Though best known for their instrumental hit "Pick Up the Pieces," the band's strength lies in their consistently accomplished songwriting, stretching across several gold-selling albums and multi-Grammy nominations for Atlantic Records. Despite their Scottish roots, the six-piece band developed their own "authentic" sound influenced by R&B heroes such as Marvin Gaye, James Brown, and Donny Hathaway, which was eagerly adopted by black audiences in the US and elsewhere.
Many of the band's cuts, such as "Cut The Cake" and "Let's Go 'Round Again," attracted chart action as hit singles, while album tracks like "Schoolboy Crush" and "Person to Person" became much-sampled "rare" grooves. Other tunes like "Cloudy," "A Love Of Your Own," and "Nothing You Can Do" stand alongside some of the finest soul album tracks ever recorded.
The current lineup of the band, with noted US musicians alongside founding members Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre, continues to delight audiences and critics alike in its wide-ranging touring. The musical energy and trademark sound are remarkably true to the original, and with constant revisitation and re-workings of AWB's, and others' classics in the mix, it is no surprise that the Average White Band is now a multi-generational attraction and a perennial fixture with many of the top music venues.
No Easy Way to Say Goodbye
Average White Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing would get in my way
I always thought we would last forever
till my love changed
And all the things that were promised
I know I let you slip away
This is the hardest thing I have to say
Even if I find the words
Even if we tell ourselves it's over
There's no easy way to say goodbye
Looking for a way to justify it
But coming up short fo things to say
I always thought we would stay together
Till my love changed
Maybe if I did you different
Maybe you'd still be in my life
But we both know that I didn't do you right
No, even if I find the words, and find the way
I just can't come up with one more lie
and even if we tell ourselves it's over
There's no easy way to say goodbye,
say goodbye, say goodbye
Ooh baby, ooh even if I (find the words), find the way
I just can't come up with one more lie
Even if (we tell ourselves it's over)
there's no easy way to say goodbye
I want to be loved, ooh yeah
I want to be, want to be loved by you
Ooh, I want to be loved, ooh darling
I want to be loved by you, oh yeah
The lyrics to "No Easy Way to Say Goodbye" by Average White Band are a reflection of the struggles of love and relationships. At the beginning of the song, the singer acknowledges the confidence they had in their love and relationship, believing that it would last forever. However, their love changes, and all the promises made are broken. The singer is unable to find the right words to say or how to justify their actions, and even though they know the relationship is over, they find it difficult to say goodbye.
The lyrics act as an admission of guilt, acknowledging that the end of the relationship was because of the singer's mistakes. They realize that they cannot continue to lie or deceive themselves or their partner. They are seeking closure but know that it will be painful and difficult. The mention of wanting to be loved suggests that the singer was not fully invested in the relationship but now recognizes its value.
Overall, the song is a testament to the pain and difficulty of ending a relationship, especially when it is not wanted by one party, and the struggle of trying to find closure or the right words to say. It is a relatable experience for anyone who has had to say goodbye to a loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
I always thought I'd have the answers
I used to believe that I was in control and knew what to do in any situation.
Nothing would get in my way
I felt invincible and believed that nothing could stop me from getting what I wanted.
I always thought we would last forever
I had high hopes and expectations that our relationship would never end.
Till my love changed
Until I realized that my feelings for you were no longer the same and had changed.
And all the things that were promised
I realize now that all the promises I made to you about our future together will not come true.
I know I let you slip away
I understand that my actions and attitude caused you to leave me and end our relationship.
This is the hardest thing I have to say
Expressing my feelings and admitting to my mistakes is the most difficult thing for me to do.
Even if I find the words
Even though I am searching for the right words to say,
Find the way, I just can't come up with one more lie
I cannot come up with any more lies to hide my true feelings or intentions.
Even if we tell ourselves it's over
Even if we try to convince ourselves that our relationship is done,
There's no easy way to say goodbye
Leaving someone you love is never easy and saying goodbye is always painful.
Looking for a way to justify it
I am trying to find reasons to explain or justify my decision to end the relationship.
But coming up short fo things to say
However, I cannot find any good reasons or explanations for what I did.
Maybe if I did you different
Perhaps, if I had treated you differently or made different choices,
Maybe you'd still be in my life
You may still be a part of my life right now.
But we both know that I didn't do you right
We both know that I did not treat you well and that my mistakes caused our relationship to end.
No, even if I find the words, and find the way
Despite my efforts to express myself more clearly and make things right,
I just can't come up with one more lie
I cannot keep telling lies or hiding my true feelings anymore.
and even if we tell ourselves it's over
Even if we try to move on and accept that our time together has ended,
There's no easy way to say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye
Saying goodbye is always painful and difficult, no matter how many times we say it.
Ooh baby, ooh even if I (find the words), find the way
Even if I try my best to express myself effectively,
I just can't come up with one more lie
I cannot continue lying or pretending to feel differently than I do.
Even if (we tell ourselves it's over)
Even if we agree and accept that it is time to let go and move on,
there's no easy way to say goodbye
Saying goodbye is never simple or easy, no matter how much we try to prepare for it.
I want to be loved, ooh yeah
I crave and desire to be loved and valued by someone special.
I want to be, want to be loved by you
I want to be loved and desired exclusively by you, above all others.
Ooh, I want to be loved, ooh darling
I long to be cherished and adored by someone I love, oh my dear.
I want to be loved by you, oh yeah
I want you to love me and care for me deeply, above all else.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: LAURIE LEWIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind