Embracing an effortless eloquence and cocoa butter smooth persona, the music of Brian McKnight has defined the true meaning of an American soul-man since 1991. Like his spiritual Motown godfathers, this upstate New York native has a velvety voice and silky style that captures the vibe of vintage soul without being old fashion. On his latest disc Ten, that blend can be clearly heard.
While Brian’s aspirations might have seemed like a lofty ambition, the longevity of his career is a testament to the purity of his vision. With the release of Ten, McKnight’s first disc for his new label Warner Bros Records, the Grammy-nominated singer could not be more pleased with the outcome. Without a doubt, the landscape of soul music has gotten younger, but that fact did not hinder McKnight’s creative process.
After 16 million albums sold since his self-titled debut, it would have been too easy for McKnight to simply follow the R&B template of rote romanticism. But on Ten, the artist in him felt the need to be more revealing. Though McKnight has been friends with producers Tim & Bob for over ten years, this is the trio’s first collaboration.
Though Brian has never been the kind of singer/songwriter that one would call political that didn’t stop him from penning “Red, White & Blue,” a heart wrenching ode for the men and women currently at war, teaming up with country star Rascal Flatts.
Currently working on a variety of projects including a talk show and soundtracks for two upcoming Tyler Perry projects, the veteran soul singer could not be happier with the outcome of Ten. For fans of real music, Ten is the perfect addition to the soul cannon.
A Little Too Late
Brian McKnight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now all we have left is yesterday,
I guess I wasn't what you wanted,
Til you saw me turn and walk away,
Be still you had me feelin' small, when I'm six foot four
Fed up with you always comin' up short,
Tired of all the games you play,
Funny how now, you've got so much to say
You never told me that you needed me
The way that your tellin' me now
You never told me that you missed me, 'till you saw me breakin' up
You never told me that you loved me,
Sorry for what I'm 'bout to say,
But you're just a little to late.
What did I do,
What was I thinkin',
When I gave you my everything, my life,
I forgot about me and I stopped listenin',
Lookin' back I can finally see the light,
You were happiest when I was all stressed out and losin' hair,
Reachin' out for you and you didn't care,
Tired of all the games you play
Funny how now you've got so much to say,
To say but you never told
You never told me that you needed me
The way that your tellin' me now
You never told me that you missed me, 'till you saw me breakin' out
You never told me that you loved me,
Sorry for what I'm 'bout to say,
But you're just a little to late.
I know,
But why couldn't you tell me when I needed to hear it before
I know,
There's not much else to say
This is heartbreak, heart tellin' why the hell would I want to try again,
There's no way that we could still be friends, 'cause you never, you never told me
You never told me that you needed me (yeah)
The way that your tellin' me now (yeah)
You never told me that you missed me, (no, no) 'till you saw me breakin' out
You never told me that you loved me (hey yeah, hey yeah),
Sorry for what I'm 'bout to say,
Sorry for what I'm 'bout to say
Sorry for what I'm 'bout to say,
But you're just a little to late.
Do do do do be do
Yeah yeah yeah
Your just a little to late
Do do do do dodo do do be do
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah
Do do do do be do
Yeah yeah
Do do do do do be do
Oh no no no, oh yeah.
The lyrics of Brian McKnight's song A Little Too Late speak of a past lover regretting the end of the relationship. The first verse begins with bitter nostalgia as the singer indicates that they had envisioned a future with their partner, which turned out to be shorter than expected. The singer then accuses the partner of not wanting them until they decided to leave, and belittling them during the relationship. In the second verse, the singer questions their actions and decisions in the course of the relationship. They realize that they had lost themselves while trying to accommodate the partner's needs and desires. Finally, the singer acknowledges that the relationship is over and cannot be salvaged, and demands that the partner take responsibility for their wrongdoings.
The song's lyrics focus on love, loss, and regret. It portrays a scenario of a relationship where one partner takes the other for granted until it is too late to save the relationship. The lyrics reveal the singer's pain and anger toward their past lover's lack of communication and neglect. The song asks the question, "why couldn't you tell me when I needed to hear it before?" which shows a deep sense of longing for love and attention that was never fulfilled.
Line by Line Meaning
Forever was shorter than what I was thinkin',
The time we spent together seemed to be shorter than I expected
Now all we have left is yesterday,
All we have left now is memories of the past
I guess I wasn't what you wanted,
I wasn't the person you desired
Til you saw me turn and walk away,
You realized my value only when I decided to leave you
Be still you had me feelin' small, when I'm six foot four
Despite being tall, you made me feel insignificant
Fed up with you always comin' up short,
I'm tired of you always falling short
Tired of all the games you play,
I'm exhausted by your constant mind games
Funny how now, you've got so much to say
It's ironic that you have a lot to express now
To say, but you never
You never said those words to me
You never told me that you needed me
You never expressed your need for me
The way that your tellin' me now
The way you're telling me now is too late
You never told me that you missed me, 'till you saw me breakin' up
You realized that you missed me only when I was breaking up with you
You never told me that you loved me,
You never told me that you loved me
Sorry for what I'm 'bout to say,
I apologize for what I'm about to say
But you're just a little to late.
However, it's too late now
What did I do,
What did I do wrong?
What was I thinkin',
What was I thinking?
When I gave you my everything, my life,
When I gave you my all, my life
I forgot about me and I stopped listenin',
I neglected myself and stopped listening to my heart
Lookin' back I can finally see the light,
Reflecting back, I can finally see the truth
You were happiest when I was all stressed out and losin' hair,
You seemed to be happy when I was struggling with stress and hair loss
Reachin' out for you and you didn't care,
I tried to reach out to you, but you didn't care
I know,
I understand
But why couldn't you tell me when I needed to hear it before
But why didn't you express those words to me when I needed them earlier?
There's not much else to say
There isn't much else to express
This is heartbreak, heart tellin' why the hell would I want to try again,
This is heartbreak, and it's making me question why I should try again
There's no way that we could still be friends, 'cause you never, you never told me
We can't be friends anymore because you never expressed your feelings towards me
Do do do do be do
Yeah yeah yeah
Your just a little to late
You missed the opportunity to express your love
Do do do do dodo do do be do
Do do do do do be do
Oh no no no, oh yeah.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN KELLY MCKNIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind