She & Him is an American indie folk band consisting of Zooey Deschanel (voc… Read Full Bio ↴She & Him is an American indie folk band consisting of Zooey Deschanel (vocals, keyboards) and M. Ward (guitar, production). The pair first met in 2006 for a movie soundtrack project for the film 'The Go-Getter' in which they recorded a version of Richard and Linda Thompson’s "When I Get To The Border”. Their first studio album, Volume One, was released in March of 2008 on Merge Records. Their second studio album, Volume Two, was released March 23, 2010, just over two years since the release of Volume One. Their third studio album, Volume 3, was released May 7, 2013.

According to Merge, at their initial studio session the two “were immediately struck by one another’s talents and found an instant rapport". During a conversation about their shared love of old records, Zooey let slip that she wrote her own songs, which she recorded alone at home on her computer. Somewhat shy about sharing these musical morsels, she was eventually persuaded to send them to M. Ward. He was instantly impressed, and they soon reconvened at his studio in Portland to begin work. Recorded over a period of several months, between acting work (She) and touring commitments (Him), the pair found time to bring Zooey’s fledgling songs to gorgeous fruition

God Only Knows
She & Him Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it

God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me

The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Well life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you

God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of She & Him's song "God Only Knows" express a profound sense of longing and dependence on someone else. The opening line, "I may not always love you," sets a melancholic tone that is tempered by the following lines, "But long as there are stars above you / You never need to doubt it / I'll make you so sure about it". It's as if the singer is saying, "I may not always feel the same way about you, but I promise you that I will always be here for you, and I will always make sure that you know how much you mean to me."

The chorus of the song is where the emotions really reach their crescendo: "God only knows what I'd be without you / If you should ever leave me / Though life would still go on believe me / The world could show nothing to me / So what good would living do me". These lines are an admission of total dependence on the other person - without them, life would have no meaning, and the singer would be lost. It's a sentiment that many people can relate to, but the stark simplicity and honesty of the lyrics make it all the more poignant.

Overall, "God Only Knows" is a tender and vulnerable song that speaks to the universal human need for connection and love.

Line by Line Meaning

I may not always love you
There may be times when I do not love you

But long as there are stars above you
But as long as the stars are in the sky

You never need to doubt it
You should never doubt my feelings for you

I'll make you so sure about it
I will make sure that you are certain of my love