The Groundhogs fronted by Tony McPhee on Guitar and Vocals were a top Progr… Read Full Bio ↴The Groundhogs fronted by Tony McPhee on Guitar and Vocals were a top Progressive Blues Rock Group. Emerging in the early sixties as a blues band, noted for backing visiting American Blues Artists such as John Lee Hooker. The band evolved in the latter part of the sixties into a heavy rock group scoring a hit with their fourth and possibly most popular album ‘Split’. Through the seventies the band continued to record and play live as a trio with changing band members, towards the end of the seventies recording as a four piece with addition of a second guitar. The band disbanded in the late seventies later to reform a year or so later as a trio with new members. The Groundhogs continued through the nineteen eighties with many personnel changes through to 2004 when the band was finally laid to rest by leader Tony McPhee.
In 2007 Tony McPhee once again put a working band together for live concerts.

You Don't Love Me
The Groundhogs Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You don't love me baby, you don't love me yes I know
You don't love me baby, you don't love me yes I know
If you leave me baby, well don't you know you're gonna hurt me so

I'm gonna talk to my mama, I'm gonna speak to my father too
I'm gonna talk to my mama, I gotta speak with my father too
I'm gonna tell my old man, well what these young girls will do to you

Goodbye now pretty baby, if I never see you no more
Goodbye now sugar mama, if I never see you no more
Lord you think I'm a fool babe, you better be on your merry way

You don't love me baby, you don't love me yes I know

You don't love me baby, you don't love me yes I know
If you leave me baby, well don't you know you're gonna hurt me so

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Groundhogs’s song “You Don't Love Me” are about the singer's realization that his partner doesn't love him, despite his love for them. The lyrics are simple and repetitive, but convey the singer's frustration and hurt at the realization of his partner's lack of interest in him. The repetition of the lines, "You don't love me baby, you don't love me yes I know," emphasizes the singer's acceptance of the situation, despite the pain it causes him.

The second verse of the song shows the singer seeking advice from his parents, likely due to their experience with relationships. He warns his father of the dangers of getting involved with young girls, implying that he may have been hurt by a similar situation in the past. The singer has reached a point where he needs guidance from those he trusts, and he hopes to gain wisdom from the older generation.

In the third and final verse, the singer says goodbye to his partner, acknowledging the futility of staying with someone who doesn't love him. He asks his partner to leave and tells them that they won't fool him anymore. The repetition of the refrain in the final lines of the song, "If you leave me baby, well don't you know you're gonna hurt me so," conveys the pain of letting go of someone he cares for but who doesn't feel the same way.

Line by Line Meaning

You don't love me baby, you don't love me yes I know
I am aware that you do not have affection for me, darling

If you leave me baby, well don't you know you're gonna hurt me so
It will cause me great pain if you decide to abandon me, my dear

I'm gonna talk to my mama, I'm gonna speak to my father too
I plan to have conversations with both of my parents regarding my situation

I'm gonna tell my old man, well what these young girls will do to you
I intend to inform my father of the treacherous nature of youthful females

Goodbye now pretty baby, if I never see you no more
Farewell, attractive lady, our paths may never cross again

Lord you think I'm a fool babe, you better be on your merry way
Do not take me for a fool, my dear, you would do well to depart from my presence

Contributed by Isabella L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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