Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
I'm in love with somebody
Found someone who completes me
I'm in love with somebody, oh yeah (oh yeah)
And it's not you
Read my finger, whatcha gonna do?
See these lips are all done talkin' to you
I don't mean to bruise your ego
But I've had you nailed down for so long
I don't see your name on my tattoo
Hope you understand, it's been a long time coming
It's for the best, no offense
I'm in love with somebody
Found someone who completes me
I'm in love with somebody, oh yeah (oh yeah)
And it's not you
I know who you think you are
Sorry I've turned you on but I'm kissin' you off
Your lines are whiskey and cigarettes
They're not enough to make me forget
I've got someone who has raised the bar
I've heard it all before, stop spinnin' your wheels
Show you the door, no hard feelings
I'm in love with somebody
Found someone who completes me
I'm in love with somebody, oh yeah (oh yeah)
And it's not you
You've probably never been shot down before
You've probably never been shot down before
I'll try and make it easier
I'm in love with somebody
Found someone who completes me
I'm in love with somebody, oh yeah (Oh yeah)
And it's not you
It's not you
It's not you, yeah
Found someone who completes me
I'm in love with somebody, oh yeah (oh yeah)
And it's not you
Read my finger, whatcha gonna do?
See these lips are all done talkin' to you
I don't mean to bruise your ego
But I've had you nailed down for so long
I don't see your name on my tattoo
Hope you understand, it's been a long time coming
It's for the best, no offense
I'm in love with somebody
Found someone who completes me
I'm in love with somebody, oh yeah (oh yeah)
And it's not you
I know who you think you are
Sorry I've turned you on but I'm kissin' you off
Your lines are whiskey and cigarettes
They're not enough to make me forget
I've got someone who has raised the bar
I've heard it all before, stop spinnin' your wheels
Show you the door, no hard feelings
I'm in love with somebody
Found someone who completes me
I'm in love with somebody, oh yeah (oh yeah)
And it's not you
You've probably never been shot down before
You've probably never been shot down before
I'll try and make it easier
I'm in love with somebody
Found someone who completes me
I'm in love with somebody, oh yeah (Oh yeah)
And it's not you
It's not you
It's not you, yeah
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
It's Not You Lyrics as written by David Ivory Elizabeth Mae Hale
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
The Spy
Doors, The
Doors, The
Battle Royale
Word Alive, The
Word Alive, The
This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
This son is very clear... no need to interpret.