Willie Nelson

It's Not Supposed to Be That Way

1 Meaning

Add Yours

Q&A

It's Not Supposed to Be That Way Lyrics

It's not supposed to be that way
You're supposed to know I love you
But it don't matter anyway
If I can't be there to control you
Like the other little children why
You're gonna dream a dream or two
But be careful what you're dreamin'
Or soon your dreams'll be dreamin' you
It's not supposed to be that way
You're supposed to know I love you
But it don't matter anyway
If I can't be there to console you
When you go out to play this evenin'
Play with fire flies till they're gone
Then you rush to meet your lover
And play with real fire till the dawn
But it's not supposed to be that way
You're supposed to know I love you
But it don't matter anyway
If I can't be there to console you

When you go out to play this evenin'
Play with fire flies till they're gone
Then you rush to meet your lover
And play with real fire till the dawn
But it's not supposed to be that way
You're supposed to know I love you
But it don't matter anyway
If I can't be there to console you

Submitted by

songmeanings On Feb 06, 2012

Pancho And Lefty

Always on My Mind (Brenda Lee cover)

Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain

Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground

Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other

Lyrics saved successfully! Thanks!

These lyrics are currently locked and can only be edited by moderators and administrators.

You must be logged in to edit lyrics.

Unable to save lyrics. Please try again.

Lyrics cannot contain links.

Lyric edit submitted successfully and is pending approval. Approvals usually take 24 hours.

Keep it true to the song

Fix what’s wrong, but don’t rewrite what the artist wrote. Stick to the official released version — album booklet, label site, verified lyric video, etc. If you’re guessing, pause and double-check.

Respect the structure

Songs have rhythm. Pages do too. Leave line breaks where they belong. Don’t smash things together or add extra empty space just for looks.

Punctuation counts (but vibe-editing doesn’t)

Correct typos? Yes. Re-punctuating a whole verse because it ‘looks better’? Probably not. Keep capitalization and punctuation close to the official source.

Don’t mix versions

If you’re editing the explicit version, keep it explicit. If it’s the clean version, keep it clean. No mashups.

Let the lyrics be lyrics

This isn’t the place for interpretations, memories, stories, or trivia — that’s what comments are for. Keep metadata, translations, and bracketed stage directions out unless they’re officially part of the song.

Edit lightly

If two lines are wrong… fix the two lines. No need to bulldoze the whole page. Think ‘surgical,’ not ‘remix.’

When in doubt, ask the crowd

Not sure what they’re singing in that fuzzy bridge? Drop a question in the comments and let the music nerds swarm. Someone always knows.

SongMeanings

Submitter

2012-02-06 15:24:46

1 Meaning

Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.

Sort by

by montresor

10y ago

Another unknown song, I see. I find a deep, painful issue being addressed here. It is very hard for us to love another person when we expect something in return. But this character isn't merely playing the love as a piggy bank where you get what you put into it scenario. Instead, the artist creates a more complex dynamic where the needy person has been where the cherished one is at and where they are headed. And, well, the way things turned out was not good. And, the singer recognizes that things aren't going to turn out so well for the cherished person he is addressing. No matter how painful, however, these facts (it's not supposed to be that way and whatever the consoling is needed for) can only be accepted as the natural order of things. Hence the lament.

Users:

Reply · 0 Share

Questions and Answers

Ask specific questions and get answers to unlock more indepth meanings & facts.