King Kooba, real names Matt Harris and Charlie Tate, are an electronica DJ … Read Full Bio ↴King Kooba, real names Matt Harris and Charlie Tate, are an electronica DJ duo from the United Kingdom. Legend says that they were formed over a pint of beer at Charlie's mum's pub in London, England. They are currently signed to the Om Records label, and have done work for many of their compilations, such as the Om Lounge series. Their style consists of a mixture of funk, soul, latin, jazz, and hip hop, with some electronic elements such as synthesizers and drum machines. Some of their music, such as the song "Blue Mosque", are influenced by Middle Eastern styles.

If I Could
King Kooba Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Verse 1:
I can't believe, You were the girl
No one ever wanted to be with kiss, hold, or do a thang
Real thin so shy really not my type no
There was no future for us girl honestly
It's been a while I ask myself how could this be
This girl is hot she's looking so damn good to me
Tried to approach her but her feelings they have changed

She's not checkin for me
Hey there luv
You're lookin better than you did before
Ooh I never meant to hurt you
Sometimes I sit and wish I didn't ignore ya
Ooh I'd change it if I could
[Verse 2:
What do I do for you to even notice me
See me tryin to hard to win your heart
Did I hurt you all that bad?
Been two years and you're still mad Shawty tell me
Never did I feel this way before
So many dimes I've been through
Never thought that cupid had a bow for me
Til the day you passed my mama's door
I didn't really mean to hurt you baby
So won't you please come back?
Hey there luv
You're lookin better than you did before
Ooh I never meant to hurt you
Sometimes I sit and wish I didn't ignore ya
Ooh I'd change it if I could
[Bridge:
You got me in a state of disbelief
I didn't know you were working with something
Saw your boy been frontin (no)
Hey there luv
You're lookin better than you did before
Ooh I never meant to hurt you

Sometimes I sit and wish I didn't ignore ya
Ooh I'd change it if I could

Overall Meaning

The song "If I Could" by King Kooba tells the story of a man who regrets ignoring a girl who he now realizes was his ideal match. In the first verse, the singer reflects on his initial perception of the girl as someone who wasn't his type and therefore didn't pursue a relationship with her. However, he eventually sees her again and is struck by her beauty but finds that she's moved on from him. The second verse is an apology to the girl, with the singer questioning what he can do to make it right and acknowledging the hurt he caused. The bridge expresses the singer's shock at realizing he had misjudged the girl, and ends with the repetition of the longing to change things if he could.

The lyrics are relatable in their portrayal of missed opportunities and the desire to go back and rectify past mistakes. The song's slow, melancholic R&B melody also amplifies the emotions conveyed in the lyrics. Overall, the song is a lament about a lost love and a yearning for a second chance.

Line by Line Meaning

I can't believe, You were the girl
I am astonished that you were the girl

No one ever wanted to be with kiss, hold, or do a thang
No one ever showed interest in kissing, holding, or anything with you

Real thin so shy really not my type no
You were too skinny and too shy for my taste

There was no future for us girl honestly
Honestly, there was no future for us

It's been a while I ask myself how could this be
It has been a while and I am still questioning how this could be happening

This girl is hot she's looking so damn good to me
You are hot and looking damn good to me

Tried to approach her but her feelings they have changed
I tried to approach you but your feelings towards me have changed

She's not checkin for me
You are not interested in me

Hey there luv
Hello my love

You're lookin better than you did before
You are looking better than you did before

Ooh I never meant to hurt you
I am sorry for hurting you

Sometimes I sit and wish I didn't ignore ya
Sometimes I regret ignoring you

Ooh I'd change it if I could
I would change things if I had the chance

What do I do for you to even notice me
What can I do for you to notice me?

See me tryin to hard to win your heart
You can see that I am trying too hard to win your heart

Did I hurt you all that bad?
Did I hurt you that badly?

Been two years and you're still mad Shawty tell me
It has been two years and you are still angry, tell me why

Never did I feel this way before
I have never felt this way before

So many dimes I've been through
I have been through many girls

Never thought that cupid had a bow for me
I never thought that I would find someone for me

Til the day you passed my mama's door
Until the day you passed by my mom's house

I didn't really mean to hurt you baby
I did not mean to hurt you, baby

So won't you please come back?
Won't you please come back?

You got me in a state of disbelief
You have left me in a state of disbelief

I didn't know you were working with something
I did not realize you had something special about you

Saw your boy been frontin (no)
I saw your friend being fake (no)

Writer(s): Mark Andrews, Bryan Michael Paul Cox, Rufus Waller, Tamara Savage, Gregory Gerard Curtis

Contributed by Juliana A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS