King's major success began in the 1960s when she and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote more than two dozen chart hits, many of which have become standards, for numerous artists. She has continued writing for other artists since then. King's success as a performer in her own right did not come until the 1970s, when she sang her own songs, accompanying herself on the piano, in a series of albums and concerts. After experiencing commercial disappointment with her debut album Writer, King scored her breakthrough with the album Tapestry, which topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971 and remained on the charts for more than six years.
King has made 25 solo albums, the most successful being Tapestry, which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years. Her record sales were estimated at more than 75 million copies worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a performer and songwriter. She is the recipient of the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first woman to be so honored. She is also a 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_King
Studio albums
Writer (1970)
Tapestry (1971)
Music (1971)
Rhymes & Reasons (1972)
Fantasy (1973)
Wrap Around Joy (1974)
Thoroughbred (1976)
Simple Things (1977)
Welcome Home (1978)
Touch the Sky (1979)
Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King (1980)
One to One (1982)
Speeding Time (1983)
City Streets (1989)
Colour of Your Dreams (1993)
Love Makes the World (2001)
A Holiday Carole (2011)
My Lovin' Eyes
Carole King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Express your sympathy
But it's harder still to feel the things
My eyes refuse to see
Oh, my lovin' eyes
When you look upon them darlin' like you do
You bring these tears into
I watch you take my self respect
Accepting each excuse
When I've never seen the reason
For your moods or abuse
Oh, my lovin' eyes
They hold you like the heaven holds the sun
But look what you've done to
My lovin' eyes
Like a man whose way is righteous
His faith in life resigned
I'm a child whose eyes are sightless
And my faith in you is truly blind
It's sad to think of living
As pain that we must feel
But it's sadder still to think of love
As something you conceal
Oh, my lovin' eyes
When you look upon them darlin' like you do
You bring these tears into
My lovin' eyes
The lyrics to Carole King's My Lovin' Eyes depict a relationship in which one partner is blind to the faults of the other. The singer expresses their difficulty in hearing their partner express sympathy or apologies because they are more affected by the things they cannot see. The phrase “my lovin' eyes” is repeated throughout the song, symbolizing the blindness of the singer's love for their partner. They are aware of how their partner mistreats them and damages their self-respect, but they are still unable to see why their partner behaves this way.
The singer uses imagery to emphasize their blindness, comparing themselves to a sightless child and their partner to the sun held by the heavens, further emphasizing the power dynamics of the relationship. They also express how sad it is to live with pain and love that is concealed, highlighting the lack of transparency in their relationship. Through the lyrics, it can be inferred that the singer is aware that their love for their partner is blinding them, but they are unable to break free from the cycle of abuse and are still holding onto their love.
Line by Line Meaning
It's hard enough to hear you
It's difficult to accept your sympathy when I am struggling with my own emotions.
Express your sympathy
You are trying to show understanding and support.
But it's harder still to feel the things
But what's more challenging is trying to actually process and accept my feelings.
My eyes refuse to see
It's tough for me to face the reality of my situation.
Oh, my lovin' eyes
My eyes, that have so much love for you,
When you look upon them darlin' like you do
When you look at me with love and tenderness,
You bring these tears into
It makes me emotional and brings tears to my eyes.
I watch you take my self respect
I observe you slowly eroding my self-esteem.
Accepting each excuse
You keep accepting my excuses for your behavior instead of holding yourself accountable.
When I've never seen the reason
When I don't see any valid reason for your actions or mood swings.
For your moods or abuse
For the unpredictable changes in your emotions or the hurtful ways you treat me.
They hold you like the heaven holds the sun
My eyes hold you in a high regard, like the sun is treasured by the sky.
But look what you've done to
But look at how you've hurt and damaged
My lovin' eyes
My eyes that have so much love for you.
Like a man whose way is righteous
Similar to someone who follows a morally upright path,
His faith in life resigned
I am losing faith in life and in you.
I'm a child whose eyes are sightless
I feel powerless and ignorant, like a child who cannot see.
And my faith in you is truly blind
My trust and belief in you are strong, even though they lack clear evidence or reason.
It's sad to think of living
It is unfortunate to contemplate life
As pain that we must feel
As something that we are forced to endure and suffer through.
But it's sadder still to think of love
But it is even more heartbreaking to consider love,
As something you conceal
As something that you hide or keep secret from me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE KING, DAVID PALMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind