Part-Time Lover
Stevie Wonder Lyrics
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To let me know you made it home
Don't want nothing to be wrong with part-time lover
If she's with me I'll blink the lights
To let you know tonight's the night
For me and you, my part-time lover
We are undercover passion on the run
We are strangers by day, lovers by night
Knowing it's so wrong, but feeling so right
If I'm with friends and we should meet
Just pass me by, don't even speak
Know the word's "discreet" when part-time lovers
But if there's some emergency
Have a male friend to ask for me
So then she won't peek, its really you my part-time lover
We are undercover passion on the run
Chasing love up against the sun
We are strangers by day, lovers by night
Knowing it's so wrong, but feeling so right
We are undercover passion on the run
Chasing love up against the sun
We are strangers by day, lovers by night
Knowing it's so wrong, but feeling so right
I've got something that I must tell
Last night someone rang our doorbell
And it was not you, my part-time lover
And then a man called our exchange
But didn't want to leave his name
I guess that two can play the game
Of part-time lovers
You and me, part-time lovers
But, she and he, part-time lovers
In Stevie Wonder's song "Part-Time Lover," the lyrics describe a secretive relationship between two people who are not able to openly express their love due to their own personal relationships. The song's opening lines start with a strange gesture of the male protagonist to hang up his phone after just one ring- this was their secret code and communication. The song progresses with lyrics about not wanting anything to go wrong with their secret relationship and the male protagonist is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure he sees his "part-time lover", even it means putting his personal relationships and responsibilities second.
Throughout the song, the two characters describe themselves as "undercover passion on the run", suggesting that they're living two separate lives with different responsibilities and they're coming out to meet each other in the dark. They claim that they're "knowing it's so wrong but feeling so right”. The song ends with a confession of potential cheating and two people who are now both "part-time lovers." They seem to have reached a point where their secret relationship has turned into something more challenging than just cheating.
Overall, the song reveals the feelings of two people who are trying to keep their love a secret and the lyrics capture the struggle and complexity of having a relationship under wraps. It reflects how such an affair can cause stress, guilt, and a kind of emotional confinement that is incomparable to an open relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Call up, ring once, hang up the phone
Please call me, but only ring once and hang up which means that you have made it home safely.
Don't want nothing to be wrong with part-time lover
I hope everything is going well with our relationship as part-time lovers.
If she's with me I'll blink the lights
If my current girlfriend is with me, I'll blink the lights so you know it isn't safe for us to be together.
To let you know tonight's the night
I want to get intimate with you tonight, my part-time lover.
We are undercover passion on the run
We are secretly in love and we are running away together.
Chasing love up against the sun
We are relentlessly pursuing love, despite the obstacles and risks involved.
We are strangers by day, lovers by night
During the day, we pretend to be strangers, but at night, we become lovers.
Knowing it's so wrong, but feeling so right
We understand that our relationship is frowned upon, but the feelings we have for each other make it all seem so right.
If I'm with friends and we should meet
If I'm out with friends and we bump into each other, please pretend we don't know each other.
Just pass me by, don't even speak
Don't say anything to me, but just walk past me as if we don't know each other.
Know the word's "discreet" when part-time lovers
Let's keep everything between us a secret and be discreet about our relationship.
But if there's some emergency
If there's ever an emergency and you need to get in touch with me, contact one of my male friends.
Have a male friend to ask for me
Ask one of my male friends to help you get in touch with me in case there's an emergency.
So then she won't peek, its really you my part-time lover
This will ensure that my current girlfriend won't find out that I'm talking to you because I really want to be with you, my part-time lover.
I've got something that I must tell
I need to tell you something important.
Last night someone rang our doorbell
Last night, someone came to our house and rang the doorbell.
And it was not you, my part-time lover
It wasn't you who rang the doorbell last night.
And then a man called our exchange
Later on, a man called our phone operator.
But didn't want to leave his name
He refused to identify himself when asked his name.
I guess that two can play the game
I think someone else is playing mind games with us.
Of part-time lovers
The people involved in this complicated love triangle are all part-time lovers.
You and me, part-time lovers
You and I are part-time lovers in this relationship.
But, she and he, part-time lovers
My current girlfriend and the man who called the phone operator are also part-time lovers.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Stevie Wonder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cheryl Rowland Hall
on Isn't She Lovely
Dedicated to my lovely daughter, Amy Kathleen Rawson, the lovely child who helped mom to grow up!