You Don't Know
Rose Polenzani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hold myself away.
Listen to the sound of a house running.
Well, all houses are the same.
And all the sadness in your heart
won't bring me back to you.
Doesn't it make you wonder
how a love so easily made could shy
Dark in a stranger's open kitchen.
I stripped you to your bare feet.
Oh, I look so foolish now,
thinking of every thing that I did.
Tell me I was pretty at the time.
I'm afraid for you to hear me say these words.
It's the same with everyone that I hurt.
But I will try to remember how you wandered away
to follow some long echo of a bird.
But all the sadness in your lonesome countryside
won't bring me back to life.
Trust me, you don't want me around.
I'm too always fond of leaving,
I'm too fond of always leaving you.
You don't know how much I loved you.
The song "You Don't Know" by Rose Polenzani explores the feeling of detachment and regret that comes with the end of a relationship. The singer begins by expressing hesitation about singing a love song, which suggests a lack of confidence in their ability to express their feelings in a genuine way. This is mirrored in their tendency to hold themselves away, which displays a fear of vulnerability.
The singer then moves on to describe a memory of being with their partner in a house that is now just a "sound," as if the relationship itself has become empty and meaningless. The sadness in their partner's heart cannot bring the singer back to them, which seems to suggest that the singer is the one who has left the relationship, and now they are struggling to reconcile their memories and feelings with their decision to end things.
The second verse takes place in a stranger's kitchen, and the singer remembers stripping their partner down to their bare feet. The singer now feels foolish for their past actions, and wishes they could go back and show more appreciation to their partner. But the singer is also afraid to express their regrets, because they have hurt others in the past and fear being rejected and isolated. The song ends with the singer acknowledging that their partner doesn't know how much they loved them, which speaks to the difficulty of communicating emotions and the pain of lost love.
Overall, "You Don't Know" is a poignant reflection on the complexities and challenges of relationships, and the struggle to come to terms with past mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
Who am I to sing a love song?
I don't feel worthy of expressing my feelings through music.
I hold myself away.
I keep distance from others to avoid getting hurt.
Listen to the sound of a house running.
Pay attention to the mundane things in life that we often overlook.
Well, all houses are the same.
We are all similar in our basic needs and desires.
And all the sadness in your heart won't bring me back to you.
Your grief won't change the fact that our relationship is over.
Doesn't it make you wonder how a love so easily made could shy beneath November's harvest moon.
Reflect on how our passionate love faded away so quickly.
Dark in a stranger's open kitchen.
Feeling lonely and vulnerable in an unfamiliar place.
I stripped you to your bare feet.
I exposed your vulnerability and left you defenseless.
Oh, I look so foolish now, thinking of every thing that I did.
Regretting my past actions and feeling foolish for them now.
Tell me I was pretty at the time.
Looking for validation for my actions, even though they were wrong.
I'm afraid for you to hear me say these words.
I'm scared of being vulnerable and expressing my true feelings to you.
It's the same with everyone that I hurt.
I have a history of hurting people and being unable to express my emotions.
But I will try to remember how you wandered away to follow some long echo of a bird.
I'll try to recall the reasons that led to our breakup.
But all the sadness in your lonesome countryside won't bring me back to life.
Your sadness won't change the fact that I've moved on and can't come back to you.
Trust me, you don't want me around.
I'm not a trustworthy or reliable person to have around.
I'm too always fond of leaving, I'm too fond of always leaving you.
I have a pattern of leaving people behind and not staying committed in relationships.
You don't know how much I loved you.
I never fully expressed my love for you, and you don't know the extent of my feelings.
Contributed by Brody W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.