His Lips Get In The Way
The Shirelles were an influential American girl group in the early 1960s, a… Read Full Bio ↴The Shirelles were an influential American girl group in the early 1960s, and they were the very first girl group to have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100. The members of the quartet were Shirley Owens (who was the lead singer for the most part), Doris Coley, Beverly Lee, and Addie "Micki" Harris. The quartet formed in New Jersey in 1958, and went on to release a string of hits including "Baby It's You", "Mama Said", and the #1 Pop hits "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "Soldier Boy". Their "Sha La La" became an international hit when covered by the British group Manfred Mann, and "Boys" was covered by [artsit]the Beatles (Ringo Starr singing lead).The Beatles also covered "Baby It's You" on their "Please Please Me" album. Although they had no more charting hits after 1967, the Shirelles continued recording for a small but devoted audience well into the 1970s and continued to tour and perform into the early 1980s. In 1968, Coley left the group to remarry and raise her family, and the group continued as a trio. In 1975, she returned only to replace Owens who departed to begin a solo career. On June 10, 1982, after a live concert in Atlanta, Harris succumbed to a heart attack (age 42); she was replaced by Louie Bethune. Shortly, the group went into semi-retirement, though they did accept an invitation to record backup vocals for Dionne Warwick in the late 1980s. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. On February 4, 2000, Coley lost a battle with breast cancer (age 58). The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.

His Lips Get In The Way
The Shirelles Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Everybody tells me I'm
A fool & I'm just wastin' time
To love someone who's not in love with me
Friends all say that I'm a dope
To stay in love when there's no hope
But I'm a dope who loves him hopelessly

CHORUS:
What can I do? Hey, what can I say?
Each time I try to say goodbye
His lips get in the way
Oh yeah, his lips get in the way

He says my love don't mean a thing
But still he keeps me on a string
I'm just someone he likes to have around
I say I want no more of this
But then he stops me with a kiss
I can't resist him though he puts me down

(chorus)

Everybody calls me fool
They say "Hey girl, go back to school
& learn the things that every girl should know"
But I guess I've got no brains
Because my foolish heart remains
I just can't break the chains & let him go, no no

(chorus)


(repeat title & fade)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Shirelles' song His Lips Get in the Way are about a hopeless romantic who is in love with someone who does not love her back. She knows that her friends think she is foolish for staying in love when there is no hope, but she cannot help the way she feels. Even though he puts her down and says that her love doesn't mean anything, she cannot resist him when he kisses her. Each time she tries to say goodbye, his lips get in the way.


The song highlights the struggles of unrequited love and the difficulty of letting go of someone who is not good for you. The singer of the song knows that her love is not reciprocated, but she cannot help her feelings. She is trapped by her emotions and cannot break free from the hold that this person has on her. This idea is expressed in the lyric "I just can't break the chains and let him go, no, no."


The Shirelles were an American girl group from New Jersey who became popular in the early 1960s. Their hit song, His Lips Get in the Way, was released in 1962 and was written by Luther Dixon and Willie Denson. The song was not a big hit for The Shirelles, but it was later covered by several other artists, including Dusty Springfield and Martha Reeves.


Line by Line Meaning

Everybody tells me I'm
Everyone around me constantly reminds me that I am


A fool and I'm just wastin' time
Being foolish and spending my time on someone who doesn't love me in return


To love someone who's not in love with me
Loving someone who doesn't feel the same way about me


Friends all say that I'm a dope
My friends think I am silly and foolish


To stay in love when there's no hope
To continue loving someone despite having no chance of a successful relationship


But I'm a dope who loves him hopelessly
I am a foolish person who loves him unconditionally and with no hope of reciprocated love


What can I do? Hey, what can I say?
I am helpless and don't know what to do or say about this situation


Each time I try to say goodbye
Whenever I try to end things


His lips get in the way
I can't seem to resist him, and his kisses make it hard for me to leave


Oh yeah, his lips get in the way
His physical affection makes it challenging for me to break up with him


He says my love don't mean a thing
He tells me that my love for him is insignificant


But still he keeps me on a string
However, he still keeps me around and leads me on


I'm just someone he likes to have around
I am just someone he enjoys having in his life, but he doesn't feel the same way about me


I say I want no more of this
I tell him that I don't want to continue this relationship


But then he stops me with a kiss
He changes my mind by kissing me and making me forget my intentions


I can't resist him though he puts me down
I can't help but give in to him even though he treats me poorly


Everybody calls me fool
Everyone believes that I am acting foolishly


They say "Hey girl, go back to school
They recommend that I educate myself on what every girl should know


And learn the things that every girl should know"
To learn about what a woman should expect in a relationship before getting involved in one


But I guess I've got no brains
But I suppose I lack the intelligence and common sense


Because my foolish heart remains
Because my heart is foolish and continues to love him


I just can't break the chains & let him go, no no
I am unable to break free from him and end this toxic relationship




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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