William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor, writer, performe… Read Full Bio ↴William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor, writer, performer of the spoken word, and director, best known for having gained fame for his starring role as Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the television show Star Trek: The Original Series from 1966 to 1969 (continuing into seven of the subsequent movies). Shatner has written three books chronicling his experiences playing James T. Kirk and being a part of the Star Trek franchise. He's also recorded several albums, many of them drawing on sci-fi themes such as his covers of "Space Oddity" and "Rocket Man".

He has since worked as a writer, producer, director, musician, writer, and celebrity pitchman (most notably for Priceline.com). He has worked with Ben Folds a great deal, both on Folds' Fear of Pop project, and more recently on Shatner's album Has Been (which also featured Joe Jackson on his cover version of Pulp's "Common People"). Shatner's other collaborators include Peter Frampton, Bootsy Collins, and Steve Miller among many others (with that just being on one album).

Upon reaching his seventies and beyond, Shatner still shows no signs of slowing down. His acting career reached a new peak when he won two Emmy Awards (in 2004 and 2005) for his portrayal of attorney Denny Crane in the television series The Practice and Boston Legal. In 2008, Shatner stared in his own talk show, entitled Shatner's Raw Nerve on Bio (the Biography Channel). It focused on the personal lives of celebrities stuff that is not normally discussed.

How Insensitive
William Shatner Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

How insensitive
How insensitive
I must have seemed
When she told me that she loved me
How unmoved and cold
I must have seemed
When she told me so sincerely

Why, she must have asked
Did I just turn and stare in icy silence?
What was I to say
What can you say when a love affair is over

Now she′s gone away
And I'm alone with the memory of her last look
Vague and drawn and sad
I see it still
All her heartbreak in that last look

How, she must have asked
Could I just turned and stared in icy silence?

What was I to do
What can one do when a love affair is over

Overall Meaning

In William Shatner's song How Insensitive, the singer reflects on a past love affair that has already ended. The lyrics primarily focus on how the singer must have appeared to their former lover when they confessed their love. The imagery of "insensitivity" and "icy silence" suggests that the singer is regretful about their lack of emotional response to this vulnerable moment. By repeating the question "how insensitive," the singer seems to be grappling with their own shortcomings and lamenting the end of the relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

How insensitive
I had completely shut down emotionally

I must have seemed
In her eyes, I appeared to lack empathy

When she told me that she loved me
When she expressed her feelings towards me

How unmoved and cold
I was emotionless and distant

I must have seemed
In her eyes, I appeared to lack empathy

When she told me so sincerely
When she expressed her feelings genuinely

Why, she must have asked
She probably wondered

Did I just turn and stare in icy silence?
Did I really just look at her without showing any emotion?

What was I to say
I didn't know what to respond

What can you say when a love affair is over
There's really nothing you can say when a relationship has come to an end

Now she's gone away
She has left my life