So turn around, baby (turn around)
He tells his significant other to turn around and come back to him.


While there's a lot of life to live
He reminds his significant other that they still have a lot of life left to live together.


Leavin' me would ruin all of my plans
He is saying that if his significant other leaves him, it will ruin everything that he has planned for their future.


It would be like tying the both of my hands
He is using an analogy to describe the helplessness that he would feel if his significant other leaves him.


And that's more baby than I could stand
He reiterates that he wouldn't be able to cope with the pain of losing his significant other.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HUDSON WHITTAKER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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