Tell Her About It
Billy Joel Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh

Listen boy, I don't wanna see you let a good thing slip away (slip away)
You know I don't like watching anybody make the same mistakes I made
She's a real nice girl and she's always there for you
But a nice girl wouldn't tell you what you should do
Oh, listen boy, I'm sure that you think you got it all under control
You don't want somebody tellin' you the way to stay in someone's soul
You're a big boy now and you'll never let her go (you know you'll never let her go)
But that's just the kind of thing she ought to know

Tell her about it, tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason to accept that you're for real
Tell her about it, tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her, let her know how much she means

Ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

Listen boy, it's not automatically a certain guarantee (certain guarantee)
To ensure yourself, you've got to provide communication constantly
When you love someone, you're always insecure
And there's only one good way to reassure

Tell her about it, let her know how much you care
When she can't be with you, tell her you wish you were there
Tell her about it, every day before you leave
Pay her some attention, give her something to believe

'Cause now and then she'll get to worrying
Just because you haven't spoken for so long
And though you may not have done anything
Will that be a consolation when she's gone?

Listen boy, it's good information from a man who's made mistakes
Just a word or two that she gets from you could be the difference that it makes
She's a trusting soul, she's put her trust in you (you know she put her trust in you)
But a girl like that won't tell you what you should do

Tell her about it, tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason to accept that you're for real
Tell her about it, tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her, let her know how much she means

Tell her about it
Tell her how you feel right now
Just tell her about it
The girl don't want to wait too long
You got to tell her about it
Tell her now and you won't go wrong
You got to tell her about it
Before it gets too late
You've got to tell her about it
You know the girl don't want to wait
You got to tell her about it
You got to tell, tell, tell her about it




Now, tell her about it
Woo, woo

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Billy Joel's song "Tell Her About It" are about giving advice to a young man who is in a relationship but is unsure about how to communicate with his girlfriend. The singer uses personal experience to encourage the young man to open up and express his feelings to his girlfriend, and to not let a good thing slip away. The singer warns the young man that a nice girl won't tell him what to do, and that clear communication is key to a successful relationship. The song emphasizes the importance of reassuring one's partner, showing affection, and being honest and open with one another.


The lyrics to "Tell Her About It" were written and recorded by Billy Joel in 1983. The song was a hit, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was included on Joel's album An Innocent Man. The song was inspired by Joel's experiences in relationships, and he has said that he wrote it as a tribute to the music of Motown, which he grew up listening to.


Line by Line Meaning

Listen boy, I don't wanna see you let a good thing slip away (slip away)
I don't want to see you lose a great girl, like I did. Don't make the same mistakes I made.


You know I don't like watching anybody make the same mistakes I made
I've been in your shoes before and that experience has taught me things about being with someone.


She's a real nice girl and she's always there for you
You have a good girl who is dedicated to you.


But a nice girl wouldn't tell you what you should do
Don't expect her to always tell you how to act, take initiative.


Oh, listen boy, I'm sure that you think you got it all under control
You may think that you got everything under your power.


You don't want somebody tellin' you the way to stay in someone's soul
You don't want anybody to coach you in how to remain in someone's inner sanctum.


You're a big boy now and you'll never let her go (you know you'll never let her go)
You're a man now and you're sure that you don't want to lose her.


But that's just the kind of thing she ought to know
Nevertheless, she needs to hear that from you.


Tell her about it, tell her everything you feel
Let her know how you feel about her.


Give her every reason to accept that you're for real
Convince her that your feelings are genuine.


Tell her about it, tell her all your crazy dreams
Don't be afraid to share your aspirations and ambitions with her.


Let her know you need her, let her know how much she means
Express to her how important she is to you.


Listen boy, it's not automatically a certain guarantee (certain guarantee)
Being in love doesn't guarantee that everything will be perfect.


To ensure yourself, you've got to provide communication constantly
To keep the relationship going, you need to communicate with her regularly.


When you love someone, you're always insecure
Love always produces a sense of insecurity.


And there's only one good way to reassure
Communicating with her is the only way to reassure her.


Tell her about it, let her know how much you care
Show her that you care about her in a tangible way.


When she can't be with you, tell her you wish you were there
Let her know how much you miss her when you are apart.


Tell her about it, every day before you leave
Make it a habit to let her know how you feel about her every day.


Pay her some attention, give her something to believe
Give her reasons to trust and believe in you.


'Cause now and then she'll get to worrying
Because of the insecurity that comes with love, she may be worried sometimes.


Just because you haven't spoken for so long
Not hearing from you for a while can cause her to worry unnecessarily.


And though you may not have done anything
Your inattention may not have been caused by anything sinister.


Will that be a consolation when she's gone?
Will that knowledge comfort her if she leaves you because of it?


Listen boy, it's good information from a man who's made mistakes
I've learnt from my relationship mistakes and can offer valuable insight.


Just a word or two that she gets from you could be the difference that it makes
The words of love and affection you speak could make all the difference to her.


She's a trusting soul, she's put her trust in you (you know she put her trust in you)
She trusts you deeply and this is something you should treasure.


Tell her about it, tell her everything you feel
Don't hold back, express all your feelings to her.


Give her every reason to accept that you're for real
Make her believe that your love is genuine and not superficial.


Tell her about it, tell her all your crazy dreams
Share your dreams and aspirations with her, no matter how wild they may seem.


Let her know you need her, let her know how much she means
Make her feel that she is an important person in your life and that you cannot function without her.


You got to tell her about it
It is essential that you tell her exactly how you feel.


Tell her how you feel right now
Tell her what you are feeling in the present moment.


Just tell her about it
Don't hesitate, just tell her how you feel.


The girl don't want to wait too long
She doesn't want to be kept waiting for too long.


You got to tell her about it
It is your responsibility to communicate your feelings to her.


Tell her now and you won't go wrong
If you tell her now, you won't make any mistakes.


Before it gets too late
Don't let the opportunity to tell her how you feel slip away.


Woo, woo
An expression of enthusiasm and encouragement.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Billy Joel

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@vt2567

Listen boy
I don't want to see you let a good thing
Slip away

You know I don't like watching
Anybody make the same mistakes
I made

She's a real nice girl
And she's always there for you
But a nice girl wouldn't tell you what you should do

Listen boy
I'm sure that you think you got it all
Under control

You don't want somebody telling you
The way to stay in someone's soul

You're a big boy now
You'll never let her go
But that's just the kind of thing
She ought to know

Tell her about it
Tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason to accept
That you're for real

Tell her about it
Tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her
Let her know how much she means

Listen boy
It's not automatically a certain guarantee
To insure yourself
You've got to provide communication constantly

When you love someone
You're always insecure
And there's only one good way
To reassure

Tell her about it
Let her know how much you care
When she can't be with you
Tell her you wish you were there

Tell her about it
Every day before you leave
Pay her some attention
Give her something to believe

'Cause now and then
She'll get to worrying
Just because you haven't spoken
For so long
Though you may not have done anything
Will that be a consolation when she's gone

Listen boy
It's good information from a man
Who's made mistakes

Just a word or two that she gets from you
Could be the difference that it makes

She's a trusting soul
She's put her trust in you
But a girl like that won't tell you
What you should do

Tell her about it
Tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason
To accept that you're for real

Tell her about it
Tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her
Let her know how much she means

Tell her about it
Tell her how you feel right now
Tell her about it
The girl don't want to wait too long
You got to tell her about it
Tell her now and you won't go wrong
You got to tell her about it
Before it gets too late
You got to tell her about it
You know the girl don't want
To wait, you got to
Tell her about it



@sunitafisher4758

🌸 "Tell Her About It"

Listen boy
Don't want to see you let a good thing
Slip away
You know I don't like watching
Anybody make the same mistakes
I made

She's a real nice girl
And she's always there for you
But a nice girl wouldn't tell you what you should do

Listen boy
I'm sure that you think you got it all
Under control

You don't want somebody telling you
The way to stay in someone's soul

You're a big boy now
You'll never let her go
But that's just the kind of thing
She ought to know

Tell her about it
Tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason to accept
That you're for real

Tell her about it
Tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her
Let her know how much she means

Listen boy
It's not automatically a certain guarantee
To insure yourself
You've got to provide communication constantly

When you love someone
You're always insecure
And there's only one good way
To reassure

Tell her about it
Let her know how much you care
When she can't be with you
Tell her you wish you were there
Tell her about it
Every day before you leave
Pay her some attention
Give her something to believe

Cause now and then
She'll get to worrying
Just because you haven't spoken
For so long
Though you may not have done anything
Will that be a consolation when she's gone

Listen boy
It's good information from a man
Who's made mistakes
Just a word or two that she gets from you
Could be the difference that it makes

She's a trusting soul
She's put her trust in you
But a girl like that won't tell you
What you should do

Tell her about it
Tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason
To accept that you're for real
Tell her about it
Tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her
Let her know how much she means

Tell her about it
Tell her how you feel right now
Tell her about it
The girl don't want to wait too long
You got to tell her about it
Tell her now and you won't go wrong
You got to tell her about it
Before it gets too late
You got to tell her about it
You know the girl don't want
To wait - you got to
Tell her about it



All comments from YouTube:

@barathsandorgergo8531

Billy Joel advocating for healthy communication in relationships back in the 80s. Wholesome stuff.

@napalm5

yes it's a timeless message

@ronalddykeman9427

This song was from back in the 1960's!

@barathsandorgergo8531

@@ronalddykeman9427 even better

@scottys1423

"And though you may not have done anything; will that be a consolation when she's gone?" One of the best lines he ever wrote.

@radiodude1976

This is an excellent line, but personally I like a line from 'Keeping the Faith' a bit more. "You know the good old days weren't always good, and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems." That is one of my guiding principles in life

@scottys1423

@@radiodude1976 Agreed. That is a good one too.

@p1nkfreud

Both lines are wonderful in their own way

@metzger5850

That's "heart attack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack"
Line was pretty good too

@godbluffvdgg

In that song, maybe...Nearly every Billy sentence is profound...

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