I'm not the sort of person who falls
In and quickly out of love
But to you I gave my affection
Right from the start

I have a lover who loves me:
How could I break such a heart?
Yet still you gained my attention

Why do you come here
When you know I've got troubles enough?
Why do you call me
When you know I can't answer the phone?

Make me lie, when I don't want to
And make someone else some kind of an unknowin' fool
You make me stare, when I should not
Are you so strong or is all the weakness in me?

Why do you come here
And pretend to be just passing by?
But I need to see you,
And I mean to hold you
Tightly

Feeling guilty, worried,
Waking from tormented sleep
This old love has me bound
But this new love cuts deep

If I choose now, I'll lose out
One of you has to fall
But I need you, and you

Why do you come here
When you know I've got troubles enough?
Why do you call me
When you know I can't answer the phone?

Make me lie, when I don't want to
And make someone else some kind of an unknowin' fool
You make me stare, when I should not
Are you so strong or is all the weakness in me?

Why do you come here
And pretend to be just passing by?
But I need to see you,
And I mean to hold you
Tightly



Lyrics submitted by Nelly

Track duration: 03:31

"The Weakness in Me" as written by Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


The Weakness In Me song meanings
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31 Comments

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  • 0
    My Opinion:I think this song is more about finding a solution for the
    dilemma she is in. Searching for an answer more than
    singing about loving 2 people at the same time.

    leaving a loved one and doubt in making the right
    choice is the main issue what keeps the singer
    from breaking up and lose the familiar, safe
    situation. knowing that her first lover hurt
    her before or might do it again.

    i guess this is what the lyrics are about...
    if i'm correct.
    Flag nickel1973on May 29, 2013   Link
  • 0
    Memory:I like the Melissa Etheridge cover better. But the meaning is the same anyway.

    I feel it is about someone who is in love with two people. Two lesbians sang this song, so I always imagine it is about someone loving two women and having a difficult time choosing between them. It fits me very well, at least it used to.

    I was in love with my wife but also very much in love with a long term friend.

    I met this other woman when she was separated. I was single but she wanted to work on her marriage. She told me to move on, so I did. I met someone and we were together for 5 months before this other woman moved out of state and had a baby. They had not met each other yet. When this other woman came back to town to visit me and let me meet her daughter, I took my soon to be wife with me as well as my 16 yo daughter. Once we left, my daughter stuck her head between the seats of my van and asked my soon to be wife, "did you see that?" My soon to be wife said "yes I did" and I saw tears in her eyes. I asked what they were talking about and my daughter said the love between me and this other woman, they could see it in the way we looked at each other. I blew it off, downplayed it, but I knew what they were talking about.

    I got married and my wife left me after 10 months for another man. She always said that I loved this other woman more than I loved her. Honestly, I loved them both

    I feel the passion in this song, the pain and suffering of wanting to love both of these women, and having to pick one.

    It has been 5 years and this other woman is not in my life anymore but my current fiancee says she is worried she will lose me if this woman ever comes back into my life. It scares me too. It may return me to feeling the way this song portrays. How do you get over a love that is so profound?
    Flag AzTechGuyon September 25, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:For the past 3ish years I have gone through a life-altering experience. I have been in love with a man I am not married to. This song has been my life recently.

    He and I became friends immediately. I definitely felt an intense connection with him, I hadn't experienced before. Whether you call it great fondness, true love, major lust- it was real. Every relationship has a unique chemistry and I think ours was pretty special. Every time we were together it was powerful. We saw each other quite a bit, but never enough. I loved spending time with him. Our time together always seemed to go by much too quickly.

    When he decided to dissolve our friendship I was devastated, but I also understood. He and I had gotten too close to each other and we were both already married to great people. I knew I needed to carry on with my life. Although I missed him a lot (he had become a very good friend to me), I did my best to "move on" and give him his space. I had no hard feelings because, as difficult as it was, I knew that our friendship could potentially turn into something dangerous at any point.

    I'd like to mention that I have been with the same man for 15 years. I have never before acted in a way that could be considered "unfaithful". Obviously, that is no longer the case. This friend threw me over the edge into completely unfamiliar territory.

    I took responsibility for my feelings. My husband not only knew from my telling him, but from the look on my face every time I saw this man in my husband's presence. I also apologized to the man that I loved and to his wife for my "crossing the line".

    I am not going to get into the traumatic games that transpired, but believe me they were severe. I will never be the kind of person who cries "victim" because it does take two in a relationship. I absolutely accept responsibility for my part in the madness. But, I will forever wonder why a simple face to face conversation could not have sufficed. What he and I have been through is not easy, by any means.

    So, if I came into his life to show him that he must value the life he has, then my role was not insignificant. If we are all supposed to live our lives by "God's plan" and do what is considered "right" in his eyes, there is comfort and beauty in that, yet I won't allow that to belittle the love I experienced. It was IMPORTANT to go through that relationship. To realize that you have a wonderful life JUST THE WAY IT IS.

    I refuse to believe that a very powerful, life-changing (or not, in this case) experience meant nothing. It can go nowhere, yes, I understand that. But, that is ENTIRELY different than believing it was meaningless. I choose to believe this love I experienced and the trauma of the lessons learned were all in fact, part of God's plan.
    Flag Althea6on July 24, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Wow...I Dunno I Just Love This Song So Much. I Can Relate To It But Not In The Way Everone Else Does. To Me It's About Me Loving This Person Who Mucked Me About So Badly But Now Hes Back And He Knows I Have Troubles Enough & I'd Be Far Better Off Without Him But Im Weak For Him. I Know Its Meant To Be About Loving Two People But To Me Its Like Having To Choose Between Him & Loving Myself.
    Flag princess*delilahon March 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think it's about cheating on someone..
    she loves them both and doesn't want to hurt either one of them. I think the song is being addressed to the person she is cheating with
    Flag mymaryjaneon January 14, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"Are you so strong or is all the weakness in me?"
    was basically said to me this weekend.
    this song i heartwrenching. i like melissa etheridge's version also, but both of them are stunning.
    Flag missmeon November 21, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is absolutely amazing.. It is soo easy for me to relate too.. It is such an emotional song about a woman who is torn between her true love that for some reason she can't be with...and the man she is with now... the line "are you so strong or is all the weakness in me" is such a powerful line...when we can't get away from someone.. is it because we are weak, or they are strong?? I think that is something to think about..It's an aboslutely amazing song and soo easy for me to relate too
    Flag lartch44on November 05, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:A song that tears at so many emotional levels.

    It's difficult to describe the overall feeling of the song but if you've been through a situation like this it makes it painfully easier to understand.
    Flag Tri_Ton September 05, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:um, mntnchic, just because it was released before we could walk doesnt mean we're posers. I wasn't born when Track Record was released, but already I have had situations that can relate to this song (sigh) and I love Joan Armatrading!
    Flag songloveon July 17, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is the story of my life
    Flag mouhaon June 28, 2007   Link

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