If I Could
Unspoken Promises: Ray Charles' If I Could Reveals a Father's Heartfelt Hopes
Lyrics
If I could
If the speaker could
I'd protect you from the sadness in your eyes
Expresses the desire to protect the listener from sadness
Give you courage in a world of compromise
Wish to provide courage in a compromising world
Yes, I would
Affirms the willingness to do so
If I could
If possible
I would teach you all the things I never learned
Expresses the desire to teach what the speaker never learned
And I'd help you cross the bridges that I burned
Willing to assist in overcoming difficulties caused by past actions
Yes, I would
Reiterates the commitment to help
If I could
If possible
I would try to shield your innocence from time
Expresses the desire to protect innocence from the effects of time
But the part of life I gave you isn't mine
Acknowledges the speaker's limited influence over the listener's life
I watched you grow
Observation of the listener's growth
So I could let you go
Preparation to let go
If I could
If possible
I would help you make it through the hungry years
Willingness to assist in difficult times
But I know that I can never cry your tears
Acknowledges the speaker's inability to experience the listener's pain
But I would
Reiterates the commitment to help
If I could
If possible
If I live
If the speaker lives
In a time and place
In a specific time and place
Where you don't want to be
Where the listener does not want to be
You don't have to walk along this road with me
Listener doesn't have to accompany the speaker
My yesterday
Speaker's past won't dictate the listener's future
Won't have to be your way
Speaker's yesterday won't be imposed on the listener
If I knew
If the speaker knew
I'd have tried to change the world I brought you to
Desire to change the world presented to the listener
Through there wasn't very much that I could do
Acknowledges limited ability to alter the given world
But I still would
Reiterates the willingness to try
If I could
If possible
If, if I could
If, hypothetically
I would try to shield your innocence from time
Reiterates the desire to protect innocence from time
But the part of life I gave you isn't mine.
Acknowledges the speaker's limited influence over the listener's life
I watched you grow
Observation of the listener's growth and preparation to let go
So I could let you go
Blank line
If I could
Desire to help the listener in challenging times
I would help you make it through the hungry years
Acknowledges the speaker's inability to experience the listener's pain
But I know that I can never cry your tears
Reiterates the commitment to help
But I would
If possible
If I could
Blank line
Yes, I would
Reiterates the desire to help
Yes, I would
-If I could
If possible
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