Tell Him

I love this song and the first time i heard it the vocal arrangement really struck me. Later on i found out that the lyrics are from 1 Corinthians 13 in the New Testament of the Bible. I took a a Bible as Lit class and had to memorize that chapter and realized that it's this exact song. Here are some parts of the song with parts directly from the bible:

LAURYN: "let me be patient, let me be kind make me unselfish without being blind though i may suffer I'll envy it not and endure what comes"
CORINTHIANS IN THE BIBLE: "Charity suffereth long [meaning that love is patient], and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up"

LAURYN: "Now I may have faith to make mountains fall But if I lack love then I am nothin' at all I can give away everything I possess But left without love then I have no happiness" CORINTHIANS: "though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing."

LAURYN: "Now I may have wisdom and knowledge on Earth But if I speak wrong then what is it worth? See what we now know is nothing compared to the love that was shown when our lives were spared" CORINTHIANS: "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth" [which means to speak wrong doesn't do anything good]

"Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." [which means that knowledge on earth will fade away...]

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." [meaning what we know now isn't complete in comparison to the love that is shown to us]

The song is surely influenced by religion, but i think it also transcends into a deeper and spiritual kind of love, something that's so profoundly unconditional. i adore this song.

I may be the only one who has this thought but here it goes!

It sounds to me like the "Tell Him" chorus is more of a conversation than a simple declaration.

If you can imagine Jesus on the Cross, his life, his walk, and his victory was the epitome of love...

Jesus pleaded: Tell Him I need Him God declared: Tell Him I love Him then God whispered to Jesus: Everything's gonna be alright

Meanwhile, the rest of the lyrics feel like they are Jesus' inner most thoughts leading up to the cross

Though I may suffer I'll envy-eth not And endure what comes Cause He's [His Father in Heaven] all that I got

While I don't think this is exactly what Lauryn intended to illustrate from this song, it speaks to me this way! :)

so much truth in it...

oh my. she is singing that to me.

hey, is it just me, or does this song sound like it's about god? look at this line...

"See what we now know is nothing compared to the love that was shown when our lives were spared and tell him..."

that sounds like when jesus was cruxified. i dont know the history of this song, i just found it while downloading random songs by Lauryn Hill off of Kazaa. is it meant to be for/about god/jesus? or is it just me reading into it?

I don't know if the song is ABOUT God or not, but that's certainly what she's talking about there. The entire song is a Bible reference, all being taken from Corinthians. To me, this song is a reminder of what love truly should be whether you're talking about the love of God or human love.

i highly doubt its talking about god, i think its referring that there is love beyond what we know(to religious people)... She just means remember what has happened for us... but im pretty sure(besides that segment) that this song about someone she loves very much.

oh yea umm lyric correction...

I'll never be jealous I'll never be too PROUD ..

instead of I'll never be jealous and i wont be too KIND..

and another one is..

Now I may have wisdom and knowledge on Earth But if I speak BOLD then what is it worth? (thats the right lyrics)

i feel that this song is about making an appeal to God to make sure the man she's in love with knows it and to bless the love.

this is my favourite lauryn hill song along with 'turn your lights down low'...and yes, I believe she's talking TO God but not about him/her...She's praying to god to give her strength with her unrequited love and for God to let this man know somehow that she loves him and to give her a chance because she can't go on much longer without him