You Can't Make Love Lyrics
friends
You can make mistakes and you can make
amends
You can make it easy when push comes to
shove, but-
You can't make love
You can make advances, you can make
big plans
Plant sloppy kisses all over her hands
You can tell her everything you're dreamin'
of, but-
You can't make love
Love's a little word that been kicked around
Used too much, beaten down
What in the world are you thinkin' of?
You can't make love
You can go through the motions with your
magic spells
Buy all the potions that Fifth Avenue sells
You can try to call down all the stars above,
but-
You can't make love
You can buy her diamonds, you can go out in style
You can make a promise, you can walk
down the aisle
You can make a life for her that fits like
a glove, but-
You can' t make love
Oh, it takes so long
You gotta be strong
Before it's gone
What in the world where you thinkin' of,
boy-
You can't make love
I think it's about how hard true love is to find. It doesn't matter how much money you have, when true love comes along, you've got to grab it, "before it's gone". "It takes so long" for love to show up. For some people it never shows up. Henley is talking to someone in his life here, or maybe its about himself. By "make love", he means open up and make that connection with her. Don't miss your chance.
You can make, in literal sense, like create, money, friends, and an easier life. But you can't create love. What he's saying is that the word love has been synonymized to too many other things that you can create, but true love has to just happen. You just gotta keep your eyes open for when you find it, cuz you can't make it yourself. It pokes fun at the common phrase "Make Love", because what that has come to mean has nothing to do with real love itself.