She sleeps with the moonlight under her head,
And the stars to keep her warm
Far from the noise and the world below
She comes to me in my dreams like a love song
And I awake only to hear her go

Somewhere along the way I lost the melody
And I don't want the birds to sing, sing it to me

'Cause I love to hate the feeling,
Don't wanna deal with the morning after
What can I say to keep you down?
What can I say to keep it down?
What can I say to keep your love around me?

She walks with me on frozen stone, ever so lightly
And I pray to hear what she'll say
She turns to me with her face all aglow
And it's overwhelming
And I awake to a brand new day

Somewhere along the way I lost all of my hope
And I don't want the brand new day to bring it to my window

'Cause I love to hate the feeling,
Don't wanna deal with the morning after
What can I say to keep it down?
What can I say to keep it down?
What can I say to keep your love around me?

...Around me...
...Around me...
...Around me...

Somewhere along the way I lost the melody
And I don't want the brids to sing, sing it to me

'Cause I love to hate the feeling,
Don't wanna deal with the morning after
Love to hate the feeling,
Don't wanna deal with the morning after
Love to hate the feeling,
Don't wanna deal with the morning after

What can I say to keep it down?
What can I say to keep it down?
What can I say to keep your love around me?

What can I say to keep you down?
What can I say to keep your love around me?



Lyrics submitted by Pryncess33

What Can I Say? song meanings
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10 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    Sounds to me that he's dreaming of a girl and every time She begins to do something beautiful [turn to face him, sing to him] he wakes up at the most engaging point of it and is left completely alone in the serenity of the morning. Although its peaceful he would much rather sleep in and stay with her or pull her from his dreams.

    I also love the imagery, how he compares her to the sun. Gives the song a whole new dimension to dig from.

    Blackmofasa9on December 03, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It's such a pretty song, but there are so many messages thru out it that I dont quite know what its about lol... oh well... it's still beautiful

    Pryncess33on August 19, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love the lyrics for this, it's such a dreamy, melancholic song. I especially like the line "Somewhere along the way I lost the melody..."

    Van Hunt's whispery voice suits this song perfectly.

    striderwhoon September 23, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I agree with Blackmofasa9's explanation of this song. When first heard it, I thought of the line from the morning scene in "Romeo & Juliet" that goes something like "what can I say to keep [the sun] down" so we don't have to leave each other in the morning. I can't remember exactly what the line was, but it's something to that effect. Reminds me of Jon Donne's "The Sun Rising" also. Such a pretty song...

    Honeychileon February 09, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    loverly.

    crackerbugon April 27, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think this song is about a girl who belongs to someone else. She comes to him and stays during the night but is gone in the morning. (I awake to hear her go). What can he do to keep her around in his life (the morning). This is really just a morning after song. But I feel like his experience is a reoccuring feeling with her.

    BonitaChica220on June 02, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I definitely understand it being about a girl but to me at least this song is about pure inspiration.

    The "girl" is his muse, that comes from a romantic, pure place in him. They say that inspiration is linked to your subconscious and that's why there are so many references to songs from artists and musicians. That's no different here.

    It refreshes him, it drives him, it keeps him grounded and separate from the world's problems.

    The reason he's so tangled up about it is that what she's "saying" to him - the inspiration part - sometimes escapes him. Also because he loves having the experience but not applying it practically, ie he loves dreaming it, but not producing it.

    Read thru them again, keeping these things in mind, every line makes sense in this interpretation.

    Anyway that's my take.. Either way... absolutely wonderful song...

    OM1234on June 17, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I think this song expresses a love going cold...the romance is fading although they are comfortable together. They are going through the motions that couples go through , while struggling to get back what they are losing--but she is already leaving. I cry like a baby everytime I hear this song...it is almost hopeless.

    It hurts so bad all over again...

    mylifemymusic

    mylifemymusicon November 13, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    you guys have it all wrong, BonitaChica220 is prolly the closest...some of you arent looking in deep enough to the lyrics

    this song is about a relationship that has gone wrong and is left to nothing but a sexual escapade

    "She comes to me in my dreams like a love song" she shows up at the most serene time for him, which happens to when he's sleeping or at night

    "And I awake only to hear her go" clearly you cant hear someone in your dream going if your already awake, so its the girl leaving him while hes still in bed.

    "Somewhere along the way I lost the melody, And I don't want the birds to sing, sing it to me", this meaning that at one point in the relationship he couldnt keep things together and the love was lost, birds wake you up so he doesnt wanna hear the birds sing to wake him up from his peaceful night with her to realize his love is gone.

    "She walks with me on frozen stone, ever so lightly, And I pray to hear what she'll say", this is where he really gives it away...her walking on frozen stone so lightly means that she doesnt want things to get too heavy between them so that things dont go underwater like they did before, and he prays that he'll wake up in the morning to actually hear her say something in the morning like a regular realtionship rather then "And I awake only to hear her go".

    "Somewhere along the way I lost all of my hope, And I don't want the brand new day to bring it to my window", here he's saying that somewhere in the relationship he eventually lost hope for it and now he doesn't want the brand new day to shine through his window to wake him up to his loss.

    "Cause I love to hate the feeling, Don't wanna deal with the morning after, What can I say to keep you down?, What can I say to keep it down? ,What can I say to keep your love around me?", Now here he's saying he loves to hate on the feeling of being sad..and doesn't wanna deal with the morning is a double link between the actual morning and the mourning that comes with the sadness, it concludes with what can i say to keep you down, as in laying in my bed even if the sun hits...and to keep your love around me

    I hope this helped and that you guys get it now, Cheers!

    chillinc2con June 15, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    Hey guys

    I always thought that this beautifully written song was about a lost loved one... Sleeping with the moonlight under her head, the clouds to keep her warm : she resides in the sky... in heaven. About only being able to see that person when you're dreaming, and the horrible feeling when you wake up and realize she's not there. And you just want to go back to sleep, to be with her again, even tho the dreams are beautiful yet painful too, because you miss her so much... you'd rather hate that feeling and be with her than face the world and the reality that she has passed away.

    Van's song "Your Love" was co-written by him, B. Carter, &... Millicent Hunt. I'm guessing "What can i say" is for her. About her? I'm not sure. I don't know her relation to him, nor if she is still living.

    But brilliant songs are ones many can relate too, and i think we can all relate to this one in a different way :)

    He's such a great writer!

    jjcollinson June 28, 2013   Link

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