Know By Now
Robert Palmer Lyrics


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Baby, when our hearts awoke
Think of all the rules we broke
In the name of love, we hoped
Little did we know

Darling, all the time we spent
Ooh, ignoring all the consequences
And hiding from big evidence
Hoping things would change

But the yearning grew
Like the loneliness of a castaway
To be near to you was the only thing
In my mind each day
Keeping me alive
'Til your rescue came
Honey, you mean everything to me

[Chorus]
You ought to know by now
Love is everything to me
You ought to know by now
Only love can bring happiness

Wishful thinking spent in vain
What to lose and what to gain
All the guilt and all the pain
Seemed to come away

But baby when our hearts awoke
Oh, think of all the rules
We broke
In the name of love, we spoke
Little did we know

But the hope was there
Like a ray of sun on a cloudy day
Any change from impossibility
To the only way
Love can conquer all
And it's here to stay
Honey, you mean everything to me

[Chorus]

(You ought to know by now)




(You ought to know by now)
(You ought to know by now)

Overall Meaning

In Robert Palmer's song “Know By Now”, the singer reflects on the ups and downs of a relationship that has overcome numerous obstacles in the name of love. The song portrays two individuals who have braved the consequences of their actions and yet they continue to hold on to the hope that love can conquer all. Through the lyrics, Palmer acknowledges that they didn't know what was coming their way and how their yearning for each other only grew stronger with time. He emphasizes that love is everything and it's the only thing that can bring true happiness.


The first verse speaks about the many rules that they broke in the name of love. He acknowledges that though they hoped to be together, they didn't understand the consequences of their actions. The second verse talks about the guilt and pain that came with their decisions. Though they took risks, it didn't always work out in their favor. However, they held on to hope, believing that love can conquer all. The chorus reiterates that love is everything and the only thing that can bring true happiness.


“Know By Now” was released in 1994 as part of Robert Palmer's album “Honey”. The song was well received and topped the charts in Canada, peaking at number 10 in the UK and number 11 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.


Line by Line Meaning

Baby, when our hearts awoke
When our hearts awakened to love


Think of all the rules we broke
Consider how we defied conventions in the name of love


In the name of love, we hoped
We believed that love was enough to overcome anything


Little did we know
We were naive and ignorant of the challenges ahead


Darling, all the time we spent
Honey, think of the hours and days we devoted to each other


Ooh, ignoring all the consequences
We ignored the potential negative outcomes of our actions


And hiding from big evidence
We avoided confronting the signs that our relationship was unsustainable


Hoping things would change
Believing things could improve if we held on long enough


But the yearning grew
Despite our efforts, our love only intensified


Like the loneliness of a castaway
We felt isolated and yearned for each other's presence


To be near to you was the only thing
Being together was our only source of happiness


In my mind each day
You dominated my thoughts every moment


Keeping me alive
Loving you gave me a reason to live


'Til your rescue came
Until you saved me from despair by loving me back


Honey, you mean everything to me
You are my everything, my reason for existence


[Chorus]
Repeating the message of the song


You ought to know by now
You should understand at this point


Love is everything to me
My life revolves around love


Only love can bring happiness
No other thing can bring me true joy


Wishful thinking spent in vain
Our hopes for a happy ending were futile


What to lose and what to gain
We did not know what we stood to win or lose from our love


All the guilt and all the pain
We experienced much hurt and regret


Seemed to come away
But somehow those negative emotions dissipate over time


But the hope was there
We clung to hope despite the odds


Like a ray of sun on a cloudy day
Hope shone despite the difficulties


Any change from impossibility
We thought that any improvement was better than none


To the only way
Love was the only way forward for us


Love can conquer all
Love can overcome any obstacle


And it's here to stay
Our love is enduring


[Chorus]
Repeating the message of the song


(You ought to know by now)
Repeating the main idea of the song


(You ought to know by now)
Repeating the main idea of the song


(You ought to know by now)
Repeating the main idea of the song




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBERT ALLAN PALMER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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