You ask me if I love you
And I choke on my reply
I'd rather hurt you honestly
Than mislead you with a lie
For who am I to judge you
In what you say or do
I'm only just beginning
To see the real you
And sometimes when we touch
The honesty's too much
And I have to close my eyes and hide
I want to hold you till I die
Till we both break down and cry
I want to hold you till the fear in me subsides
Romance and all its strategy
Leaves me battling with the pride
But through the insecurity
Some tenderness survives
I'm just another writer
Still trapped within my truth
A hesitant prize-fighter
Still trapped within my youth
At times I'd like to break you
And drive you to your knees
At times I'd like to break through
And hold you endlessly
At times I understand you
And I know how hard you try
I've watched love pass you by
At times I think we're drifters
Still searching for a friend, a brother or a sister
But then the passion flares again
Interpretation
This song is about a young man who is overwhelmed by his relationship with a woman, and he is conflicted with the feelings he has for this woman. In his mind, there is no doubt about her love for him, but he's not sure he can return this love. There is great passion in this relationship (perhaps where it all started), but he is starting to see some things in her that he really doesn't like. Then again, who is he to judge (again the conflict).
Nor does he know what the implication would be of him professing his love for her - loss of identity, loss of youthful recklessness? Is it worth it? Then the passion comes back, and he is once again torn.
Through it all he doesn't want to be deceitful, neither to her nor to himself. This forces him to start confronting the truths about this relationship, something he'd rather hide from. He'll take the good but could do without the bad. All the while knowing there is no limit to what she is willing to do to preserve the relationship, he sometimes feels he can yield to her greater understanding of what's going on. (Is she perhaps older than him? Was he once just a friend when she was in another relationship?)
So there he is, all messed up. Life used to be so simple. In fact his relationship with her can be quite simple at times (maybe it was at first), but now he's wondering if he isn't in over his head. It's not just a game anymore. He'd like to show her who's boss but he doesn't quite have it in him. His pride pays a heavy price for the passion he feels.
SO this is a tale of conflict within a young man's head, a complex story which the author conveyed with an economy of words.
Love that forever dies...
