I've Been in Love Before
Love's Complex Journey: Reflections on Past Affections
Lyrics
I’ve been in love before
I've experienced love in the past.
I am no stranger to that sweet little rush
I am familiar with the exhilarating feeling that comes with love.
You feel when your hands accidentally touch
Describing the electric sensation when hands touch accidentally.
When you start out with somebody new
Referring to the initial stages of a relationship with someone new.
I’ve been in love before
Reiteration of having experienced love before.
Danced home from Sunday school giddy with joy
Recalling the joy of coming home from Sunday school in love.
To scribble, “Dear diary, I just met a boy
Expressing the excitement of meeting someone new and documenting it.
And I don’t care what consequence it brings”
Not fearing the consequences of falling in love.
I’ve been in love before
Emphasizing past experiences of being in love.
Dragged by my mother to church to confess,
Reluctantly confessing sins of the flesh in church.
“Forgive me dear father my sins of the flesh”
A description of the confession to the father without repentance.
But I did not repent anything
No remorse for the sins committed.
I’ve been in love before
Highlighting a love deeper than any heart could fall.
Deeper than any heart could possibly fall
Recalling a past lover whose details are now faded.
Some lover whose name I no longer recall
Unable to remember the face of a previous lover.
Whose face I cannot picture any more
Acknowledging past experiences of being in love.
Yes I’ve been in love, I’ve been in love before
Repeating the acknowledgment of having been in love before.
I’m not a liar so I’m not going to say
Admitting to thinking about the current person in a nostalgic way.
I have not thought about you in that tender old way
Love is portrayed as more complex in adulthood.
But falling in love’s not so simple as when we were young
Expressing that falling in love is not as simple as in youth.
So if I don’t swoon like all those sweet seventeens
Not displaying the same intense emotions as in teenage years.
It doesn’t mean you can’t be the man of my dreams
Reassuring that the person can still be significant.
See, I just don’t dream so much any more
Not dreaming as much due to past experiences in love.
Cos I’ve been in love, I’ve been in love before
Reiteration of having been in love before.
I’ve been in love before
Reaffirming past experiences of being in love.
He promised to care for me, build me a home
Recalling a promise of care and a home in a past relationship.
He gave this illness to keep in my bones
Indicating the burden of an illness given in that relationship.
And took off with everything else
The partner took everything else and left.
I’ve been in love before
Reiteration of having experienced love before, but with negative consequences.
And love left me beat up and broke at the seams
Describing the aftermath of a past love, physically and emotionally.
So if I say, “It’s complicated”, well, you know what I mean
Explaining that the current situation is complicated due to past experiences.
Don’t know what’s left here for you
Uncertainty about what is left for the current relationship.
Or what the hell else I can do
Expressing helplessness or confusion about the current state of affairs.
It’s just a feeling but you can never be sure
Feelings are uncertain, reflecting the complexity of love.
Cos I’ve been in love, I’ve been in love before
Final reiteration of having experienced love before.
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