He'll Have To Go
Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music Lyrics
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Let's pretend that we're together, all alone.
I'll tell the man to turn the jukebox way down low,
And you can tell your friend there with you he'll have to go.
Whisper to me, tell me do you love me true,
Or is he holding you the way I do?
Tho' love is blind, make up your mind, I've got to know,
You can't say the words I want to hear
While you're with another man,
If you want me, answer "yes" or "no,"
Darling, I will understand.
Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone.
Let's pretend that we're together, all alone.
I'll tell the man to turn the jukebox way down low,
And you can tell your friend there with you he'll have to go.
The lyrics of Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry's "He'll Have To Go” encapsulate the longing and desperation of a man communicating with his lover through the phone, begging her to choose him over another man. In the opening lines, he implores her to come closer to the phone so that they can pretend to be together. He asks her to instruct the man there with her to turn down the volume so that he can have her undivided attention.
However, he is not just calling to make idle chatter, he wants to know if she loves him truly or if she's being held the way he holds her by the other man. And even though love is blind, he wants her to make up her mind and tell him whether he should hang up or tell her friend that he has to go. The chorus highlights his desperation as he pleads with her to answer his question with either a 'yes' or 'no.' He assures her that he will understand either answer if she is honest with him.
In summary, the song is about a man who loves a woman who is with another man, but he wants her to make a choice between him and the other man. He’s really hoping that she will choose him over the other man, and he wants to know if she loves him or whether she is just pretending. The song is heart-wrenching and speaks to an experience in love that many people are familiar with.
Line by Line Meaning
Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone.
Come close to the phone and speak as though we are in close proximity.
Let's pretend that we're together, all alone.
Let us imagine that we are in each other's company without any external distractions.
I'll tell the man to turn the jukebox way down low,
I will ask the person responsible for the jukebox to reduce its sound level significantly.
And you can tell your friend there with you he'll have to go.
Ask the person accompanying you to leave because we want to talk in private.
Whisper to me, tell me do you love me true,
Speak softly and reveal if your feelings for me are genuine.
Or is he holding you the way I do?
Is your current partner giving you the same kind of affection that I offer?
Tho' love is blind, make up your mind, I've got to know,
Even though love can cloud our judgment, you need to decide and let me know because it is important for me to understand.
Should I hang up, or will you tell him he'll have to go?
Should I end the call or will you ask the person you are with to leave so we can converse?
You can't say the words I want to hear
You cannot express the words that I desire to hear from you.
While you're with another man,
When you are in the company of another person.
If you want me, answer "yes" or "no,"
If you have feelings for me, let me know clearly with a "yes" or "no" response.
Darling, I will understand.
I assure you that I will comprehend and accept your decision.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Joe Allison, Audrey Allison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind