Tough, you think you've got the stuff
You're telling me and anyone
You're hard enough

You don't have to put up a fight
You don't have to always be right
Let me take some of the punches
For you tonight

Listen to me now
I need to let you know
You don't have to go it alone

And it's you when I look in the mirror
And it's you when I don't pick up the phone
Sometimes you can't make it on your own

We fight all the time
You and I that's alright
We're the same soul
I don't need I don't need to hear you say
That if we weren't so alike
You'd like me a whole lot more

Listen to me now
I need to let you know
You don't have to go it alone

And it's you when I look in the mirror
And it's you when I don't pick up the phone
Sometimes you can't make it on your own

I know that we don't talk
I'm sick of it all
Can you hear me when I
Sing, you're the reason I sing
You're the reason why the opera is in me

Where are we now?
I've got to let you know
A house still doesn't make a home
Don't leave me here alone

And it's you when I look in the mirror
And it's you that makes it hard to let go
Sometimes you can't make it on your own
Sometimes you can't make it
The best you can do is to fake it
Sometimes you can't make it on your own



Lyrics submitted by Lyra

Track duration: 05:05

"Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" as written by ; D.evans A.clayton

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own song meanings
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80 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:This happened to be the most inspirational and the most emotional song of U2 in my preception

    "CAN YOU HEAR ME WHEN I SING ..,YOUR THE REASON I SING ..,YOUR THE REASON WHY THE OPERA IS IN ME " .....means alot and the most emotional part.....in his live singing he expresses this alot and we feel it deep inside..... my favourite of all time
    Flag LyricistHeshanon April 15, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Best song ever......Bono once said that after his dad died, he used to hear the phone ringing and think it was him but never answered it....also, i read somewhere that when he sings this live, he takes his glasses off in respect of his dad as he used to say to him "why dont you ever take those f***ing glasses off"....
    Flag tails9on July 06, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:"Listen to me now, I need to let you, You don't have to go it alone"- BREATHTAKING!
    Flag temptation777on June 13, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Memory:I'm listening to this song as I type.

    I know that this song is about Bono's father, but I think it makes sense to me in another way too..

    This song is very special to me, because it's My Song with my boyfriend.

    I dedicated this song to him when we were just friends too.. but on our way to becoming more :)

    It's just perfect for us.

    He's such a tough guy, thinking he can take on the world on his own and that he needs to be alone.. always forgetting that I'm going to force him to let me share his problems.. that I'm always going to be alongside. We're so alike in some ways (so different in others) that we're continuously fighting.. about anything and everything but it's okay at the end because we still love each other..

    My favorite lines in this entire song are "Can you hear me when I sing? You're the reason I sing, You're the reason why the opera is in me.."

    I think it just describes me and him perfectly.. He is my muse, and my inspiration and the reason sometimes I get up to face the day.

    I absolutely love this song.
    Flag VanillaIceon May 25, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Introduced to this song by "Little A" couple years back, during some difficulty times! Love you child!
    Flag temptation777on March 10, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This can bring me to tears sometimes thinking about when my father is going to die.
    Flag robsayspluhon January 12, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Memory:This song brings tears to my eyes. I understand Bono's reason to the lyrics but for me they have a different meaning. Me and my mother have a mending relationship, and at times its hard for me to make effort to mend our relationship since we are sooo much alike but its getting there. This song gives me hope that things will be great in the long run.

    i love you mom, nicole.
    Flag Lovewillconqueron May 07, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this song makes me cry everytime i hear it :(
    it generally reminds me of when my nan got cancer, and her and my mum hadnt spoken for years, because she hadnt approved of when my mum married my dad or something. Anyway, yes, and my grandma didnt want my grandad to call my mum to let her know, but he decided to anyway because she was close to the end, and as we where driving to the hospital where she was saying this song was on the radio, and they patched things up, then she sadly died a month later,
    R.I.P grandma :(
    Flag frozenyoghurton April 13, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think that the chorus line of "sometimes you can't make it on your own" isn't telling them that they shouldn't have went without help, it's telling them that they would have made it had you lent them help. Very sad, moving song.
    Flag oiiopoon March 07, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Powerful indeed. Need to give credit to the Edge making his guitar feedback sound like it's crying at 4:01. Simple genius.
    Flag gooberschnoton March 04, 2009   Link

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