Tell Me Why You Love Me
Chris Smither Lyrics

Tell me why you love me,
Asking the lover to explain the reason they love the singer.

Tell me how you know,
Requesting the lover to explain how they became certain about their love.

I know it might be so,
Admitting the possibility of the lover's feelings being true.

But I might never know,
The artist's inability to comprehend the existence of the lover's feelings without an explanation.

But I will not believe you 'till you tell me,
The artist's need for the lover to provide a satisfactory explanation before they can believe in their love.

And if you won't tell me, I got to go.
The singer's willingness to leave if the lover refuses to explain their love.

'Cause I can hear 'em laughin',
Noticing the sound of people rejoicing and having fun in San Antonio.

I can hear 'em singin'
Perceiving the sound of people singing in the same location.

I can hear 'em dancin' down in San Antonio,
Hearing people dancing and experiencing joy in San Antonio.

They don't have these questions,
Realizing that the people in San Antonio are not concerned with the same issues the artist is facing.

And almost without exception,
Noticing the near-universal lack of concern among the people.

They don't care if they don't ever know,
Acknowledging that the people in San Antonio do not require any explanation for their love or happiness.

They got a Texas moon above 'em,
Referring to the common experience of people in Texas who share the same environment.

Texas men to love 'em,
Noting that the people in Texas have access to romantic partners who share their values and environment.

All they seem to care about is how they feel tonight,
Observing that people in Texas prioritize their current emotional state over deep philosophical questions of life and relationships.

I've lived that way before,
The artist's past experience of prioritizing temporary emotions over deeper questions of life and love.

But I can't do it anymore,
The artist's current inability to prioritize emotional satisfaction over intellectual satisfaction.

Just because it isn't wrong don't make it right.
The singer's belief that the absence of immorality does not guarantee morality or justice.

Well I can tell you why I love you,
The singer's assurance they can provide a satisfactory explanation for their own love.

You know I hardly have to try,
The artist's effortless ability to offer explanations for their feelings.

It came to me while I Was thinking over your reply,
The realization of the reasons for love occurred through actively considering the lover's inquiry.

Instead of simply takin' me for granted,
Acknowledging that the lover has not taken them for granted.

you took me by surprise and asked me why,
The lover's surprise question prompted the singer's introspection and understanding of their own love.

They would say I love you too,
People in the artist's past would respond to the declaration of love with a similar declaration of their own.

And all it really meant was "ain't this fun? Yes I agree"
The superficiality of the responses from people in the past and the lack of deeper meaning behind them.

It was just a way of talkin',
Declaring that these responses were simply mere expressions of social norms and nothing more.

They might just as well be walkin',
Implying that the empty declarations of love from the past people were as futile as simply going on a walk with a pet dog.

With the dog instead of comin' home with me.
Suggesting that the people in the past preferred to pursue their pet dogs rather than to provide deeper meanings in their relationships.

Everything had to be cheerful,
Noting the demand in the past for cheerful attitudes at all times regardless of underlying issues.

And I'd really get an earful,
The repercussion for speaking out of tune with the cheerful expectations of others would be severe, represented by the idiomatic expression "get an earful" meaning a severe lecture.

If I ever tried to talk about what mattered most to me,
The past people did not allow meaningful conversation about important matters with the singer.

It was a major undertaking,
The effort involved in approaching past people to start meaningful conversations was comparably great like a significant task.

Just to keep their hearts from breaking,
The artist almost had to coddle the past people to prevent any fall out or disappointment in relationship and maintain their emotions as expected.

Every time I tried to sing in minor key.
The sad and dark undertones to the artist's thoughts and emotions were not welcome for the past people and failed to resonate with them, described metaphorically by "sing in a minor key".