Released: May 26, 2014

Songwriter: Sam Smith Fraser T. Smith

Producer: Fraser T. Smith

[Verse 1]
And I hate to say I love you
When it's so hard for me
And I hate to say I want you
When you make it so clear
You don't want me

[Chorus]
I'd never ask you 'cause deep down
I'm certain I know what you'd say
You'd say "I'm sorry, believe me, I love you
But not in that way"

[Verse 2]
And I hate to say I need you
I'm so reliant, I'm so dependent, I'm such a fool
When you're not there, I find myself singing the blues
Can't bear, can't face the truth

[Bridge]
You will never know that feeling
You will never see through these eyes

[Chorus]
I'd never ask you 'cause deep down
I'm certain I know what you'd say
You'd say "I'm sorry, believe me, I love you
But not in that way"

[Outro]
You'd say "I'm sorry, believe me, I love you
But not in that way"

Sam Smith

Sam Smith was born on 19th May 1992 and grew up in a rural village on the border of Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, the nearest town being Bishops Stortford. They’re the oldest of three siblings and are said to be close to their younger sisters. Their mother is a successful City of London trader and their father a stay-at-home dad who brought up the children.

Smith showed an early talent for singing, and their parents responded by arranging singing lessons from the age of eight with professional jazz singer and songwriter, Joanna Eden. At the early age of seventeen, they left school to pursue their dream, living in a small one-bed flat and working in a London pub, but ended up isolated and beset by loneliness.

Sam knew they were gay, they said, for as long as they could remember. They suffered bullying at school and were shocked to find that even in London—close to gay communities—they were subjected to homophobic attacks. These negative experiences, combined with an inherently emotional nature, inform their songwriting and delivery. The soulful, beautifully rich tone of their voice and the subject of the lyrics ‘speak’ to many people and have led to their success.