Love Locked Down
Kanye West Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm not loving you, the way I wanted to
What I had to do, had to run from you
I'm in love with you but the vibe is wrong
And that haunted me, all the way home
So you never know, never never know,
Never know enough, 'til it's over love
'Til we lose control, system overload
Screamin' "No! No! No! N-No!"
I'm not loving you, the way I wanted to
See I wanna move, but can't escape from you

So I keep it low, keep a secret code
So everybody else don't have to know

So keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Keepin' your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
You lose

I'm not lovin' you the way I wanted to
I can't keep my cool, so I keep it true

I got somethin to lose, so I gotta move
I can't keep myself, and still keep you too
So I keep in mind, when I'm on my own
Somewhere far from home, in the danger zone

How many times did I tell ya fo it finally got through
You lose, you lose
I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
See I had to go, see I had to move
No more wastin' time, you can't wait for life
We're just wastin' time, where's the finish line

So keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Keepin' your love locked down
Your love locked down

Now keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
You lose

I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
I bet no one knew, I got no one new
I know I said I'm through, but got love for you
But I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
Gotta keep it goin', keep the lovin' goin'
Keep it on a roll, only God knows
If I be with you, baby I'm confused
You choose, you choose
I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
Where I wanna go, I don't need you
I've been down this road, too many times before
I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to

So keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Keepin' your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
Your love locked down
Now keep your love locked down
You lose, you lose




You lose, you lose
You lose

Overall Meaning

The song "Love Locked Down" by Kanye West describes his struggle with being unable to love someone the way he wants to. The lyrics reveal a back-and-forth struggle between his feelings for someone he loves and the negative vibes he experiences when he is with them. He admits to running from this person and keeping his love for them locked down. The chorus repeats the phrase "keep your love locked down" representing the walls he's built around his heart to avoid getting hurt. He also mentions not being able to keep his cool and having to keep it true. The lines "So I keep in mind when I'm on my own/Somewhere far from home, in the danger zone" show that he's trying to stay safe from the negative impact this person has on him.


The lyrics highlight the difficulty of letting go of someone you love, but who isn't good for you. He has to keep his feelings hidden and maintain a secret code to keep everyone else from finding out about his love for this person. However, he realizes that he has to move on and can't keep wasting time on this love, as shown by the lines "No more wastin' time, you can't wait for life/We're just wastin' time, where's the finish line."


Overall, the song is a powerful representation of the struggles of relationships and the difficulties of letting go of someone you love despite knowing that it isn't the right thing to do.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm not loving you, the way I wanted to
The singer no longer loves their partner the way they used to.


What I had to do, had to run from you
The singer had to leave their partner to avoid a toxic situation.


I'm in love with you but the vibe is wrong And that haunted me, all the way home
The singer still has feelings for their partner, but the relationship is no longer working and they can't shake the memory of their struggles.


So you never know, never never know, Never know enough, 'til it's over love
The artist realizes that people often don't appreciate what they have until it's gone.


'Til we lose control, system overload Screamin' "No! No! No! N-No!"
The relationship reached a boiling point and became overwhelming and chaotic.


See I wanna move, but can't escape from you
The singer wants to move on from the relationship, but can't seem to shake their partner.


So keep your love locked down Your love locked down Keepin' your love locked down Your love locked down Now keep your love locked down Your love locked down Now keep your love locked down You lose
The singer is advising their partner to keep their love locked down to avoid heartbreak in the future, and warns that failing to do so will result in loss.


I can't keep my cool, so I keep it true
The artist is being honest about their feelings, despite struggling to remain composed.


I got somethin to lose, so I gotta move I can't keep myself, and still keep you too
The artist feels that they have too much at stake to stay in the relationship.


Somewhere far from home, in the danger zone
The artist is taking a risk by leaving the relationship and venturing into unknown territory.


How many times did I tell ya fo it finally got through You lose, you lose
The singer tried to warn their partner about the dangers of the relationship before finally realizing that they were destined to fail.


See I had to go, see I had to move No more wastin' time, you can't wait for life We're just wastin' time, where's the finish line
The artist realized that they needed to move on from the relationship and stop waiting for things to improve.


I bet no one knew, I got no one new I know I said I'm through, but got love for you But I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
The singer is admitting that they are struggling to move on from the relationship, even though they know it's over.


Gotta keep it goin', keep the lovin' goin' Keep it on a roll, only God knows If I be with you, baby I'm confused You choose, you choose
The singer is conflicted about whether to try to salvage the relationship or move on, and leaves the decision up to their partner.


Where I wanna go, I don't need you I've been down this road, too many times before I'm not lovin' you, the way I wanted to
The singer has realized that they don't need their partner to be happy, and has gone through too much heartache in the past to continue the toxic relationship.


You lose, you lose You lose, you lose You lose
The artist is warning their partner that if they don't keep their love locked down, they will inevitably lose the artist's love.




Contributed by Ethan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@mamaziha79

This is what is most painful...When there is still love between two people, is that one of them, decide to reject you "again" and block you in all possible communications...Like in this beautiful masterpiece...
https://youtu.be/OydK91JjFOw

The worst is when the rejection is based on a stupid misunderstanding on the one hand, and a very bad understanding on the other hand, having triggered "The damned Kraken & his cohort of demons", destroying everything...
Anger is always a bad advisor... It makes you make many mistakes, like erasing yourself, refusing him from now on, all access to your conscience, your thoughts, as he did himself, and lock yourself in a cold mutism to heal, move forward and especially protect yourself from all new venomous and painful stings... Instinctively you must protect yourself and take refuge in your citadel...
Even if you have to live with a love lockdown and a cold case love too...
https://youtu.be/eMjEyWaoNKE

To love sincerely and deeply someone and to lose him in such a brutal and violent way...It's hurt like hell...
https://youtu.be/Uil0L-0F4no
https://youtu.be/IPPTTvxojvg

And I'm still wondering how to communicate with a very complex emotional "Rubik's Cube"...
https://youtu.be/MM62wjLrgmA
https://youtu.be/ifv7S__-vaI

Don't ask me why...
But I needed to "get it out there." ๐Ÿง 



@shaundixon3645

@@mamaziha79 mine was after 35 year marriage I was totally unforgivabley betrayed , not cheating but far worse for me but nothing to her ,
I was put in care at 5 , adopted at7 put back in care at 11 left care 16 joined army , met future wife at 19 still virgin, she pursued me relentlessly, I was more than hesitant .
We got together , I told her โ€œ I will never cheat on you , never hit you , if you want me never to lie , donโ€™t ask about my pastโ€ I kept my word , she did too.
After 30 years some thing was wrong , the dice was rolling , didnโ€™t know what it was , said nothing , was extra vigilant , my defences were up . Then sept 2017 my wife and 2 daughters announced they had found my family , it took ยฃ 14000 and failed cos of actions I had taken to hide . I had 2 forged idโ€™s then 1 they knew me as,it took dna test to find my family in USA . To them this was really good they were ecstatic , to me it was end of my world which was just them.
I never asked fo it,
After 35 years in total I was out of house in 20 mins .
Left everything but clothes on my back and 1 hold-all ,I know they didnโ€™t understand ,
I lived homeless on spare ground behind garden center , 4 years later was seen by friend of friend , they told my wife , who arrived with 2 daughters and 1st grandchild I had never met. They full of apologies and vowing never to communicate with my family again ,.
It took 4 weeks to convince me to go back with them, it was not the same , seperate bedrooms , never touched my wife , I wouldnโ€™t even go in bathroom when she was in it,
Met my younger daughters friend from unI many time she was studying psychology. One day she was stareing at me for longest time till I said โ€œwhatโ€ , she replied โ€œ you need some serious professional help, your head is all mashed upโ€.
They all went on to list odd behaviour ,like asking to use toilet every time , asking if I could make cup of tea , only ever sitting on kitchen chair in kitchen and turning it to face door, disappearing for up to three days , having an object fear of grandchild, terrible nightmares all night every night that I had no memory, many more , too many to mention, all I could say was โ€œ something ainโ€™t right itโ€™s not the same ,the vibe is wrong , Iโ€™m not loving you the way I want to โ€œ daughters friend said โ€œ thatโ€™s love lockdown by Kanye westโ€
Never heard of it before so hear I am listening to it , and at last talking ,
This song could be my road back to not been crazy and scaring people



All comments from YouTube:

@peacehammertitan778

I remember the night when 808s dropped and the radio hosts were so confused. This auto tune and heavy 808s have become a staple of rap and hip hop 10 years later. This man was so ahead

@midlaroi244

Except T Pain did it years before this.

@dolphinerofachero3159

@@midlaroi244 it isnโ€™t about whoโ€™s the pioneer, is all about whoโ€™s the loudest

@depopjordans

@@midlaroi244 T pain's autotune sound was literally inspired by a song on the college dropout so really it was Kanye all along

@albeanie7977

@@midlaroi244 love your name

@midlaroi244

@@albeanie7977 he grew up around me in Australia now hes #1 in Australia and America. Im envious

112 More Replies...

@EJ-lh9co

2010 : love lockdown
2020 : actual lockdown

@hellenbits

Truth ๐Ÿคฃ

@lennon9383

song came in in โ€˜08

@AshleyLiss-sg8fb

This lockdown is going to cause a spike in births in about 9 months #actuallovelockdown

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