Head underwater
And they tell me
To breathe easy for a while
The breathing gets harder, even I know that
Made room for me it's too soon to see
If I'm happy in your hands
I'm unusually hard to hold onto

Blank stares at blank pages
No easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me

I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one
You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or breaking this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leavin'
I'ma need a better reason
To write you a love song today
(Yeah) Today, yeah

I learned the hard way
That they all say
Things you wanna hear
My heavy heart sinks deep down under
You and your twisted words
Your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were
Hello to high and dry

Convinced me to please you
Made me think that I need this too
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am

I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one
You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or breaking this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leavin'
I'ma need a better reason
To write you a love song today

Promise me
That you'll leave the light on
To help me see
With daylight, my guide, gone
'Cause I believe there's a way
You can love me because I say

I won't write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one
You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or breaking this
Is that why you wanted a love song?
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one
You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or breaking this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If your heart is nowhere in it
I don't want it for a minute
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas when I believe that
There's a reason to write you a love song today
Today, (yeah) yeah


Lyrics submitted by killstar

Love Song Lyrics as written by Sara Bareilles

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Love Song song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

109 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +11
    General Comment
    Actually, the song is written as a bit of a "fuck you" to her record label. They were pushing her to write her "love song" and she was trying to resist it, so she wrote this instead. The real story makes me love her and the song even more.
    starshine1763on August 14, 2007   Link
  • +6
    General Comment
    actually, this song isnt about her loving a guy. her agency wanted her to write a love song but she didnt want to, so she wrote this. thats why it says "blank stares at blank pages." and "i learned the hard way that they all say things you wanna hear" means that her agency was trying to get her to do it by telling her things she wanted to hear her or something and so she got annoyed and wrote this.
    agary110on September 25, 2010   Link
  • +4
    General Comment
    I love that it's to the record label, hah. But I also love the other perspective - it's the one I first thought of when I read the lyrics Either way, this song is gorgeous. :]
    alyssaxmarieon September 16, 2007   Link
  • +3
    General Comment
    This song doesn't have anything to do with being "so in love" with a guy. It's actually somewhat the opposite. She's trying to tell the guy not to push her into loving him. Telling him she can't give him a "love song"..like a fairy tale. When she says: You made room for me but it’s too soon to see if I’m happy in your hands I’m unusually hard to hold on to She's saying to slow down, that she's not really sure about what's happening yet. but then she goes on to say: Promise me that you'll leave the light on Which means that even though she's not ready to say I love you, she doesn't want him to leave and she wants him to stay with her.
    Taraj3anon November 05, 2007   Link
  • +3
    General Comment
    I will attempt to explain this song to you all, becuase this song directly applies to me right now. this song, even though she may be talking to her record label, it totally has a double meaning. shes talking to a boy, who they could potentially be in a good relationship, but she's not gonna do everything he wants her to do, to make the relationship work. he's gotta give her a reason to love him. "Head under water and they tell me to breathe easy for a while the breathing gets harder, even i know that" meaning: you're no help. my heads underwater, and you tell me to breathe easy...thanks. you can't always take the easy road. "You made room for me but it’s too soon to see if I’m happy in your hands I’m unusually hard to hold on to" meaning: it started too soon Blank stares at blank pages no easy way to say this you mean well, but you make this hard on me meaning: how can I tell you? you mean well i know, but this isn't working for me. "I'm not gonna write you a love song 'cause you asked for it 'cause you need one, you see I'm not gonna write you a love song 'cause you tell me it's make or breaking this if you’re on your way I'm not gonna write you to stay" meaning: I'm not gonna do what you want me to, just so you'll be with me. Even if he plans on leaving... its not worth it to fight. "If all you have is leaving I’m gonna need a better reason to write you a love song today" meaning: he hasn't given her any reason to love him..or really fight for him. "I learned the hard way that they all say things you want to hear and my heavy heart sinks deep down under you and your twisted words, your help just hurts you are not what i thought you were hello to high and dry" meaning: guys tell you want you want to hear. and you get caught up in them telling you what they want you to be. insisting that they are "helping" you. turns out, she wised up. and now she's just kind of like..bummed out. she thought he was more than he is. "Convinced me to please you made me think that I need this too I’m trying to let you hear me as I am" meaning: for a while, she did all the bs..whatever he wanted...but now he needs to listen. "Promise me that you'll leave the light on to help me see with daylight, my guide, gone 'cause I believe there's a way you can love me because I say" meaning: she's saying, she thinks that it could work, she thinks that they can love each other. that the relationship is possible. "I’m not gonna write you to stay if your heart is nowhere in it I don’t want it for a minute Babe, I’ll walk the seven seas when i believe that there's a reason to write you a love song today" meaning: She's made up in her mind, shes strong enough, to not deal with it anymore. that ultimatum point (where I am right now) and if he would just stop with the bs. admit that he loves her..and act like it. that she would do anything...maybe even write him that love song...
    loveujmon February 06, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    He at least got a song out of it... even if its not a love song haha
    kharmaprotectoron June 25, 2007   Link
  • +2
    Song Meaning
    This song was written by Sara, because she refused to write a love song for the label and her manager. 'I'm not going to write you a love song, cause you tell me it's making of breaking this' 'If all you have is leaving, I'ma need a better reason to write you a love song' 'Convince me to please you, make me think that I need this too, I'm trying to let you hear me as I am'
    lucyraenayloron May 02, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    This is my favorite from Sara Bareilles. It's different from a number of her songs because most of them are about how she can't stop loving a guy, and that no matter what she'll be drawn to him. This song is empowering, it shows that she's independent and that she's moving on. Great song to play after moving on :)
    silverbullet1753on July 12, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    Yeah, the fact that she wrote this to the record label makes me love the song even more!!! Shows how she loves her music and isn't going to change it for ANYONE!!!! (awesome video too)
    shibby_shoeson October 29, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    UCLA is not ivy league
    killstaron November 14, 2007   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!