New Riders of the Purple Sage was an American country rock band. The group … Read Full Bio ↴New Riders of the Purple Sage was an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco, California in 1969. The band's mainstays were David Nelson, John Dawson, and Jerry Garcia, and many future members of Grateful Dead rotated through.

Can't Get Over You
New Riders Of The Purple Sage Lyrics

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Dawson

I said I was leaving you
And I said I could make it too
It was not true, no way
And I said that I'd be all right
Unaffected by the night
It was not true, no way

I can't get over you
I can't find nothing new
Can't get over you
Over you

I said I could get away
And be without you past a day
It was not true, no way
And I said that I could forget
Ah you should have made me bet
It was not true, no way

Ah, once you tried to tell me 'bout pain
Well I don't need no telling again

I can't get over you
I can't find nothing new
Can't get over you
Over you

Can't get over you
Can't get over you

Can't get over you
Can't get over you

Overall Meaning

The New Riders of the Purple Sage’s “Can’t Get Over You” is a song that explores the difficulty of leaving someone and if one can truly move on from a past relationship. The song is filled with lines that articulate the struggle of trying to move forward from a previous romantic connection. The song begins with the singer stating that they lied when they said they could make it without the person they were leaving. The line, “I said that I’d be all right, unaffected by the night. It was not true, no way” emphasizes that even when one tries to deceive oneself, the truth eventually surfaces, and the feelings that one has not dealt with catch up.

The chorus, “I can’t get over you. I can’t find nothing new. Can’t get over you. Over you.” Is a straightforward statement about the singer’s inability to move on from the past relationship. The line, “And I said that I could forget, Ah, you should have made me bet. It was not true, no way” adds to the theme of lying to oneself and insisting that one is over a past relationship. The song’s final lines, “Can’t get over you. Can’t get over you. Can’t get over you. Can’t get over you” is a reminder of the hold that past love can have over one's present and future romantic endeavors.

Line by Line Meaning

I said I was leaving you
I claimed that I was departing from our relationship

And I said I could make it too
I asserted that I would be able to move on and do well without you

It was not true, no way
But that was a lie, and I couldn't have been more wrong

And I said that I'd be all right
I promised that I'd be fine

Unaffected by the night
That I wouldn't be bothered by the loneliness of the night

It was not true, no way
But that was also false, and I'm really affected by the separation

I can't get over you
I find it hard to forget and move on from you

I can't find nothing new
And I can't discover anyone else new that I could focus on instead

Can't get over you
I'm still stuck on you and cannot see a way to move on

Over you
I'm consumed by the memories of our past and the thought of you

I said I could get away
I claimed that I could escape from your grip