P.J. Proby, born James Marcus Smith on 6 November 1938, is a singer, songwr… Read Full Bio ↴P.J. Proby, born James Marcus Smith on 6 November 1938, is a singer, songwriter, and actor noted for his voice and his theatrical portrayals of Elvis Presley, plus interpretations of modern standards in the vein of Tom Jones. Until 1961, he used the name Jett Powers.

The stage name P.J. Proby was suggested to him by a friend named Sharon Sheeley (Eddie Cochran's girlfriend) who remembered the name of an old high school boyfriend.
P.J. Proby did demos for Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and other artists. His greatest hits are "Somewhere", "Maria", "Hold Me", "Niki Hoeky" and "I Apologise". In 1996, Marc Almond produced the album Legend which included the duet single "Yesterday Has Gone".

If I Loved You
P.J. Proby Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If I loved you, time and again
I would try to say all I'd want you to know
If I loved you, words wouldn't come
In an easy way, round in circles I'd go

Chorus:

Longing to tell you but afraid and shy

I'd let my golden chances pass me by
Soon you'd leave me
Off you would go in the mist of day
Never, never to know
How I love you, if I loved you

Repeat chorus

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of P.J. Proby's song, "If I Loved You", describe someone who is deeply in love with another person but finds it difficult to express their feelings. The singer acknowledges that if they truly loved this person, they would want them to know how they feel. However, the singer also recognizes that words wouldn't come easily to them, and they would likely end up going around in circles in their attempt to express themselves.

In the chorus, the singer admits to being afraid and shy, and as a result of this fear, they would let opportunities to express their love pass them by. The singer laments that the person they love would leave, never knowing how strong their feelings truly were.

The lyrics of "If I Loved You" are a bittersweet meditation on the difficulty of expressing one's true feelings. The song captures the pain of unrequited love and the fear of rejection that holds many people back from fully expressing themselves.

Line by Line Meaning

If I loved you, time and again
If I truly loved you, I would make many attempts to express my feelings for you.

I would try to say all I'd want you to know
I would make an effort to communicate everything that I think you should be aware of including how I feel about you.

If I loved you, words wouldn't come
When true love exists, speaking fluidly or with ease will prove difficult.

In an easy way, round in circles I'd go
I would avoid speaking sincerely about my feelings and instead would be evasive or unclear in my intentions.

Longing to tell you but afraid and shy
Despite my desire to communicate, I am hesitant and lack confidence or courage.

I'd let my golden chances pass me by
My opportunities for real intimacy with you will be squandered due to my indecisiveness or inaction.

Soon you'd leave me
Due to my indecisiveness, you will not remain close to me for long.

Off you would go in the mist of day
You would depart suddenly and forever, leaving me heartbroken and wondering about what could have been.

Never, never to know
You will never find out how deeply I felt about you.

How I love you, if I loved you
Only if I were capable of having the courage to tell you directly, you would know the degree of love I have for you.

Repeat chorus
This chorus is repeated throughout the song to highlight the regret one feels for not expressing their love for someone.

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Oscar II Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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