You Don't Know Me
Ray Charles Lyrics
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And then you say hello
And I can hardly speak
My heart is beating so
And anyone can tell
You think you know me well
But you don't know me (no you don't know me)
No you don't know the one
Who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips
Longs to hold you tight
Oh I am just a friend
That's all I've ever been
Cause you don't know me (no you don't know me)
I never knew the art of making love
No my heart aches with love for you
Afraid and shy I let my chance go by
The chance that you might love me too (love me too)
You give your hand to me
And then you say goodbye
I watch you walk away beside the lucky guy
Oh you will never know
The one who loves you so
Well you don't know me
I never knew the art of making love
No my heart aches with love for you
Afraid and shy I let my chance go by
The chance that you might love me too (love me too)
You give your hand to me
And then you say goodbye
I watch you walk away beside the lucky guy
Oh you will never know
The one who loves you so
Well you don't know me
You don't know me
Oh you don't know me
Ray Charles's song "You Don't Know Me" is a powerful and emotional depiction of unrequited love. In this song, the singer expresses their feelings of love and longing for someone who doesn't reciprocate their feelings. The opening lines, "You give your hand to me and then you say hello, and I can hardly speak, my heart is beating so," illustrate the singer's nervousness and excitement at the prospect of interacting with the person they love. Despite the person thinking they know the singer well, they don't truly know the singer's deepest desires and dreams.
The singer goes on to reveal how they yearn for the person's love and affection, dreaming of them at night and longing to kiss their lips and hold them close. They lament that they can only be a friend to this person, as their feelings are not reciprocated. The line "I never knew the art of making love, no my heart aches with love for you" is particularly poignant, as it illustrates the singer's lack of experience when it comes to love, but also how deeply they feel for this person.
The final verse highlights the pain that comes with unrequited love, watching the person they love walk away with someone else, never knowing how deeply the singer loves them. The repeated line "you don't know me" underscores the idea that the person may think they know the singer, but they don't truly understand their feelings or what they're going through.
Overall, "You Don't Know Me" is a heartfelt and relatable portrayal of unrequited love, with powerful lyrics and Ray Charles's iconic vocals.
Line by Line Meaning
You give your hand to me
You extend your hand towards me to greet me
And then you say hello
After greeting me, you say 'hello'
And I can hardly speak
I become nervous and speechless
My heart is beating so
My heart is racing with excitement
And anyone can tell
It is obvious to anyone who observes
You think you know me well
You have the impression that you understand me deeply
But you don't know me (no you don't know me)
However, you actually have very little knowledge of who I truly am
No you don't know the one
You have no idea about the person
Who dreams of you at night
Who imagines about you during the night
And longs to kiss your lips
Who desires to kiss your mouth
Longs to hold you tight
Who yearns to embrace you firmly
Oh I am just a friend
I am simply an acquaintance
That's all I've ever been
I have never been anything more than that
Cause you don't know me (no you don't know me)
Because you lack genuine understanding of me
I never knew the art of making love
I was never skilled in the craft of lovemaking
No my heart aches with love for you
However, my heart is filled with pain because of my love for you
Afraid and shy I let my chance go by
Cautious and bashful, I failed to take the opportunity when it presented itself
The chance that you might love me too (love me too)
The opportunity for you to possibly reciprocate my love
And then you say goodbye
After the encounter, you bid me farewell
I watch you walk away beside the lucky guy
I observe you depart while accompanied by the fortunate man
Oh you will never know
You will never become aware
The one who loves you so
The individual that loves you so deeply
Well you don't know me
You lack true comprehension of who I sincerely am
You don't know me
You are unaware of me
Oh you don't know me
Truly, you do not know me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cindy Walker, Eddy Arnold
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sognodiangeli5436
You give your hand to me
And then you say "Hello"
And I can hardly speak
My heart is beating so
And anyone can tell
You think you know me well
But you don't know me, no
No, you don't know the one
Who dreams of you each night
And longs to kiss your lips
And longs to hold you tight
To you I'm just a friend
That's all I've ever been
No, you don't know me
I never knew the art of making love
Though my heart aches with love for you, yeah
Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by
A chance that you might love me too
You give your hand to me
And then you say "Goodbye"
And I watched you walk away
Beside the lucky guy
I know you'll never know
The one who loved you so
No, you don't know me
But I never knew the art of making love
Though my heart aches with love for you
I'm afraid and shy, I let my chance go by
A chance that you might love me too
You give your hand to me
And then you say "Goodbye"
And I watched you walk away
Beside the lucky guy
Oh, you'll never ever know
The one who loved you so
No, you don't know me
I say you'll never ever know
The one who loved you so
No, you don't know me
No, you don't know me
@rondunn4336
During my career as a drummer, I played this tune with Ray many times. Thanks for the memories.
@nickt8564
Wow I’m so jealous we don’t have artists even close to this that we other drummers could aspire to play for these days
@richardbwanika2166
Wow!! Consider yourself one of the lucky few
@monicaandersson1773
Lucky you, who had the possibility to play with him 🙏🤗🎼🎵🎶
@nitasheehan2704
Wow.
@lizboden390
This so makes me think of my Dad who died just short of the millennium. I'm crying even as I text. I miss my Dad, and I'm 72 years old. It never goes away, especially when listening to music like this.
@belsaye47
I'm 78 and still miss my dad
@mikeguerrero72
I know what you mean Liz. I'm 70 years old and I lost my Mom this last March 27. It hasn't been very long so that's why it still hurts a lot. I try to look at it like at least I had my Mom for 70 years. I suppose it's never easy huh?
@stuartweissman7306
I too am 72, albeit a year after your comment. Both of my parents passed in 2016. I heart has been limping along ever since, i get it.
@mikeguerrero72
@@stuartweissman7306 Limping along. Excellent description of my feelings today. It's tougher some days than others.