Trespassers William were an American dream pop band formed in 1997 in Orang… Read Full Bio ↴Trespassers William were an American dream pop band formed in 1997 in Orange County, CA, currently based in Seattle, WA as a duo of singer Anna-Lynne Williams and guitarist Matt Brown. The band released three albums before splitting in 2012.

After their 1999 debut Anchor, the band released Different Stars in 2002. It caught the attention of Cocteau Twins bassist Simon Raymonde, who signed the band to his record label Bella Union, and re-released it with a new tracklisting. The band moved to Seattle to make their third album, 2006's Having. After the EPs Noble House (2007) and The Natural Order of Things (2009), the band entered a period of silence and ultimately disbanded owing to tensions between Williams and Brown. They reunited in 2020 to release the single "Winterstorms".

Anna-Lynne releases solo music under the name Lotte Kestner.

What Could I Say
Trespassers William Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What could I say
To touch beneath your clothes
When I say "I need you here"
You'd say "how could I not know"

Why am I so tired
Exhausted in my love
Water in my eyes

Why am I not enough

I told you everything I knew
I tore my pockets out and gave them all to you
You hold my throat like a violin
I never want to kiss again
Cause there's nobody like you
Cause there's nobody like you

Now I'm so afraid
To push you from my mind
Like the fear of forgetting what
What light is like when you close your eyes

How can you stare
How can you sit
While I'm trying to tear you up
And I'm almost good at it

I told you everything I knew
I tore my pockets out and gave them all to you
You hold my throat like a violin
I never want to kiss again

Cause there's nobody like you
Cause there's nobody like you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Trespassers William's song, "What Could I Say," evoke a sense of longing and desperation. The opening lines of the song, "What could I say / To touch beneath your clothes," suggest a physical desire that the singer feels deeply for their lover. Despite this longing, the lover seems to already know the depth of these feelings, as they respond with "how could I not know."

However, even as the singer professes their deep love and need for their lover, they seem to question their own worth, asking "Why am I not enough" and feeling exhausted in their love. Despite laying themselves bare in front of their lover, the fear of not being enough to keep them lingers.

The final lines of the song provide a sense of deep vulnerability as the singer admits their fear of pushing their lover from their mind and the fear of forgetting what light is like when you close your eyes. They laybare their emotions in the hopes of keeping their lover close, but even with their deepest sincerities, it is unclear if they will be enough to hold onto them.

Line by Line Meaning

What could I say
I don't know how to express my love for you

To touch beneath your clothes
To show you how much I desire you

When I say "I need you here"
When I express my longing for you to be with me

You'd say "how could I not know"
You would respond by acknowledging your own desire for me

Why am I so tired
Why do I feel drained and exhausted from loving you?

Exhausted in my love
I am worn out from the intensity of my emotions for you

Water in my eyes
I am crying because of the pain and confusion I feel

Why am I not enough
I feel like I am not sufficient to satisfy your love

I told you everything I knew
I have shared my entire self with you

I tore my pockets out and gave them all to you
I have given you all that I have to offer

You hold my throat like a violin
You have power over me, like a musician playing a violin