I Want You to Want Me
Juliana Hatfield Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dust off the instruments
Do you still know how to play?
With the pride of lions you rub me the wrong way
Stick your hand in the cookie jar, pull out bad poetry.

I want to want you
I want to want you
My face has changed
I don't look the same
A human mutation
Alienation factory
Too much information, maybe.

What a bad judge of character you were
I would fake it if I could
It would probably be for my own good
Honesty is a curse
It only makes it worse.

I want to want you
I want to want you

You're such a lucky man
Over and over again
Runs like a dream
No demons in your machine
I can't explain to you what I don't understand.





I want to want you x6

Overall Meaning

The opening line "Dust off the instruments, do you still know how to play?" is a strong indication that the song is about rekindling a past relationship. It might be a subtle reference to needing to pick up things where they were left off and try to get that passion back. The next line "with the pride of lions, you rub me the wrong way" hints that things were left in a negative space and returning perhaps isn't a welcome idea. The next few lines "stick your hand in the cookie jar, pull out bad poetry" suggests that the memories are not necessarily fond, perhaps it was a struggle to bring something new and creative once, and it may be difficult to do so again.


The lyric "my face has changed, I don't look the same, a human mutation, alienation factory" suggests that the singer has gone through a lot of change - change which maybe the former lover won't recognize. The next line "too much information, maybe" could suggest that the singer is struggling with an internal conflict of not knowing if they should bring up the changes or pretend that everything is the same. The following lines "what a bad judge of character you were, I would fake it if I could, it would probably be for my own good, honesty is a curse, it only makes it worse" suggests that the partner in the past was not genuine, and the singer would pretend simply for ease, but doing so may cause further complications.


The chorus "I want to want you" is repeated six times at the end, which reinforces the idea that the singer can't decide whether to return or not - they have a sense of wanting to want the person but they can't seem to get there. Overall, the song explores the idea of wanting to return to something familiar but realizing that it may not be worth it in the end.


Line by Line Meaning

Dust off the instruments
Let's revisit our relationship and see if we can make it work


Do you still know how to play?
Do you still have the passion for me that you used to?


With the pride of lions you rub me the wrong way
Your arrogance can be unbearable at times


Stick your hand in the cookie jar, pull out bad poetry
You try too hard to impress me and it comes across as insincere


I want to want you
I wish I could still feel the same way that I used to


My face has changed
I am not the person that you fell in love with


I don't look the same
Physically and emotionally, I have evolved


A human mutation
I have transformed into someone different than before


Alienation factory
The changes I have experienced have made it harder for us to connect


Too much information, maybe
Perhaps I am being too honest and open with you about my changes


What a bad judge of character you were
You mistook who I was and that caused problems in our relationship


I would fake it if I could
I would pretend to still feel the same way in order to spare your feelings


It would probably be for my own good
Maintaining the illusion would make it easier for me to cope with our situation


Honesty is a curse
Being truthful can sometimes cause more harm than good


It only makes it worse
Telling the truth has made our relationship more difficult


You're such a lucky man
You have it easy in life and take many things for granted


Over and over again
You repeat the same patterns and behaviors without learning from them


Runs like a dream
Your life is smooth and uncomplicated


No demons in your machine
You have no significant problems or issues to deal with


I can't explain to you what I don't understand
I am having trouble comprehending my own emotions and cannot communicate them to you


I want to want you x6
I really wish that our relationship could go back to how it used to be, but I cannot force myself to feel something that I do not




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JULIANA HATFIELD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Kiko Jones

Pure '90s without sounding dated.
I'm a longtime fan of this track.

More Versions