Try a little tenderness
Ohio Players Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh she may be weary
Them young girls they do get wearied
Wearing that same old miniskirt dress
But when she gets weary
You try a little tenderness

Oh man that
Un hunh
I know shes waiting
Just anticipating
The thing that you'll never never possess
No no no
But while she there waiting

Try just a little bit of tenderness
That's all you got to do
Now it might be a little bit sentimental no
But she has her greavs and care
But the soft words they are spoke so gentle
Yeah yeah yeah
And it makes it easier to bear
Oh she wont regret it

No no
Them young girls they don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
Yeah yeah yeah
But its all so easy
All you got to do is try
Try a little tenderness
Yeah
Damn that hart (hard?)

All you got to do is know how to love her
You've got to
Hold her
Squeeze her
Never leave her
Now get to her
Got got got to try a little tenderness
Yeah yeah
Lord have mercy now

All you got to do is take my advice
You've got to hold her
Don't squeeze her
Never leave her
You've got to hold her
And never
So you got to try a little tenderness
A little tenderness
A little tenderness
A little tenderness

You've got to
Got to got to
You've gotta hold her
Don't squeeze her
Never leaver her
You got
Got got got to
Now now now
Got got got to




Try a little tenderness
Ye

Overall Meaning

The Ohio Players' song "Try a Little Tenderness" is a plea to a man to be patient and kind to the woman he loves. The lyrics acknowledge that women (especially young women) may become weary, but that doesn't mean they've lost their ability to love deeply. The man is told that if he wants to keep this woman, he needs to try showing her a little tenderness. This means being empathetic to her struggles, speaking softly and gently to her, and simply being there for her when she needs support.


The lyrics suggest that love is not just about physical attraction or possession, but about being present and caring for each other through life's ups and downs. The song's title is, therefore, a metaphor for the kind of love that endures, no matter what. This message is reinforced by the soulful, powerful vocals of the lead singer, which imbue the lyrics with a sense of deep emotion and longing.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh she may be weary
She might be tired and worn out


Them young girls they do get wearied
Young girls also get tired and worn out, especially from constantly wearing revealing clothes


Wearing that same old miniskirt dress
The miniskirt dress is a symbol of youth and sex appeal, but can become tiresome and repetitive


But when she gets weary
When she is tired and needs comfort


You try a little tenderness
Show her a little love and care


Oh man that
Expressing agreement or acknowledgement


Un hunh
A sound of agreement or affirmation


I know shes waiting
She is waiting and hoping for affection


Just anticipating
Looking forward to receiving love and attention


The thing that you'll never never possess
The thing she wants cannot be bought or possessed, but is a genuine feeling of love and tenderness


No no no
Strongly expressing disagreement or denial


But while she there waiting
But while she patiently waits for love


Try just a little bit of tenderness
Show her a little love and kindness


That's all you got to do
It's as simple as showing a little tenderness


Now it might be a little bit sentimental no
Showing tenderness may seem old-fashioned or cheesy


But she has her greavs and care
She may have troubles and worries that make it hard for her to feel loved


But the soft words they are spoke so gentle
Kind and gentle words can soften her heart and make her more receptive to love


Yeah yeah yeah
Expressing enthusiasm or agreement


And it makes it easier to bear
Love and tenderness can make her problems easier to cope with


Oh she wont regret it
She won't regret accepting love and tenderness


Them young girls they don't forget it
Young girls appreciate and remember love and tenderness


Love is their whole happiness
Love is the key to their happiness


But its all so easy
Love and tenderness are simple things to give


All you got to do is try
Just make an effort to show love and tenderness


Damn that hart (hard?)
Expressing frustration or annoyance


All you got to do is know how to love her
You just need to understand how to show her love


You've got to
You must


Hold her
Embrace her and make her feel safe and loved


Squeeze her
Gently hold her close


Never leave her
Stick with her through thick and thin and never abandon her


Now get to her
Go to her and show her love


Try a little tenderness
Again, show her love and tenderness


Yeah yeah
Expressing enthusiasm or agreement


Lord have mercy now
Expressing reverence or awe


All you got to do is take my advice
If you follow my advice


Don't squeeze her
Don't be too forceful or aggressive


A little tenderness
Just a small amount of love and gentleness




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CAROLE BAYER SAGER, DAVID W. FOSTER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions