Try A Little Tenderness
Spring Lyrics


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Pride, sad, splendid liar,
Sworn enemy of love
Kept my lips from saying
Things I was thinking of.
But now my pride you've humbled,
I've cast it to the winds,
Broken, beaten, sick at heart
My confession begins.

We've played the game of stay away
But it cost more that I can pay.
Without you I can't make my way,
I surrender, dear.

I may seem proud, I may act gay,
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
I surrender, dear.

Little mean things we were doing
Must have been part of the game,
Lending a spice to the wooing,
But I don't care who's to blame.
When stars appear and shadows fall,
Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
To you my love, my life, my all
I surrender, dear.

We've played the game of stay away
But it cost more that I can pay.
Without you I can't make my way,
I surrender, dear.

I may seem proud, I may act gay,
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
I surrender, dear.

Little mean things we were doing
Must have been part of the game,
Lending a spice to the wooing,
But I don't care who's to blame.
When stars appear And shadows fall,




Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
To you my love, my life, my all

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Try A Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding, which has been covered by many artists including Spring, convey a theme of surrendering love and pride. The first verse describes the singer's hesitance to confess their feelings due to pride and fear of being rejected, but now they have been humbled and brokenhearted enough to speak their truth. The chorus repeats the lines "I surrender, dear" and acknowledges that without their love, they cannot make it in life, revealing their vulnerability. The second verse reveals that even if the singer may appear proud or unaffected outwardly, deep down, they still long for their love's affection. The last stanza reflects on the imperfections and conflicts that may have existed in the past relationship but points out that ultimately, their love conquers all and they will always surrender to it.


The song was originally written by Harry Woods, Reginald Connelly, and Gordon Clifford, and first recorded in 1933 by Bing Crosby. Otis Redding's version, released in 1966, is widely considered the definitive version and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The song has been covered by many other artists including Nina Simone, Michael Bublé, and Tina Turner.


Line by Line Meaning

Pride, sad, splendid liar,
I have been lying to myself about my pride, pretending to be happy when really I am sad.


Sworn enemy of love
My pride has been blocking my ability to truly love someone.


Kept my lips from saying
My pride prevented me from speaking the truth about my feelings.


Things I was thinking of.
I had been thinking about confessing my love, but I was held back by my pride.


But now my pride you've humbled,
You have helped me see my pride for what it is and made me realize that it is hurting me.


I've cast it to the winds,
I have let go of my pride and am ready to be vulnerable.


Broken, beaten, sick at heart
After letting go of my pride, I feel broken and defeated, but also open to love.


My confession begins.
I am ready to confess my love to you.


We've played the game of stay away
We have been avoiding each other, but it has caused more harm than good.


But it cost more than I can pay.
Avoiding you has caused me too much pain and I cannot bear it any longer.


Without you I can't make my way,
I cannot move forward without you by my side.


I surrender, dear.
I am giving in and confessing my love for you. I am yours.


I may seem proud, I may act gay,
I may have seemed confident and happy, but really I was masking my feelings.


It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
My false confidence was just a façade to hide my vulnerability.


'Cause deep down in my heart I say
But deep down, I know that I am in love with you.


Little mean things we were doing
The petty arguments between us were just part of the game of love.


Must have been part of the game,
We were just playing games with each other, not wanting to show our true feelings.


Lending a spice to the wooing,
Our arguments added excitement and passion to our relationship.


But I don't care who's to blame.
It doesn't matter who was at fault, as long as we can move forward together.


When stars appear and shadows fall,
In moments of darkness and uncertainty, my heart will still call out to you.


Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
No matter what happens, my love for you will always be true and strong.


To you my love, my life, my all
You are everything to me and I am willing to give you all of myself.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., SONGS MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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