Lou Rhodes (born 1 November 1964) is an English singer and songwriter from … Read Full Bio ↴Lou Rhodes (born 1 November 1964) is an English singer and songwriter from Manchester, now living in Wiltshire. In addition to providing vocals and lyrics for the band Lamb, Rhodes has released a series of solo albums that are rooted in folk music.

Her 2006 debut solo album entitled Beloved One was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize and was released through Lou's own label Infinite Bloom. Rhodes' second album, Bloom (A&G Records/Infinite Bloom), was released in October 2007. Her third album, One Good Thing (Motion Audio/Infinite Bloom), was released in early 2010.

She released her third solo album One Good Thing in 2010 and became an author in 2012 with her children's picture book, The Phlunk (Strata Books). Follow-up, The Phlunk's Worldwide Symphony was published in 2014.

In 2012 Rhodes also contributed an essay to The First Time I Heard The Smiths, part of an ongoing series where musicians/writers tell their stories of first hearing the music of an iconic artist or band.

Rhodes released the singles "All The Birds" in April, and "All I Need" in June 2016. A month later, the album theyesandeye was released through Nude records. The album includes a cover of the song "Angels" originally performed by The xx. Other musicians on the album include Ian Kellet (guitars), Nikolaj Bjerre (drums), Danny Keane (strings) and [atist]Tom Moth (harp).

Why
Lou Rhodes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You told me I was beautiful
And held me oh so tight
So I dwelt on my ugliness and
Hid away my light

Tell me why, oh why
Can't we let the good things in
I wanna know why, oh why

Can't we let the good things in

You said that you'd loved me
Before you saw my face
So I waited and watched for
Another girl to take my place

Tell me why, oh why
Can't we let the good things in
I wanna know why, oh why
Can't we let the good things in

Tell me I wanna know why
Tell me I wanna know why

So much of what I'd hoped for
I couldn't let it be
So I made me a world where
You had to leave

Tell me why, oh why
Can't we let the good things in
I wanna know why, oh why
Can't we let the good things in

I wanna know why
Tell me I wanna know why
Tell me I wanna know why
Tell me I wanna know why

Can't we let the good things in

Overall Meaning

The song "Why" by Lou Rhodes speaks about the vulnerability and insecurity that come with trying to find love and acceptance. The first verse talks about how the singer was told she was beautiful but couldn't accept it as true, as she was dwelling on her own perceived ugliness- a common feeling of self-doubt that many people struggle with. She then goes on to question why it's so difficult for people to let good things into their lives, and why it can be so hard to accept compliments or positive words from others. The second verse goes on to explain that even when the singer was told she was loved for who she was, she couldn't believe it and expected to be replaced by someone else.

Overall, the song feels like a plea for self-acceptance and compassion, not just from others, but from oneself. It highlights how sometimes, the biggest obstacle in our path to happiness can be our own self-doubt and inhibition.

Line by Line Meaning

You told me I was beautiful
You complimented my appearance

And held me oh so tight
And embraced me with physical closeness

So I dwelt on my ugliness and
So I thought a lot about my unattractiveness and

Hid away my light
Suppressed my inner qualities

Tell me why, oh why
Expressing a desire to know the underlying reason

Can't we let the good things in
Why can't we accept the positive aspects

You said that you'd loved me
You claimed to have feelings for me

Before you saw my face
Prior to seeing my physical appearance

So I waited and watched for
So I expected and observed for

Another girl to take my place
Another woman to replace me

Tell me I wanna know why
Expressing a strong desire to understand the reason