If I Stay
Ellis and the Angry Teens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time and again I would try to say
All I'd want you to know
If I loved you
Words wouldn't come in an easy way
'Round in circles I'd go
I'd let my golden chances pass me by
Soon you'd leave me
Off you would go in the mist of day
Never, never to know
How I loved you
If I loved you
Longing to tell you, but afraid and shy
I'd let my golden chances pass me by
Soon you'd leave me
Off you would go in the mist of day
Never, never to know
How I loved you
If I loved you
The lyrics to Ellis and the Angry Teens' song "If I Stay" talks about unrequited love and the reluctance to express one's feelings to the person they love. The song begins with the singer saying that if they loved the person, they would repeatedly try to express their feelings, but that words would not come easily. This hesitation is a recurring theme as the singer explains they would go "round in circles," longing to tell the person how they feel but being too afraid and shy, causing them to miss opportunities to confess their love. The song closes with the realization that the person would soon leave n'er to know that they loved them.
Overall, the lyrics of "If I Stay" encapsulate the struggle of someone in love but unable to express their feelings. The repetition of the phrase "If I loved you" emphasises the intensity of the singer's emotions. The song speaks to the notion of lost opportunities and the pain of unrequited love, which is something many individuals can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
If I loved you
The singer contemplates the feeling of love and expresses it in the conditional sense, indicating that they may or may not actually love the subject of the song.
Time and again I would try to say
The singer admits that they have attempted to express their love on multiple occasions.
All I'd want you to know
The ultimate goal of the singer's attempts to express their love is simply for the subject to be aware of it.
Words wouldn't come in an easy way
Despite the artist's desire to express their love, they struggle to find the appropriate words to convey it.
'Round in circles I'd go
The artist feels a sense of repetition and stagnation in their attempts to express their love, as they are unable to make progress or move forward.
Longing to tell you, but afraid and shy
The singer reveals that they are fearful and hesitant to express their love openly.
I'd let my golden chances pass me by
The singer acknowledges that they have missed opportunities to express their love due to their own hesitancy and fear.
Soon you'd leave me
The artist envisions a scenario in which the subject of the song departs, either literally or figuratively.
Off you would go in the mist of day
The artist imagines the subject of the song disappearing suddenly and without warning, leaving the artist in a state of uncertainty and loneliness.
Never, never to know
The artist laments that the subject may never be aware of the depth of their feelings.
How I loved you
The song concludes with a restatement of the singer's feelings of love for the subject, highlighting the intensity and sincerity of these emotions.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind