Besides these two songs, five more of Montgomery's singles have reached the top of the country charts: "I Love the Way You Love Me", "Be My Baby Tonight", "If You've Got Love", "I Can Love You Like That", and "The Little Girl", while thirteen more have reached Top Ten. Montgomery's recordings of "I Swear" and "I Can Love You Like That" were both released concurrently with R&B versions by the group All-4-One. Montgomery has also released eleven studio albums, counting a Christmas album.
John Michael joined the family band (which also included his brother, Eddie Montgomery, who would later join Troy Gentry in the duo Montgomery Gentry) as guitarist before taking the lead singing role when his parents divorced. Afterwards, he made a frugal living on the local honky-tonk scene as a solo artist playing what he referred to as "working man's country." Eventually, Atlantic Records signed him.
Friends
John Michael Montgomery Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's a newly sharpened blade
That's a dagger to the heart
Of the promises we made
That's a chapter full of pain
A season full of rain
A dark and stormy night
Friends
Get scattered by the wind
Tossed upon the waves
Lost for years on end
Friends
Slowly drift apart
They give away their hearts
Maybe call you
Now and then
But you want to be
Just friends
You say you love me very much
And you'll always hold me dear
Those are the sweetest words
I never want to hear
What's a love without desire
A flame without a fire
Can't warm me late at night
When I need you most
Friends
Get scattered by the wind
Tossed upon the waves
Lost for years on end
Friends
Slowly drift apart
They give away their hearts
Maybe call you
Now and then
But you want to be
Just friends
Friends
Slowly drift apart
They give away their hearts
Maybe call you
Now and then
Darling can't you see
This is killing me
We could never be
Just friends
The lyrics of John Michael Montgomery's song "Friends" deal with the aftermath of a broken relationship. The singer's ex-lover wants to be friends, but this is a painful experience for him, as he still harbors feelings of love and desire. The opening lines of the song, "You say you want to be friends/ That's a newly sharpened blade/ That's a dagger to the heart/Of the promises we made," set the tone for the rest of the verses. The use of the metaphor of the dagger to explain the hurt he feels emphasizes the depth of his feelings and how sharp and painful they are. The promises they both made while they were in a relationship are now being broken, and this leaves the singer feeling lost and alone.
The chorus of the song continues with the idea that friendships after a break-up can be a struggle. The singer describes how friends can be tossed away by the wind, lost for years on end, and slowly drift apart. The metaphor of friends being scattered by the wind is symbolic of how easy it is to lose touch with someone, and the phrase "lost for years on end" suggests that once a friendship has been lost, it can be challenging to rebuild. The final stanza of the song concludes with the singer expressing his frustration at his ex-lover's decision to be "just friends" and how it is slowly killing him.
Line by Line Meaning
You say you want to be friends
You're telling me that you only want to maintain a friendly relationship with me.
That's a newly sharpened blade
It hurts me greatly to hear that you only want to be friends.
That's a dagger to the heart
Your words of wanting to only be friends are deeply painful, as if being stabbed.
Of the promises we made
It feels like our past promises of a romantic relationship mean nothing to you.
That's a chapter full of pain
The idea of being friends instead of lovers is burdensome and emotional for me.
A season full of rain
Choosing to be friends instead of being in love will feel like a never-ending winter.
A dark and stormy night
The thought of staying up late, feeling lonely and heartbroken, is daunting.
Spent all alone
I will be alone with my pain and sorrow, even though we're supposed to be friends.
Friends
Being 'just friends' is not as easy or as gratifying as you think.
Get scattered by the wind
Friendship is fleeting and can easily be corrupted, just like a gust of wind can blow it all away.
Tossed upon the waves
Like a ship without an anchor, friendships can easily float away and get lost in the waves of life.
Lost for years on end
Friendships that are not strengthened by love can disappear over time and never reappear again.
Slowly drift apart
Even the closest of friends can unintentionally grow distant from each other over time.
