In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Spice Girls, Darkchild, Let's Dance
Oooh
We could have had it all
But you turned your back
We started with dreams
We started a team
But you weren't as true as you always seemed
You promised to love
No matter what
Yet you turned your back and walked out on me
What made you think
That without me
Your life would be so much better but now you see (oh-oh, but now you see)
That without me
Your hopes and dreams (your hopes and your dreams)
Will never be as good as what you had with me
Tell me why, oh why (so tell me why)
Did we end up this way
When we tried, we tried (we tried)
To make everything okay (oooh)
Tell me why, oh why
Did you feel you couldn't stay
When we could have stayed together
But you wanted it this way
You never thought
That I would find out
All of the things you said about us
When you're the one who
Decided to
Erase all our plans and say you approved
What made you think
That without me
Your life would be so much better but now you see (so much
better, but now you see)
That without me (without me)
Your hopes and dreams (they will never)
Will never be as good as what you had with me (had with me)
Tell me why, oh why (tell me why)
Did we end up this way (did we end up this why)
When we tried, we tried (when we tried)
To make everything okay (yes we did)
Tell me why, oh why
Did you feel you couldn't stay (did you feel you couldn't stay)
When we could have stayed together (we could have stayed)
But you wanted it this way
Tell me why, oh why (did we end up this way)
Did we end up this way (I thought it was okay)
When we tried, we tried
To make everything okay (we tried, tried, tried so hard)
Tell me why, oh why
Did you feel you couldn't stay (but it was you who wanted to leave)
When we could have stayed together
But you wanted it this way
Now tell me was it
Your plan all along
To try and use me, and then let go
Now where is the trust
We had between us
I guess that you, never played by the rules
Can you tell me
Tell me why, oh why
Did we end up this way
When we tried, we tried
To make everything okay (we tried, we tried again)
Tell me why, oh why (yes we did)
Did you feel you couldn't stay
When we could have stayed together
(you felt you couldn't stay, but you wanted it this way)
But you wanted it this way
Tell me why, oh why (oh tell me why)
Did we end up this way
When we tried, we tried (we always tried again)
To make everything okay (we always tried again)
Tell me why, oh why (somebody tell me why)
Did you feel you couldn't stay
When we could have stayed together
But you wanted it this way (you wanted this way)
Tell me why, oh why (whoa-oh tell me why)
Did we end up this way (yeah-yeah-yeah)
When we tried, we tried
To make everything okay
Tell me why, oh why
Did you feel you couldn't stay
When we could have stayed together
But you wanted it this way
Oooh
We could have had it all
But you turned your back
We started with dreams
We started a team
But you weren't as true as you always seemed
You promised to love
No matter what
Yet you turned your back and walked out on me
What made you think
That without me
Your life would be so much better but now you see (oh-oh, but now you see)
That without me
Your hopes and dreams (your hopes and your dreams)
Will never be as good as what you had with me
Tell me why, oh why (so tell me why)
Did we end up this way
When we tried, we tried (we tried)
To make everything okay (oooh)
Tell me why, oh why
Did you feel you couldn't stay
When we could have stayed together
But you wanted it this way
You never thought
That I would find out
All of the things you said about us
When you're the one who
Decided to
Erase all our plans and say you approved
What made you think
That without me
Your life would be so much better but now you see (so much
better, but now you see)
That without me (without me)
Your hopes and dreams (they will never)
Will never be as good as what you had with me (had with me)
Tell me why, oh why (tell me why)
Did we end up this way (did we end up this why)
When we tried, we tried (when we tried)
To make everything okay (yes we did)
Tell me why, oh why
Did you feel you couldn't stay (did you feel you couldn't stay)
When we could have stayed together (we could have stayed)
But you wanted it this way
Tell me why, oh why (did we end up this way)
Did we end up this way (I thought it was okay)
When we tried, we tried
To make everything okay (we tried, tried, tried so hard)
Tell me why, oh why
Did you feel you couldn't stay (but it was you who wanted to leave)
When we could have stayed together
But you wanted it this way
Now tell me was it
Your plan all along
To try and use me, and then let go
Now where is the trust
We had between us
I guess that you, never played by the rules
Can you tell me
Tell me why, oh why
Did we end up this way
When we tried, we tried
To make everything okay (we tried, we tried again)
Tell me why, oh why (yes we did)
Did you feel you couldn't stay
When we could have stayed together
(you felt you couldn't stay, but you wanted it this way)
But you wanted it this way
Tell me why, oh why (oh tell me why)
Did we end up this way
When we tried, we tried (we always tried again)
To make everything okay (we always tried again)
Tell me why, oh why (somebody tell me why)
Did you feel you couldn't stay
When we could have stayed together
But you wanted it this way (you wanted this way)
Tell me why, oh why (whoa-oh tell me why)
Did we end up this way (yeah-yeah-yeah)
When we tried, we tried
To make everything okay
Tell me why, oh why
Did you feel you couldn't stay
When we could have stayed together
But you wanted it this way
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Tell Me Why Lyrics as written by Jay Holt Dennis Brown
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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