You Don't Know Me
Ben Folds & Regina Spektor Lyrics

I wanna ask you
I want to ask you a question about our relationship.

Do you ever sit and wonder,
Have you ever thought about how little we know each other after being together for so long?

It's so strange
I find it odd and unsettling.

That we could be together for
Despite the fact that we have been in a relationship for a significant amount of time,

So long, and never know, never care
We have never taken the time to truly know and understand each other's thoughts and feelings.

What goes on in the other one's head?
We are unaware of each other's innermost thoughts and emotions.

Things I've felt but I've never said
There are things I have experienced and felt that I have kept to myself.

You said things that I never said
You have made assumptions about me that are incorrect and have said things that I have never communicated.

So I'll say something that I should have said long ago:
I am going to express something that I should have said much earlier in our relationship.

(You don't know me)
You don't actually know me, the real me.

You don't know me at all
You have very little understanding of who I genuinely am.

(at all)
Not even a small amount.

You could have just propped me up on the table like a mannequin
You have treated me like a lifeless object that can be positioned however you would like.

Or a cardboard stand-up and paint me (paint me)
You could have just dressed me up and styled me to fit your ideal image of me.

Any face that you wanted me
You have projected your own expectations and desires onto me, shaping me into someone I am not.

To be seen.
So that everyone else views me through your idealistic lens.

We're
You and I are

Damned by the existential moment where
We are plagued by the moment of realization when we

We saw the couple in the coma and
We saw the other couple in the hospital who was both unconscious, and

It was we were the cliche,
We realized that we, too, were the stereotypical couple that is ignorant of each other's thoughts and feelings.

But we carried on anyway.
Despite this realization, we continued with our relationship regardless.

So, sure, I could just close my eyes.
I could easily avoid this problem by ignoring my feelings and not addressing them.

Yeah, sure, trace and memorize,
I could just try to remember everything about you but

But can you go back once you know
Once you know something, is it possible to go back and forget it?

(You don't know me)
You truly do not know me.

(You don't know me)
You don't actually know who I am as a person.

If I'm the person that you think I am
If your perception of me is inaccurate,

Clueless chump you seem to think I am
If you view me as someone who is foolish and unaware,

So easily led astray,
If you believe that I am easily manipulated and misguided,

An errant dog who occasionally escapes and needs a shorter leash, then
If you see me as a disobedient dog that needs to be kept on a shorter leash,

Why the fuck would you want me back?!
Why in the world would you want to rekindle our relationship if this is the way you perceive me?

Maybe it's because
Perhaps the reason for your desire for us to be together again is

(You don't know me at all)
Because you truly do not understand me.

(You don't know me, you don't know me.)
You don't know the real me, not even close.

So, what I'm trying to say is
The point that I am trying to make is

What (What?)
I'm asking you to pay attention to what I'm about to say.

I'm trying to tell you
I want to communicate to you

It's not gonna come out like I wanna say it cause I know you'll only change it.
However, I am aware it will not come across exactly how I want it to, as I know that you will twist my words to fit your own perceptions.

(Say it.)
Regardless, I need to express myself.

(You don't know me)
I want to emphasize the fact that you really don't understand me.

You don't know me at all
You have a nonexistent comprehension of my true self.

(at all)
You don't understand me, not even a little bit.

(You don't know me)
I am saying this again to highlight the extent of your lack of understanding.

You don't know me at all
It's evident that you have no knowledge of the person that I am.

(at all)
Absolutely none at all.

What?
The artist is confused about what's going on.