This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Oh she may be weary
Them young girls they do get wearied
Wearing that same old shaggy dress, yeah, yeah
But when she gets weary
Try a little tenderness, yeah, yeah
You know she's waiting
Just anticipating
The thing that you'll never, never, never, never possess, yeah, yeah
But while she's there waiting
Without them try a little tenderness
That's all you got to do
It's not just sentimental no, no, no
She has her grief and care, yeah, yeah, yeah
But the soft words they are spoke so gentle, yeah
It makes it easier, easier to bear, yeah
You won't regret it no, no
Young girls they don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness, yeah, yeah, yeah
But it's all so easy
All you got to do is try
Try a little tenderness
Yeah
All you got to do is, man, hold her when you wanna
Squeeze her, don't tease her, never leave her
Get to her, got, got, got to try a little tenderness, yeah, yeah
You got to know how to love her, man
Don't be surprised, man
You got to squeeze her, don't tease her, never leave
You got to hold her, brother, something, man
Try a little tenderness, yeah, yeah, yeah
You got to grab her gently, man
Don't bruise her, no, no
You got to love her, tease her, don't squeeze her
You got to try, na na na na na
Try, try a little tenderness, yeah
Watch her groove
You got to know what to do, man
Take this advice
You gotta love, squeeze, don't tease
Them young girls they do get wearied
Wearing that same old shaggy dress, yeah, yeah
But when she gets weary
Try a little tenderness, yeah, yeah
You know she's waiting
Just anticipating
The thing that you'll never, never, never, never possess, yeah, yeah
But while she's there waiting
Without them try a little tenderness
That's all you got to do
It's not just sentimental no, no, no
She has her grief and care, yeah, yeah, yeah
But the soft words they are spoke so gentle, yeah
It makes it easier, easier to bear, yeah
You won't regret it no, no
Young girls they don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness, yeah, yeah, yeah
But it's all so easy
All you got to do is try
Try a little tenderness
Yeah
All you got to do is, man, hold her when you wanna
Squeeze her, don't tease her, never leave her
Get to her, got, got, got to try a little tenderness, yeah, yeah
You got to know how to love her, man
Don't be surprised, man
You got to squeeze her, don't tease her, never leave
You got to hold her, brother, something, man
Try a little tenderness, yeah, yeah, yeah
You got to grab her gently, man
Don't bruise her, no, no
You got to love her, tease her, don't squeeze her
You got to try, na na na na na
Try, try a little tenderness, yeah
Watch her groove
You got to know what to do, man
Take this advice
You gotta love, squeeze, don't tease
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
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Redding did not want to record this, but Stax Records executives and his friends wore him down with a constant barrage of requests. When he finally recorded it, he did it in a way that he was "sure" that it would not be released. The ploy didn't work. Redding's version of "Try a Little Tenderness" became his signature song and the biggest selling of the records released before his death.