You Don't Love Me
The Kooks Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh you don't love me the way that I
I love you
'Cause if you did girl you would not
Do those things you do
You kill my heart just to see if
I will rise
Above your anger and above your lies
And all I see of you
Is when you're not so busy
Oh you're not so busy

And you don't love me the way that I
I love you
'Cause if you did girl you would not
Do the things you do
You turned my life around and for that I am glad, oh
However much I love you, this love is getting bad

And oh my darling you could chose
The words that only you could use
But you know you'll always be my girl, oh girl
I'd take you out just for a bite
And show you all the city sights
But you know you'll always be my girl, girl

But you don't love me the way that I
I love you, oh
'Cause if you did boy you would not
Do those things you do
You kill my heart just to see if
I will rise, oh
Above your anger and above your lies

But all I see of you
Is when you're not so busy
Oh you're not so busy, yeah

Do do ohoh
Do do do

If you don't love me you don't care
You don't love me you don't care




'Cause you don't love me you don't care
You don't love me you don't care

Overall Meaning

The Kooks’ song “You Don’t Love Me” tells the story of a one-sided relationship where the singer is deeply in love with his partner, but the feeling is not mutual. The lyrics express the frustration and heartbreak felt by the singer as he is left in the dark about the true feelings of the person he loves. The line “Oh you don’t love me the way that I love you” is repeated in the chorus, emphasizing the theme of unrequited love. The singer is convinced that if his partner loved him as much as he loved her, she would not do the hurtful things she does. The line “You kill my heart just to see if I will rise above your anger and above your lies” speaks to the pain inflicted upon the singer by his partner’s behavior.


The second verse takes a more positive turn, as the singer acknowledges the good his partner did in his life. However, the love is still deteriorating, and he knows he has to end it before it becomes worse. The line “However much I love you, this love is getting bad” highlights his realization of the situation's gravity. The bridge of the song is where the singer expresses his eternal love and commitment to his partner, even though he knows it is not going to be reciprocated. The line “But you know you'll always be my girl” expresses the hope that his partner will realize his worth and love him back someday. The song ends with the repeated chorus lines, leaving the singer with a sense of unfulfilled longing.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh you don't love me the way that I I love you
The singer feels that the other person does not love him as much as he loves them.


'Cause if you did girl you would not Do those things you do
The singer feels that if the other person really loved him, they wouldn't do things that hurt him.


You kill my heart just to see if I will rise Above your anger and above your lies
The other person hurts the singer intentionally to test his strength and see if he can handle it.


And all I see of you Is when you're not so busy Oh you're not so busy
The singer only sees the other person when they have time, implying that they are not making enough effort in the relationship.


And you don't love me the way that I I love you
The singer reiterates his belief that he loves the other person more than they love him.


'Cause if you did girl you would not Do the things you do
The singer reiterates that if the other person truly loved him, they wouldn't do anything to hurt him.


You turned my life around and for that I am glad, oh However much I love you, this love is getting bad
Although the singer is grateful for the positive impact the other person has had on his life, he feels that the relationship is no longer healthy.


And oh my darling you could chose The words that only you could use But you know you'll always be my girl, oh girl
The singer acknowledges that the other person has a unique way of communicating and expressing themselves, but reassures them that they will always be important to him.


I'd take you out just for a bite And show you all the city sights But you know you'll always be my girl, girl
The singer wants to take the other person out and show them a good time, but emphasizes that they will always be special to him regardless.


But you don't love me the way that I I love you, oh
The singer repeats his belief that the other person does not love him as much as he loves them.


'Cause if you did boy you would not Do those things you do
The singer implies that if the other person truly loved him, they wouldn't do things that hurt him.


You kill my heart just to see if I will rise, oh Above your anger and above your lies
The other person intentionally hurts the singer to test his emotional resilience.


But all I see of you Is when you're not so busy Oh you're not so busy, yeah
The singer only interacts with the other person when they have time, which makes him feel neglected and unimportant.


If you don't love me you don't care You don't love me you don't care 'Cause you don't love me you don't care You don't love me you don't care
The singer repeats that if the other person does not love him, then they do not truly care about him or the relationship.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LUKE PRITCHARD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@ttllyrandom14

oh man, I wish more people would know this band. They totally deserve WAY more views! his voice is just so amazing.

@SamuelEMPowell131

this whole album brings back so many good teenage memoires in high school with my friends. We used to listen to it on repeat. Also a few of us learned loads of the songs on acoustic guitar, miss those indie days, I wanna throw one of my friends some love as he's always been there for me, if a music producer now and heavily influenced by our high school indie days, try searching Lonely Gimmick - Grumpy Days, despite the name its a very happy indie track, its honestly such a great tune well worth a listen!

@SNITZSCHE2005

this band changed my life. they have a song for every emotion. amay-zing.

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The guitar is so great on this song .

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I love the Kooks! <3

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Rockstar !

@ivona0205

His hair <3

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