You Really Got a Hold on Me
Beatles Lyrics
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But I love you
Seems that I'm always
Thinking of you
Oh, oh, oh,
You treat me badly
I love you madly
You've really got a hold on me
I don't want you,
But I need you
Don't want to kiss you
But I need you
Oh, oh, oh
You do me wrong now
My love is strong now
You've really got a hold on me
You've really got a hold on me, baby
I love you and all I want you to do
Is just hold me, please, hold me, squeeze,hold me
Tied up. Tied up.
I want to leave you
Don't want to stay here
Don't want to spend another day here
Oh, oh, oh, I want to split now
I just can quit now
You've really got a hold on me
You've really got a hold on me, baby
I love you and all I want you to do
Is just hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me
You've really got a hold on me
You've really got a hold on me
The lyrics of “You Really Got a Hold on Me” by The Beatles is a song about love that is both unhealthy and irresistible. The songwriter describes his emotions towards someone he doesn’t like, who treats him badly, but still feels madly in love with them. He confesses that he doesn’t want to need them, but he does. They have a hold on him, and he cannot escape their grip. He wants to leave this person but is unable to, even though he doesn’t want to spend another day with them.
The song seems to speak about the struggle and dynamics of toxic relationships. The singer is aware of the wrongs done to him, but he still feels his love is strong for this person, and he cannot resist their hold on him. The desire for the person’s love is so strong that he would endure the pain and mistreatment, even though he acknowledges it's not right. The song appears to parallel how people can continue in emotionally unhealthy situations, despite their better judgment.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't like you
I have negative feelings towards you
But I love you
Despite my dislike for you, I am deeply in love with you
Seems that I'm always
My mind is consistently occupied by
Thinking of you
thoughts of you
Oh, oh, oh,
expressing strong emotion
You treat me badly
You are unkind towards me
I love you madly
Despite your treatment, my love for you is intense
You've really got a hold on me
You have an emotional grip on me that I cannot easily break free from
You've really got a hold on me, baby
You specifically have this hold on me, my love
I don't want you,
I don't have a desire for you
But I need you
Despite not wanting you, I feel that I must have you
Don't want to kiss you
I do not even want to engage in physical intimacy with you
But I need you
Despite my lack of desire, my need for you remains
Oh, oh, oh
expressing strong emotion
You do me wrong now
You are currently treating me poorly
My love is strong now
Despite the poor treatment, my love remains steadfast
You've really got a hold on me
You continue to have an emotional hold on me
You've really got a hold on me, baby
You remain the one with this emotional grip on me, my love
I love you and all I want you to do
My love for you is unwavering and all I desire is
Is just hold me, please, hold me, squeeze,hold me
I need you to physically embrace me and ease my emotional turmoil
Tied up. Tied up.
I am emotionally entangled in the grip of my love for you
I want to leave you
I desire to end our relationship
Don't want to stay here
I have no desire to continue being in this relationship
Don't want to spend another day here
I am completely unwilling to endure any more time in this relationship
Oh, oh, oh, I want to split now
expressing strong emotion about my desire to end the relationship
I just can quit now
Despite my desire to leave, I feel unable to do so because of my emotional attachment to you
You've really got a hold on me
Your emotional grip on me is preventing me from leaving
You've really got a hold on me, baby
My love, you remain the one with this emotional hold on me
I love you and all I want you to do
My love for you remains but my desires are simple
Is just hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me
I simply want you to physically embrace me and provide comfort in your presence
You've really got a hold on me
My love, your emotional grip remains strong on me
You've really got a hold on me
Your influence on my emotions continues to be powerful
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SMOKEY ROBINSON, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind