Miller formed the Buddy Miller Band, which included singer/songwriter Shawn Colvin on vocals and guitar.
In addition to releasing several solo albums over the years, Miller has toured as lead guitarist/backing vocalist for Emmylou Harris's Spyboy band, Steve Earle on his El Corazon tour, and Linda Ronstadt. He co-produced and performed on Jimmie Dale Gilmore's 2000 album Endless Night. He has also appeared on several albums by songwriter/singer Lucinda Williams.
At the 4th Annual Americana Music Association Honors & Awards, the Ryman Auditorium September 2005, Miller received the Album of the Year Award for his Universal United House of Prayer, and the opening cut of that album, Worry Too Much (penned by Mark Heard, and originally released on Second Hand), won the Song of the Year Award.
Don't Tell Me
Buddy Miller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell my mind not to think
Thrown a stone in the ocean
And tell that stone not to sink
Tell the world to stop turnin' around
Tell the sky not to be so blue
Tell the rain to stop fallin' down like tears
Don't tell me to stop loving you
Tell the past to be forgotten
Tell my life not to exist
Tell a promise made to be unspoken
And my lips not to have been kissed
Tell the world to stop turnin' around
Tell the sky not to be so blue
Tell the rain to stop fallin' down like tears
But don't tell me to stop loving you
Don't tell me to stop loving you
I can't do it, I can't stop
It's something that love has sealed
Only the broken-hearted know the way I feel
Tell the world to stop turnin' around
Tell the sky not to be so blue
Tell the rain to stop fallin' down like tears
But don't tell me to stop loving you
Don't tell me to stop loving you
In Buddy Miller's song "Don't Tell Me," the singer communicates the depth and intensity of his love in a beautiful and poignant way. He begins by imagining impossible scenarios - telling his heart to stop beating, his mind not to think, and a stone not to sink in the ocean. He then graduates to the realm of the possible, commanding the world to stop turning and the sky not to be blue, and finally to the painful reality of a relationship in which he loves someone who does not reciprocate the feeling. In this context, he begs, "don't tell me to stop loving you."
The lyrics are deeply emotional and convey the sense of futility that can come with loving someone who does not love back. They also express the singer's determination in the face of this unrequited love - after all, he cannot stop loving, no matter how much he may wish to. The lines, "It's something that love has sealed / Only the broken-hearted know the way I feel," speak to the universal nature of these emotions and the fact that countless people can relate to this experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell my heart to stop beating
Ask me to stop loving you; it's as hopeless and impossible as telling my heart to stop beating
Tell my mind not to think
You can ask me to stop loving you, but my mind will always be filled with thoughts of you
Thrown a stone in the ocean
Asking me to stop loving you is as pointless as throwing a stone in the ocean; it won't make a difference
And tell that stone not to sink
Just as a stone sinking in the ocean is inevitable, my love for you is undeniably strong and will not fade
Tell the world to stop turnin' around
If you could stop the world from turning, it would be easier than making me stop loving you
Tell the sky not to be so blue
It's just as impossible to change the color of the sky as it is to make me stop loving you
Tell the rain to stop fallin' down like tears
Tears don't stop falling just because you tell them to, just as my love won't stop even if you ask me to
But don't tell me to stop loving you
No matter how much you ask me, I cannot stop loving you
Tell the past to be forgotten
As much as I wish I could forget the pain of the past, I cannot forget my love for you
Tell my life not to exist
Asking me to stop loving you is like asking me to stop living
Tell a promise made to be unspoken
Just as a promise cannot be unspoken, my love for you cannot be rooted out
And my lips not to have been kissed
My love for you cannot be undone, just as my lips cannot undo the kisses they've shared with you
I can't do it, I can't stop
No matter how much I wish I could, I cannot stop loving you
It's something that love has sealed
My love for you is not something I can control; it's simply sealed within me
Only the broken-hearted know the way I feel
Only those who have experienced heartbreak can truly understand the depth of my love for you
Don't tell me to stop loving you
My love for you cannot be silenced or extinguished, no matter how much you may ask
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave
Written by: JULIE MILLER, STEVEN P. MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind