Say Goodbye
Steel Lyrics


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I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now
Never can say goodbye

Even though the pain and heartache
Seem to follow me wherever I go
Though I try and try to hide my feelings
They always seem to show,
Then you try to say you're leaving me
And I always have to say no
Tell me why is it so

That I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now
Never can say goodbye

Every time I think I've had enough
And start heading for the door
There's a very strange vibration
Piercing me right through the core
It says, turn around, you fool
You know you love him more and more
Tell me why is it so

Don't wanna let you go
I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh ooh baby (don't wanna let you go girl)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no
Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh ooh ooh (don't wanna let you go girl)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, ooh

Never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now
Never can say goodbye

I keep thinking that our problems
Soon are all gonna work out
But there's that same unhappy feeling
There's that anguish, there's that doubt
It's the same old dizzy hangup
Can't do with you or without
Tell me why is it so
Don't wanna let you go

I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh ooh baby (hey baby)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no
Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh oh (hey baby)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, ooh
I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh ooh baby (hey baby)
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no




Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl
Ooh oh (hey baby)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Steel's song "Say Goodbye" speak to the struggle of letting go of someone you love. Despite the pain and heartache that follows the singer wherever they go, they can never bring themselves to truly say goodbye. Even when the person they love says they're leaving, the singer can't bring themselves to let go. There is a strange vibration that tells them to turn around and go back to the person they love. The singer acknowledges the problems in their relationship and the doubt and anguish that comes with it, but they still can't imagine life without their loved one. The repetition of "Never can say goodbye" highlights the struggle to move on and let go, even though it may be the healthier option.


The song was first recorded and released by The Jackson 5 in 1971, but Steel's version was released in 1980 and became an international hit, reaching the top 10 in multiple countries. The emotional depth of the song and the relatable theme of struggling to let go of someone drew listeners in.


Line by Line Meaning

I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, no, now
I am incapable of saying goodbye to you, no matter how hard I try.


Even though the pain and heartache
Although the pain and heartache of losing you is overwhelming,


Seem to follow me wherever I go
It is constantly present in my life, no matter where I am.


Though I try and try to hide my feelings
Even though I try to hide my true feelings from you,


They always seem to show
They always manage to come to the surface and be visible.


Then you try to say you're leaving me
When you attempt to tell me that you are leaving me,


And I always have to say no
I cannot bear to let you go and I always say no.


Tell me why is it so
Why is it that I cannot let you go?


Every time I think I've had enough
Whenever I feel like I have had enough of this pain,


And start heading for the door
And start walking towards the exit,


There's a very strange vibration
There is an odd sensation,


Piercing me right through the core
That goes straight through me,


It says, turn around, you fool
It tells me to turn around and not leave,


You know you love him more and more
Because I know deep down that I love you even more now.


Don't wanna let you go
I do not want to lose you,


Never can say goodbye girl
I cannot bring myself to say goodbye to you.


Ooh ooh baby (don't wanna let you go girl)
Oh darling (I do not want to let you go).


Never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no
I will never be able to say goodbye to you.


Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl
I just cannot bring myself to say goodbye to you.


I keep thinking that our problems
I keep hoping and praying that the problems between us


Soon are all gonna work out
Will soon be resolved and everything will be alright.


But there's that same unhappy feeling
However, that same unhappy feeling


There's that anguish, there's that doubt
The pain and doubt still exist.


It's the same old dizzy hangup
The same old overwhelming fear


Can't do with you or without
Of not being able to live with or without you.


I never can say goodbye girl
I simply cannot bring myself to say goodbye to you.


Ooh ooh baby (hey baby)
Oh darling (hey baby).


I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no
I will never be able to say goodbye to you.


Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl
I just cannot bring myself to say goodbye to you.


Ooh oh (hey baby)
Oh darling (hey baby).


I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, ooh
I will never be able to say goodbye to you.


I never can say goodbye girl
I simply cannot bring myself to say goodbye to you.


Ooh ooh baby (hey baby)
Oh darling (hey baby).


I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no
I will never be able to say goodbye to you.


Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye girl
I just cannot bring myself to say goodbye to you.


Ooh oh (hey baby)
Oh darling (hey baby).




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Clifton Davis

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@amonzoran

Lyrics:
[Verse]
I can still remember
The look within your eyes
I will never understand
I will never, ever realize
Why did you leave me?
Why did you throw my love away?
And Baby I dream about you
Every night and every day

[Chorus]
So long, farewell
Maybe we'll meet another day
Hold on, be strong
Last night I heard you say

So long, farewell
I will be moving on tonight
And say goodbye to love, oh

[Verse]
Baby where did I go wrong
I thought my love would be so strong
But you left me on my own, yeah
I keep searching night and day
Hope that you will cross my way
So I will see you once again, oh yeah
And why can't you come back?
Maybe we can try it all again, oh
Oh babe I long for you, honey
Every heartbeat on the way
[Chorus]
So long, farewell
Maybe we'll meet another day
Hold on, be strong

Last night I heard you say
So long, farewell
I am moving on tonight

[Bridge]
And say goodbye to love
Sugar, when you left me
You took a part of my heart
But I guess you have thrown it all away

[Chorus]
So long, farewell
Maybe we'll meet another day
Hold on, be strong
So long, farewell
I am moving on tonight
Hold on, be brave
And say goodbye to love



All comments from YouTube:

@danielbridges8705

This got me to laugh out loud -- in the middle of an office space. Great vocals.

@carlycaye90

rude.

@IamAlwaysRight

This is bad ass! I love the voice.

@Sidragrosm

To this day, I still say - Dan & Co. should have kept Steel active! (Yes, I know it was all done in jest, but DAMN it was good!!) All in favor of Steel reuniting..? Thumbs up! Sidragrosm

@carlycaye90

2020 sitting here quarantined still hating everything ESPECIALLY the fact only 2 songs ever came from those dudes. I weep for and mourn the power love and battle ballads that could have been. his voice maybe hurts now after growling at us for so long though.... ): just use some chloraseptic and sing you freakn songbird swano

@Sidragrosm

@@carlycaye90 In point of fact..? there was three. No idea why they didn't include it - it was DAMN good! Hearing Dan sing "The Green Manalishi" (as performed by Judas Priest) was EPIC.
So glad to know some people still appreciate THE most unsung Hero of Metal...
Ave Atque Vale
- Sidragrosm

@DISEIL

chills every time :')

@Sidragrosm

I knew Dan could hold a high note, having heard his Mercyful Fate cover, but DAMN!! This Fucking KILLS all else! Dan Swano - One in a Billion!!!

@apaarmathur1

Even in an effort so distant from their roots, you can still recognize that it's Akerfeldt on lead guitar and it's his typical style of playing. Swano is unpredictable as always.

@amonzoran

Lyrics:
[Verse]
I can still remember
The look within your eyes
I will never understand
I will never, ever realize
Why did you leave me?
Why did you throw my love away?
And Baby I dream about you
Every night and every day

[Chorus]
So long, farewell
Maybe we'll meet another day
Hold on, be strong
Last night I heard you say

So long, farewell
I will be moving on tonight
And say goodbye to love, oh

[Verse]
Baby where did I go wrong
I thought my love would be so strong
But you left me on my own, yeah
I keep searching night and day
Hope that you will cross my way
So I will see you once again, oh yeah
And why can't you come back?
Maybe we can try it all again, oh
Oh babe I long for you, honey
Every heartbeat on the way
[Chorus]
So long, farewell
Maybe we'll meet another day
Hold on, be strong

Last night I heard you say
So long, farewell
I am moving on tonight

[Bridge]
And say goodbye to love
Sugar, when you left me
You took a part of my heart
But I guess you have thrown it all away

[Chorus]
So long, farewell
Maybe we'll meet another day
Hold on, be strong
So long, farewell
I am moving on tonight
Hold on, be brave
And say goodbye to love

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