I Need a Change
The Miracles Lyrics


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Ooh ooh
Now you say every time you need some affection
The one you love goes in another direction
And you just sit there in a daze reminiscing
When you know some other lips he's been kissing

Now when you need the love
He's never shown you
Come round here
And when you need some loving arms
To hold you
Come round here
Now I may not be the one you want
Oh but I know I'm the one you need
Said I may not be the one you want
Ooh, but I know I'm the one you need

Your life stands still the minute he goes
You count the hours just hoping he shows
Girl can't you see while you're longing for his touch
That I'm the one who loves you so much
While you're longing for his embrace
You're all alone there with tears on your face

Now when you feel the need to cry to someone cry to me
And when you feel the need to lean on someone lean on me
Now I may not be the one you want but
I'm sure 'nough the one you need
Oh baby I may not be the one you want
Ooh, but I know I'm the one you need

Now the days the days you sit alone by yourself
He's out fooling 'round with somebody else
Leaving you alone here with nothing to do
Just waiting 'till he has time for you

Now when the loneliness
Gets hard to bear
Girl come round here
And when you need a little tender loving care
Girl come round here




Now I may not be the one you want, ooh
But I know I'm the one you need, ooh

Overall Meaning

The Miracles' "I Need a Change" is a powerful song about unrequited love and self-worth. The song tells the story of a woman who is deeply in love with someone who is not reciprocating her feelings. She is left alone and longing for his attention while he is out with other women. The singer is offering her a solution to her problems by telling her that he can be the one to provide her with the love and affection that she deserves. The singer knows that he may not be the one she initially wants, but he's the one that she needs.


The lyrics are beautifully crafted with metaphors and poetic language that captures the pain of unrequited love. The singer urges the woman to come to him when she needs affection, love, and arms to hold her. He assures her that he can be the shoulder to cry on and the one to provide her with tender loving care. The song's chorus is the most powerful part, where the singer repeats that he may not be the one she wants, but he's the one she needs.


Overall, "I Need a Change" is a timeless classic that captures the universal feeling of being in love with someone who doesn't love you back. The song's lyrics and melody perfectly complement each other to create a powerful ballad that has stood the test of time.


Line by Line Meaning

Now you say every time you need some affection
You mention that whenever you are in need of love and care,


The one you love goes in another direction
Your partner avoids or ignores you and walks away in a different direction


And you just sit there in a daze reminiscing
You sit there absent-minded, lost in thought, recalling your time together


When you know some other lips he's been kissing
Despite knowing that he's been kissing someone else


Now when you need the love
When you feel the urge for love and care,


He's never shown you
He has never expressed love for you,


Come round here
Come to me, I can give you the love you need,


And when you need some loving arms
When you crave a warm embrace and affection,


To hold you
To comfort and support you in difficult times,


Come round here
Come to me, I can give you the love you need,


Now I may not be the one you want
I may not be the person you have in mind,


Oh but I know I'm the one you need
But I surely am the one who can provide you with what you crave


Your life stands still the minute he goes
Your life comes to a halt the moment he goes away,


You count the hours just hoping he shows
You spend time counting hours waiting for his return,


Girl can't you see while you're longing for his touch
Dear girl, can't you realize that while you seek his touch,


That I'm the one who loves you so much
I'm the one who loves and cherishes you deeply,


While you're longing for his embrace
While you yearn for his warm embrace,


You're all alone there with tears on your face
You are lonely and in tears,


Now when you feel the need to cry to someone cry to me
When you feel overwhelmed and want to cry, come to me,


And when you feel the need to lean on someone lean on me
When you need someone to rely on, trust me and lean on me,


Now I may not be the one you want but
Even though I may not be who you had in mind,


I'm sure 'nough the one you need
I am confident that I am the one who can fulfill your needs


Now the days the days you sit alone by yourself
Days when you feel lonely and stay by yourself,


He's out fooling 'round with somebody else
He is out playing around with someone else,


Leaving you alone here with nothing to do
He leaves you all alone, with nothing to do and nowhere to go,


Just waiting 'till he has time for you
You are left just waiting for him until he has time for you,


Now when the loneliness
Whenever you feel lonely and lost,


Gets hard to bear
When loneliness becomes too much to bear,


Girl come round here
Come to me, and I'll alleviate your loneliness,


And when you need a little tender loving care
When you need some tenderness and care,


Girl come round here
Come to me, and I'll provide you with the love and care you need,


Now I may not be the one you want, ooh
I may not be the person you are looking for,


But I know I'm the one you need, ooh
But I am confident that I am the one who can give you what you crave




Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LAMONT DOZIER, LAMONT HERBERT DOZIER, BRIAN HOLLAND, EDWARD HOLLAND, EDWARD, JR. HOLLAND, JR.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@cassandramuhammad4127

The people that gave the thumbs down obviously was not around when this song was a hit, they're probably youngsters and don't know Smokey for real. This was the jam at the house parties we could slow dance, hand dance (off time) or cha-cha. This is definitely one of my favorites.

@raymondgalindo9647

DAM THIS IS THE JAM!

@fraziercarolyn4

This is song I listen to when I was a teenager, loved it.

@raymondgalindo9647

How can anyone give a thumbs
Down truly a masterpiece ❀️

@rudolphwilson5394

This is when slow dancing was slow dancing, you partner was actually in your arms. Old School.

@raymondgalindo9647

Truly the
"Master of love"
Smokey is Bad Ass πŸ‘Œ!

@shirleyking2404

So many wonderful memories from this song

@musiclova4050

YES LAWD... Need a change

@loremalone9643

i had forgotten all about this one--i actually like all smokey and miracles ,

@jojomusicsoulgranny

I always loved Smokey so much...this was an early release...loved it

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