Released: April 6, 1992
Songwriter: Annie Lennox
Producer: Stephen Lipson
[Intro]
Why?
Why?
[Verse 1]
How many times do I have to try to tell you
That I'm sorry for the things I've done?
But when I start to try to tell you
That's when you have to tell me
"Hey, this kind of trouble's only just begun"
I tell myself too many times
Why don't you ever learn to keep your big mouth shut?
That's why it hurts so bad to hear the words
That keep on falling from your mouth
Falling from your mouth
Falling from your mouth
[Chorus]
Tell me
Why?
Why?
[Verse 2]
I may be mad
I may be blind
I may be viciously unkind
But I can still read what you're thinking
And I've heard it said too many times
That you'd be better off
Besides, why can't you see this boat is sinking?
This boat is sinking (this boat is sinking)
Let's go down to the water's edge
And we can cast away those doubts
Some things are better left unsaid
But they still turn me inside out
Turning inside out
Turning inside out
[Chorus]
Tell me
Why?
Tell me
Why?
[Outro]
(Why?) This is the book I never read
These are the words I never said
This is the path I'll never tread
These are the dreams I'll dream instead
(Why?) This is the joy that's seldom spread
These are the tears, the tears we shed
This is the fear, this is the dread
These are the contents of my head
(Why?) And these are the years that we have spent
And this is what they represent
And this is how I feel
Do you know how I feel?
‘Cause I don't think you how I feel
I don't think you know what I fear
(Why?) I don't think you know what I fear
You don't know what I fear
Why?
Why?
[Verse 1]
How many times do I have to try to tell you
That I'm sorry for the things I've done?
But when I start to try to tell you
That's when you have to tell me
"Hey, this kind of trouble's only just begun"
I tell myself too many times
Why don't you ever learn to keep your big mouth shut?
That's why it hurts so bad to hear the words
That keep on falling from your mouth
Falling from your mouth
Falling from your mouth
[Chorus]
Tell me
Why?
Why?
[Verse 2]
I may be mad
I may be blind
I may be viciously unkind
But I can still read what you're thinking
And I've heard it said too many times
That you'd be better off
Besides, why can't you see this boat is sinking?
This boat is sinking (this boat is sinking)
Let's go down to the water's edge
And we can cast away those doubts
Some things are better left unsaid
But they still turn me inside out
Turning inside out
Turning inside out
[Chorus]
Tell me
Why?
Tell me
Why?
[Outro]
(Why?) This is the book I never read
These are the words I never said
This is the path I'll never tread
These are the dreams I'll dream instead
(Why?) This is the joy that's seldom spread
These are the tears, the tears we shed
This is the fear, this is the dread
These are the contents of my head
(Why?) And these are the years that we have spent
And this is what they represent
And this is how I feel
Do you know how I feel?
‘Cause I don't think you how I feel
I don't think you know what I fear
(Why?) I don't think you know what I fear
You don't know what I fear
- Loving You (1992)
- Diva (1992)
- NOW That’s What I Call Music! 22 [UK] (1992)
- Boys on the Side (Original Soundtrack Album) (1995)
- Songbirds (A Celebration Of The Female Voice) (2003)
- The Annie Lennox Collection (2009)
- 101 Voices (2012)
- Divas (2016)
- Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives (2017)
- I Put a Spell on You
- No More “I Love You’s”
- Into the West
- Why
- Walking on Broken Glass
- Don’t Let It Bring You Down
- Little Bird
- A Whiter Shade of Pale
- Love Song for a Vampire
- Everybody Hurts
- Keep Young and Beautiful
- (I’m Always Touched) By Your Presence, Dear
- Thin Line Between Love and Hate
- Fingernail Moon
- Walking on Broken Glass (David Morales mix)
- Through the Glass Darkly
- Loneliness
- Womankind
- Step by Step
- Ladies of the Canyon
- Pavement Cracks (Shanghai Surprise vocal mix)
- Twisted
- Big Sky
- Precious