I Want You Back
Kooks The Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Take me back to the place where I
Loved that girl for all time
Why must life just take away
Every good thing one at a time

I want it back
Well yes I want it back
Yes I want you back
Please give it me back
'Cause I want your love

How can I not even cry?
For such a big thing in my life
The pain it takes a part of me
Turn around and say good bye

I want it back
Well yes I want it back
Yes I want you back
Please give it me back
'Cause I want you

How do you do it females?
It's always you do it angels
You always keep me on the run
So how do you do it angels?
Always you do it females
You always keep me on the run

I want it back
Well yes I want it back
Yes I want you back
Please give it me back




'Cause I want your love
But I can't let myself love you

Overall Meaning

The song "I Want You Back" by British rock band The Kooks is a heartfelt plea for lost love. The lyrics tell the story of a man who longs to return to the time when he was deeply in love with a girl, but now finds himself struggling to overcome the pain of losing her. He wants to get back everything that he had before, but knows that this is impossible. Despite this, he still desires her love.


The opening lines of the song demonstrate the deep regret the singer feels in losing his love. He wants to go back to the time when things were great, and he was in love with her. The lyrics are simple yet powerful as they convey the intensity of the singer's emotions. The lines "Why must life just take away every good thing one at a time" in the chorus depict the singer's desperation and frustration as he tries to come to terms with his loss. He wants his life to be whole again, but he knows that everything that he had before cannot be regained.


The second verse delves into the pain that the singer feels after the loss of his love. He cannot even cry despite having lost something so significant in his life. The final lines of the song reveal that the singer knows that he cannot let himself love her again, as he wants to protect himself from experiencing the same pain again. The song is a beautiful representation of love and loss, and the emotions that come with it.


Line by Line Meaning

Take me back to the place where I
The singer wants to go back to a specific place in time where they were in love with a girl.


Loved that girl for all time
The singer has loved the girl for a long time, suggesting a deep and meaningful relationship.


Why must life just take away
The singer is questioning why good things in life are taken away.


Every good thing one at a time
The artist is expressing the belief that good things are taken away one by one, causing great pain.


I want it back
The artist wants what was taken away from them.


Well yes I want it back
The singer is expressing their strong desire to have what they lost returned to them.


Yes I want you back
The singer specifically wants the person they were in love with to come back to them.


Please give it me back
The artist is pleading for what was taken away from them to be returned.


'Cause I want your love
The artist wants to regain the love of the person they lost.


How can I not even cry?
The artist is questioning how they could not even cry at the loss of something so important to them.


For such a big thing in my life
The loss of this love was a significant event in the singer's life.


The pain it takes a part of me
The pain of the loss has left a lasting impact on the artist.


Turn around and say goodbye
The person the singer was in love with said goodbye and left, causing great pain for the singer.


How do you do it females?
The singer is questioning how women can have such a powerful impact on them.


It's always you do it angels
The singer perceives women as angels who have a significant impact on them.


You always keep me on the run
Women continue to have an impact on the artist, consistently keeping them on their toes.


So how do you do it angels?
The artist is imploring women to reveal their secrets, questioning how they have such a powerful impact on them.


I want it back
The singer is reiterating their desire to have what was taken away from them returned to them.


Well yes I want it back
The singer is again emphasizing their strong desire to regain what they lost.


Yes I want you back
The artist is specifically asking for the person they were in love with to come back to them.


Please give it me back
The artist is once again pleading for what was taken away to be returned to them.


'Cause I want your love
The artist is specifically asking for the love of the person they lost to be returned to them.


But I can't let myself love you
The singer is acknowledging that they have difficulty allowing themself to love the person they lost.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O APRA AMCOS, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BOYAN CHOWDHURY, ABIGAIL HARDING, DAVID MCCABE, SEAN PAYNE, RUSSELL PRITCHARD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Lucy Leszczynski

"Cause I want your love, but I can't let myself love you." So powerful.

Jono Smith

played this everyday for a month when i broke up with my girlfriend.. now where back together, this song haunts me but i cant stop listening to it.

NJbug3

God u just gotta get up and dance when u hear this song! Love love love it!

Leez Dellacoursqñ

Never gets old.

Mairi shaw

amazing!!love the kooks

Aaliyah Johnson

I came here from a story on wattpad, and now I absolutely love this.

cuteaspie06

Aaliyah Johnson I came here from mine (boyxboy werewolf) story on Wattpad

Moe

Aaliyah Johnson lie to me by skenekidz? BXB?

Rebeca Espinosa

Such lucky you are, boy. I'd listened and thought about this song everyday since we ended, and hoped with all my soul to be toghether again...but I'm still with a stupid and broken heart in my hands.

106quiksliver

Love this track 4sure! Played it 4years!! 100%☆🙄

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