There are multiple artists called Jerry Butler:

1) Jerry Butler, Jr… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists called Jerry Butler:

1) Jerry Butler, Jr. (born December 8, 1939 in Sunflower, Mississippi) is an American soul singer also known as "The Ice Man" because of his cool demeanour while singing often intensely emotional lyrics.

Butler was dubbed the "Iceman" by a Philadelphia disc jockey while performing in a Philadelphia theater. However, Butler achieved what eluded many earlier Doo Wop groups during the 1950s and 1960s — longevity. Butler’s solo career had a string of hits, including "He Will Break Your Heart," "Moon River," "Make It Easy On Yourself," "Let It Be Me" (the Everly Brothers classic re-done as a duet with Betty Everett), "Brand New Me," "Ain’t Understanding Mellow," (duet with Brenda Lee Eager), and "Never Gonna Give You Up," followed by two hugely successful albums The Iceman Cometh in 1968 and Ice On Ice in 1970. The Iceman Cometh garnered Butler three Grammy nominations. Jerry Butler further made recordings for Philadelphia International Records in the 80's. His most noted song for the label was "Cooling Out"

I've Been Trying
Jerry Butler Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've been tryin'
Lord knows that I've been tryin'
To understand why
Can I be your only man

You say you love me
So sincere that I believed you loved me
Yet I can't understand why

Can I be your only man

Day after day
You treat me any old way
I wanna go but my heart says no
You act so strange
But my love still remains
It says keep on tryin' boy
She's gonna change

I've been tryin'
Lord knows that I've been tryin'
To understand why
Can I be your only man

Keep on tryin'
Woooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Keep on tryin'
Woooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

Keep on tryin'
Woooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jerry Butler's song I've Been Trying are an example of a man longing for love and understanding in a relationship that seems to be unstable. He professes his love for his partner and his willingness to make things work between them even though she treats him poorly. The chorus repeats the phrase "I've been tryin', Lord knows that I've been tryin'" which shows the frustration the man is feeling in trying to understand his partner's behavior.

The man is perplexed about why his partner cannot commit to him fully and give him the love that he needs. He believes that he can be her only man, but her actions do not reflect this. The line "You act so strange, but my love still remains" reveals that despite her behavior, he still loves her and is willing to work things out.

In the end, the man is determined to keep trying in the hope that his partner will change and they can have a loving and committed relationship. The lyrics contain a sense of vulnerability and the struggle of a man trying to make sense of his emotions while navigating through a relationship that is not stable.

Line by Line Meaning

I've been tryin'
I am making an effort

Lord knows that I've been tryin'
I am trying really hard

To understand why
To figure out what's going on

Can I be your only man
Can I be the only one for you?

You say you love me
You claim to have love for me

So sincere that I believed you loved me
I trusted you meant what you said

Yet I can't understand why
However, I am still confused

Day after day
Every single day

You treat me any old way
You treat me however you like

I wanna go but my heart says no
I want to leave but my feelings won't let me

You act so strange
Your behavior is very unusual