I Can't Make You Love
Kimberley Locke Lyrics


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Turn down the lights
Turn down the bed
Turn down these voices
Inside my head

Lay down with me
And tell me no lies.
Just hold me close
Don't patronize
Don't patronize me.

[Chorus]
I can't make you love me if you don't
You can't make your heart feel
Something it won't
Here in the dark in these final hours
I will lay down my heart
And I'll feel the power
But you won't, no, you won't.
I can't make you love me
If you don't.

I'll close my eyes
Then I won't see
The love you don't feel
When you're holding me

Morning will come,
I'll do what's right
Just give me till then
To give up this fight
And I will give up this fight.





[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

In Kimberley Locke’s β€œI Can’t Make You Love Me,” the lyrics detail a heart-wrenching and familiar experience of unrequited love. The first verse sets the scene of the singer’s internal struggle, requesting the external environment to follow along and turn down the lights, bed, and voices in her head. She then asks her partner to connect, to be truthful with her, and to hold her close. However, she is aware that they may not actually share her same feelings and pleads with them not to patronize her. Ultimately, the chorus conveys the sadness of the situation, as the singer is powerless to force somebody to feel something.


The second verse continues to express the singer’s disappointment and resignation. She chooses to close her eyes because the reality of the situation is too painful to bear. Looking towards the future, morning will come, and she will have to do what is right, which, in this context, most likely refers to ending the relationship. However, she wants to hold onto hope a little while longer, taking a final opportunity to give up the fight for love.


Overall, Locke’s β€œI Can’t Make You Love Me” lyrics powerfully articulate the pain and helplessness experience during a one-sided connection. As listeners, we can feel the hurt and disappointment that come with being unable to control another person's emotions.


Line by Line Meaning

Turn down the lights
Dimming the lights causes the guilt and pain in my heart to be less visible.


Turn down the bed
Lowering the bed symbolizes the slow, bittersweet descent of this crumbling relationship.


Turn down these voices
I need all the background noise to go away so I could hear nothing but the sound of your heart beating for me.


Inside my head
My thoughts are a constant reminder of the love you could never give me.


Lay down with me
All I really want is to be in your arms one last time.


And tell me no lies.
Just do me the favor of sparing me the heartache of hollow promises.


Just hold me close
Even if your love for me is an illusion, I still long for the warmth of your embrace.


Don't patronize
Please don't placate me with empty words or false hope.


Don't patronize me.
I'm begging you to be brutally honest about your feelings.


I can't make you love me if you don't
There's nothing I can do to make someone love me. It's either there or it's not.


You can't make your heart feel
You can't force yourself to love someone, no matter how much you try.


Something it won't
It's futile to try to make a heart love someone if the feelings aren't mutual.


Here in the dark in these final hours
In this moment of heartbreak and sadness, when our love is dying, and there is nothing else to do but let go.


I will lay down my heart
I'm surrendering my everything, my heart, and soul to you.


And I'll feel the power
I'm resigning myself to my fate, even though it seems hopeless and weak.


But you won't, no, you won't.
You won't feel the same, despite what I do or how much I give.


I can't make you love me
I know in my heart that I can't force this relationship to work. It has to come naturally.


If you don't.
Our love is failing because you don't reciprocate it, and I can't make you.


I'll close my eyes
I'm closing my eyes to the reality, the love that isn't coming, the love that wasn't there.


Then I won't see
I'm trying to avoid the pain of an unrequited love.


The love you don't feel
It hurts to accept that you never did and never will love me.


When you're holding me
Even in your embrace, I can't feel the love that was never there.


Morning will come,
As time passes, I hope to heal and forget.


I'll do what's right
I am determined to move on and find someone who loves me back.


Just give me till then
Give me some time and space to heal from the pain of an unreciprocated love.


To give up this fight
I cannot continue to chase a love that isn't meant to be, and instead, embrace acceptance.




Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Allen Shamblin, Michael Reid

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

carisma rhodes

Thank you for uploading… her performance of this song always stuck with me… incredibly beautiful performance

Pamela Jett

I voted for her and I love her version of this song!

carisma rhodes

Me too!

Mark Phillip

She should have one idol title period.

Nashanta Stanley

I agree

Gregory A.Champion

She's so beautiful ❀️

KellyAnn Dean

She shld have won!!

DLCLCN

no way! Clay is WAY better than she is! Clay totally beats her on this song!

Jordo Jumpman

I loved Kimberly!

Chakita Porter

So beautiful

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