They give away their hearts
In friendships with one-sided feelings, one person might unwittingly give up their heart, which can lead to future pain when the relationship is not reciprocated.
Maybe call you
When the friendship has been weakened, the most you can hope for is an occasional phone call.
Now and then
It's only periodically that we might reach out to each other for casual conversations.
But you want to be
Despite my feelings for you, you only want to remain in a friendly relationship.
Just friends
It's heartbreaking for me to hear that you only want to be 'just friends'.
You say you love me very much
You claim to have strong feelings of love for me.
And you'll always hold me dear
You tell me that I'm important and special to you.
Those are the sweetest words
Hearing your kind words should bring me happiness, but they don't because you don't want to be in a romantic relationship.
I never want to hear
As much as it should be pleasing to my ears, hearing that you only want to be friends is something I never want to hear.
What's a love without desire
It's impossible to have a fulfilling and lasting romantic relationship if there is no desire or passion between the two individuals.
A flame without a fire
Love that only burns tepidly is not enough to sustain a long-term relationship.
Can't warm me late at night
When I'm lonely at night, love that is not enough to 'keep the fire burning' will not be enough to comfort me.
When I need you most
It's during times of need and despair that true love is most valuable.
Darling can't you see
I wish you could understand the pain and suffering I'm going through because of your decision to only be friends.
This is killing me
The idea of being 'just friends' when I was hoping for a romantic relationship is causing me great emotional pain.
We could never be
Our relationship can never reach its full potential if we're only 'just friends'.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JERRY HOLLAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1997 {January 5th} "Friends" by John Michael Montgomery peaked at #2 {for 3 weeks} on Billboard's Hot Country Singles* chart, for the three weeks it was at #2, the #1 record for those three weeks was "Nobody Knows" by Kevin Sharp..
And on February 3rd, 1997 "Friends" reached #1 {for 1 week} on the Canadian RPM Country Singles chart...
Between 1992 and 2009 the Danville, Kentucky native had thirty-six records on the Hot Country Singles chart, eighteen made the Top 10 with seven reaching #1...
In a ten-month period from August 1994 to June 1995, he had four consecutive #1 records...
John Michael Montgomery will celebrate his 56th birthday in fifteen days on January 20th, 2021...
* And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of the Hot Country Singles' Top 10 on January 5th, 1997:
At #3. "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)" by Leann Rimes
#4. "Big Love by Tracy Byrd
#5. "Maybe We Should Just Sleep On It" by Tim McGraw
#6. "Is That A Tear" by Tracy Lawrence
#7. "Her Man" by Gary Allan
#8. "Everybody Knows" by Trisha Yearwood
#9. "Little Bitty" by Alan Jackson
#10. "It's A Little Too Late" by Mark Chesnutt
Albert Reyes
Music with such great meaning that touches your heart straight to the core of your Soul, Absolute Classic County,
Larry West
What an amazing piece of writing...even more for the performance.
Jennifer Morris
Very beautiful song. Good love is hard to find. And even when u think u found it there's always someone standing in the way.
Wiley Butler
Not for u as beautiful as you are
Adam Spencer Moore
That is so true but Trust in Jesus I know I will find my true friends if I haven't already I love all of my friends
Bass Pro37
Yep I so agree with ya Jennifer 💯
Mark Pope
Jennifer Morris, true dat, for sure!
Joeie Pettit
You got at right
Tore Last
this song so describes the love of my life, i told him i just wanted us to be friends and continue being brothers and sisters in Christ. but deep down i did and do want to be with him, no one has ever touched my life or shown me such unconditional love like he has, but still in the end i told him we can only be friends bc deep down i knew i didnt deserve him even if i wanted to love him for the rest of my life. but i still think about him every once in a while and for this song it would be me singing this to him, from my point of view. thanks for this great song J.M.M.! :)
Patrick Saxon
You should have gone further as it would be the romance in your life.