Same old story life is so unfair
It's a burden we just have to bare
But I'm with him and you're with her
There's nothin' else to do
Have to hide my secret love for you

Keep the secret people are so unkind
Sneakin' around you could lose your mind
Never free to let 'em see
All that I go thru
Trying to hide my secret love for you

I looked in your eyes
Without sayin' a word
I told you what I am
And I hoped that you heard
Oh yeah

Society won't let me be
The way I want it to
Hard to hide my secret love for you

Oh yeah don't wanna secret love
Can't keep a secret love
I wanna open love


Lyrics submitted by spliphstar

Secret Love song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

4 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    Ive heard alot about this song being her being a closet gay. I do think its just metaphor for her "secret love" fair enough shes singin about a him...I could be wrong but listen to her music and shes infact singin alot of being a lesbian and not feelin she can come out but she cant be any other way.

    Lennox4on November 25, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The meaning of this song is pretty straightforward and it's nice coming from a female perspective which seems kind of rare. Girl is with a guy but likes another guy who's with some other girl. She trys to tell him how she feels and wants to be open about it (open love vs. secret love) but she's not sure if he has the same feelings as her; "I looked in your eyes Without sayin' a word I told you what I am And I hoped that you heard".

    mumbomanon May 12, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The meaning of this song is pretty straightforward and it's nice coming from a female perspective which seems kind of rare. Girl is with a guy but likes another guy who's with some other girl. She trys to tell him how she feels and wants to be open about it (open love vs. secret love) but she's not sure if he has the same feelings as her; "I looked in your eyes Without sayin' a word I told you what I am And I hoped that you heard".

    mumbomanon May 12, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I'm not sure how it possible to read these lyrics and think it is not about being queer?

    Society won't let me be The way I want it to Hard to hide my secret love for you

    mo10402102on February 14, 2023   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!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Album art
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms. “Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.